Interim sustainability strategy summary

Vision

To position UEL as a sector-leading sustainable university by:

  • Establishing a Sustainable University Framework across all institutional functions that leverages our sector-leading expertise and capacity through local and global partnerships and perspectives
  • Ensuring alignment between the Framework, Vision 2028 ambition, and the strengths of our schools and research institutes
  • Contributing meaningfully, through internal and external collaborations and knowledge exchange, to supporting socially and ecologically just transition aligned with local and global sustainability goals.

Strategic Objectives

  1. Develop a Sustainable University Framework:

    inspired by the UNEP’s Sustainable University model, UEL’s Sustainable University Framework will guide a whole-institution transformation across four core dimensions:
    Teaching Excellence
    Research, Impact & Innovation
    Outreach & Engagement
    Resource Stewardship through Sustainable Place & Practice

  2. Establish Leadership & Governance:

    Establish leadership for sustainability at University Executive Board and a linked governor for sustainability.
    Appoint leads for each of the four core dimensions of the Framework.
    Establish a UEL Just Transition Committee to collaborate on development of the Sustainable University Framework, including engaging the SDG Steering Group (and any other existing groups).
    Embed explicit responsibility/accountability for sustainability in all committee terms of reference and in the requirements of each paper for committees.

  3. Develop Key Enablers:

    Institutional KPIs: develop a suite of KPIs which match our ambition for a just transition and enable the institution and stakeholders to track our progress 
    Curriculum & Staff Development Integration: develop mechanisms to embed meaningful education for sustainability in all academic programmes, the graduate experience, and staff development, enriching and informing graduates future careers, lifelong learning, and societal contributions.
    Research & Knowledge Exchange: audit, increase visibility, accessibility, and impact of existing interdisciplinary sustainability research, Living Lab, RDCS, and academic institutes to drive positive sustainability outcomes. Enhance collaboration across sustainability research themes and share innovations internally and externally.
    Infrastructure & Spaces Activation: utilise UEL’s estates, and estates development/review (e.g., RDCS, Health Campus) as platforms supporting sustainable innovation and transformation across the four core dimensions of the framework.

  4. Engage Stakeholders:

    Co-create the Sustainable University Framework with staff, students, and partners.
    Foster global/local partnerships within and beyond the academic sector to share good practice, and influence policy and behaviour change.
    Engage with local, regional and global sustainability fora for sharing cross-sectoral best practice for sustainable leadership
    Create a coordinated and centralised communication and engagement approach to driving sustainability at UEL by merging efforts (for example with the SDG Committee) and ensuring clear internal and external communication via central comms. Create active feedback and capacity building mechanisms that provide a catalyst for scaling/accelerating social and environmental impacts.
    Embed the Sustainable University Framework development within the work of the Just Transition Committee and its networks, to accelerate action, catalyse innovative cross-sector partnerships, and scaffold action learning/participatory research to engage, equip and inspire/create social impact.

  5. Deliver a Roadmap & Resourcing Capacity Building Plan:

    Map current capacity and progress on UEL’s Sustainable University Framework against social, environmental, and governance practices/direct and indirect impact areas/scope 1,2 and 3 – carbon emissions, carbon impact and climate resilience.
    Identify gaps and opportunities that continually builds UEL’s capacity and sustainability impact (as a major education and research institution, employer and procurer, and civic capacity).
    Develop a costed action plan with SMART KPIs that drive social, environmental and capacity building across our staff, students, community and partners.
    Pursue funding and partnership avenues (e.g., Good Growth Fund/Royal Docks/Newham) to support the ambitions of the sustainability strategy transformation across our local and global communities.

Key Outcomes

A unified institutional Sustainable University Framework that:

  • Incorporates sustainability into all aspects of UEL’s operations, development and behaviours.
  • Establishes UEL’s governance structure for sustainability with mechanisms for external evaluation and guidance (industry, community, academic etc)
  • Implements and develops sustainability policies
  • Integrates sustainability risk management
  • Incorporates sustainability across UEL practices, community and industry partnerships
  • Embeds (mainstreams) sustainability across our staff, students, procurement and value chain
  • Measures and reports on an annual basis (benchmark against industries and learn from best practice)
  • Rapid sustainable transformation of the four core dimensions, with sustainability embedded into our staff development, curriculum, research, engagement, and practice.
  • Improved performance in sustainability league tables (THE Impact, QS, People & Planet)
  • Career-ready graduates through stronger industry, community and government partnerships aligned teaching, research and staff expertise with industry 4.0/5.0 green skills and the need to transition to a sustainable future.

(Interim) KPIs & Targets

1.    Just Transition 

  • [KPI 1.1] Establish a Just Transition Committee with staff, student and community representation

2.    Assets/Property

  • [KPI 2.1] Commit to reaching the levels of design necessary for BREEAM Outstanding in new-build construction & embed sustainability at the heart of refurbishment decisions.

3.    Carbon, Climate Impact and Resilience

  • [KPI 3.1] Annual increase in low carbon sources as a proportion of energy used
  • [KPI 3.2] Carbon Net-Zero by 2030.

4.    Community and Social Value

  • [KPI 4.1] XXXX community engagement in sustainability outreach/skills through the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability
  • [KPI 4.2] XXXX SME engagement in sustainability outreach/skills through the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability

5.    Biodiversity

  • [KPI 5.1] Complete comprehensive biodiversity audit of 3 x campuses
  • [KPI 5.2] Update Biodiversity Action Plan – including links to ecosystem service provision (e.g. air quality, wellbeing (staff, students, community), etc)

6.    Sustainable procurement governance and practices

  • KPI 6.1] Opportunity mapping of supply chain and waste management policies
  • [KPI 6.2] Initiate establishment of baseline targets for embedding sustainable approaches into supply chains and waste management.

7.    Travel and Transport

  • [KPI 7.1] Implement annual travel surveys for staff and students
  • [KPI 7.2] Develop a draft travel plan from the 1st year’s survey results

8.    Water

  • [KPI 8.1] Develop methodology for water consumption per person methodology
  • [KPI 8.2] Set target for water consumption per person 

9.    Waste

  • [KPI 9.1] Work with waste supplier to generate an improved understanding of proportion of waste recycles.
  • [KPI 9.2] Set interim waste recycling improvement target

10.    Partnership governance and practices

  • [KPI 10.1] Map currently formal partnership engagements in sustainability committees and networks
  • [KPI 10.2] Opportunity mapping to increase influence on sustainability committees and networks

11.    Teaching

  • [KPI 11.1] Develop a pilot measure to review sustainability literacy for staff, students and UEL management 

12.    Research

  • [KPI 12.1] Ensure that all internal funding opportunities include a requirement to contribute to UN SDGs

Potential additional KPIs & Targets (for full strategy)

1.    Just Transition

  • Establish a Just Transition Committee targets for organisational, local, and global impact

2.    Assets/Property

  • Map embodied carbon in existing infrastructure/buildings, etc
  • Health and wellbeing (social impact)
  • Financing (sustainable finance will further scale our delivery in this area)

3.    Carbon, Climate Impact and Resilience

  • Establish emissions & discharges baseline for scope 1, 2 and 3
  • Review of potential resilience and adaptation actions to future-proof UEL 

4.    Community and Social Value

  • Involvement, collaboration and inclusion (equity, diversity)
  • Outreach Capacity building

5.    Biodiversity

  • Consider onsite, upstream and downstream connectivity/interactions
  • Assess and develop policies and practices to map the impact of our supply chain/procurement practices on biodiversity 

6.    Sustainable procurement governance and practices

  • Update social and environmental supply chain and waste management policies
  • Implement mapping and measurement (gap/opportunities and verification) 

7.    Travel and Transport

  • Formalise travel plan
  • Set targets for increase in active travel/sustainable travel options
  • Set targets for sustainable business travel
  • Map and measure staff travel with breakdown of scope 1,2 and 3 (break down across students, staff, suppliers (up and downstream)

8.    Water

  • Implement measurement, management and conservation of water actions across campuses
  • Implement policies and practices to measure impact/conservations of water across supply chain/scope 3
  • Explore impact of UEL and Supply chain activities on water quality 

9.    Waste

  • Increase total waste recycling rates by 10% by 2026.

10.    Partnership governance and practices

  • Map our influence and stewardship for local policy, community and industry through UEL’s employment (2k+ employees, finances, locations, education and research).
  • Map our influence and stewardship for local policy, community and industry through UEL’s research and practice.

11.    Teaching

  • Implement measure of sustainability literacy amongst all staff and students
  • Set target for increase in sustainability literacy amongst staff and students
  • Embed sustainability in core modules and professional development across UEL.
  • Set targets and deliver outreach education for SDGs in the wider community

12.    Research

  • Implement measure of research outputs contributing to UN SDGs
  • Implement training to support researchers in embedding UN SDGs into proposal development, and evidencing the contribution that they will make.
  • Set target for proportion of external research funding bids contributing to UNSDGs

13.    Governance and financial decision making

  • Embed Just Transition approaches into finance decision-making