Becoming a 2:1 class sustainable University in the 2021 People & Planet University League
As part of the University’s commitment to embedding sustainability into every aspect of its operations, we are committed to reporting our environmental performance and measuring the effect of what we do, to gauge the success of our environmental strategies. Our performance is monitored internally through our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and also through external bodies, and one of them is People & Planet, the UK’s largest student campaigning network.
The People & Planet University League is an award-winning environmental ranking of all the UK’s universities and is the only comprehensive and independent league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance, compiled annually.
2021 People & Planet University League
The 2021 People & Planet University League has just been published and the University of Liverpool has climbed over 50 places from 99th to 46th place, moving up from a 3rd class to a 2:1 class University. This rise demonstrates our commitment to becoming a leading sustainable University, and our activity continues to go from strength to strength.
Nicola Davies, Director of Finance and Chair of the Sustainability Board said “The enormous rise in the People and Planet league table is testament to the hard work of the whole sustainability team and colleagues across the University who have worked tirelessly to ensure the University of Liverpool is becoming an ever more sustainable institution. A rise of over fifty places is not only a fantastic result for this institution but demonstrates how we are living up to our values in setting an example for our city, region, and sector.”
The University is actively taking steps to look at its impact on climate change and wider sustainable development. We have signed an accord committing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and have developed a new Sustainability Strategy, building on existing activities, research and education strengths in this area. The University has also established a cross-institutional research theme ‘Climate Futures’, aligning its academic strengths to best meet environmental challenges, including developing solutions and identifying gaps where there is a need to generate new knowledge.
Next steps
The University has achieved a lot around sustainability in a remarkably short time, but there is more work to be done. The sustainability team are currently developing an action plan which will outline how we will make improvements to make 2022 the year that the University cements its credentials as a sector and regional leader in sustainability, and becomes a 1st class sustainable University ahead of next year’s People & Planet University League ranking.
We believe that sustainability should not only be about structures and operations, but also collaboration, encouraging engagement and inspiring action to support us in achieving our Sustainability Strategy. Our work is only made possible by our collective endeavours and together we can build a more sustainable future.
Find out more
Visit the ‘Get Involved’ pages and help shape sustainability across the University and make an impact for generations to come through campaigns and events, volunteering roles and development opportunities.
The People & Planet University League 2021 can be viewed here and the University of Liverpool's full scorecard results can be found here.