Introduction

Vice Chancellor’s Foreword 

Professor Tim Jones Vice Chancellor 

At the University of Liverpool, we place a more sustainable planet at the heart of our values and our vision for the future. This Sustainability Strategy recognises the great potential we have to make a difference and sets out our commitment to doing so. 

Recognising both the global value of our academic role and our local impact as a large organisation, our vision is to drive forward environmental and social equity through our education, research, and operations, making a positive impact within and beyond our boundaries. Research will be at the forefront of our efforts as we increasingly direct our expertise towards addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Through our teaching, we will support our diverse, talented community of students to build their understanding of sustainability and harness their potential as future changemakers. And, in addition to supporting our city region to meet its net zero commitments, within our physical and organisational boundaries we will place a focus on our sustainability and the transition to net zero.  

Introduction from the Chief Financial Officer 

Nicola Davies, Chief Financial Officer and Chair of the University’s Sustainability Committee 

We published our first Sustainability Strategy in 2021, coinciding with a pledge to put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of all our activities. Steady progress towards the aims set out in that strategy has been made in the intervening years, including the launch of our Climate Plan and inclusion of sustainability as a cross-cutting theme in our strategic framework, Liverpool 2031. 

It is encouraging that our progress has been demonstrated through year-on-year improvements in sustainability league tables, which we use to benchmark our performance across the higher education sector. We are especially proud of our position in the 2024 QS Sustainability Rankings, which rose 100 places from the previous year, placing us 50th out of 1,403 institutions globally. Through our teaching, we will support our diverse, talented community of students to build their understanding of sustainability and harness their potential as future changemakers. And, in addition to supporting our city region to meet its net zero commitments, within our physical and organisational boundaries we will place a focus on our sustainability and the transition to net zero. This is a long-term commitment and there is much to do, as is clear from the breadth and depth of our commitments in this strategy. Thank you to the staff, students and others who have contributed to the considerable progress made to date – I look forward to the whole University community working together to achieve much more in the years ahead. 

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