Brighton jumps into top 30 in new university sustainability league table

The ranking, which assesses universities across the UK based on their environmental and ethical performance, also named University of Brighton as the fourth most sustainable university in the south-east.

The People & Planet assessment covers 14 categories, including environmental policy and strategy, water use, waste and recycling, carbon management and reduction, as well as education for sustainable development.

Brighton was awarded a perfect score (100%) for its sustainability strategy and policies, and also scored highly for Staff and Student Engagement (90%), Education for Sustainable Development (85%) and Carbon Management (83%).

People and Planet 2:1 Class badge

The improvement on last year’s league table position means Brighton has risen by 41 places in the last two years having placed 71^st in 2022 and 46^th in 2023.

Ollie Swan, Head of Sustainability at University of Brighton said: “Our academic mission is deeply connected to addressing today’s environmental and ethical challenges. By aligning our teaching and research with real-world issues, we prepare students to contribute to a sustainable society.

“At the same time, we’re committed to ‘walking the talk’ through our own environmental performance. While these results are encouraging, we remain focused on taking this forward, developing consistent approaches in our emerging university strategy.”

The latest performance in the national sustainability league table comes after the university was awarded platinum status through the EcoCampus university sector environmental management certification (EMS) scheme.

This is a result of the implementation of strategic policies to cut carbon emissions, move towards cleaner energy, protect biodiversity as well as reduce waste. For instance, the university generated 630,000 kWh of solar power in 2023–24 - enough to power 230 homes for a year while an expanded reuse campaign diverted about 4.7 tonnes of waste from landfill, collecting 592 bags of unwanted items from student halls and raising £8,880 for charity in 2024.

This recognition reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, with both staff and students actively driving positive change.