Northumbria rated First-Class for sustainability

18th December 2023

Northumbria has retained its position as the highest ranked university in the North East for sustainability in the latest People and Planet University League Table.

Published annually, the People & Planet’s University League is the only comprehensive and independent league table of universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance. It is compiled by the UK’s largest student campaigning network, People & Planet – and for the third year running Northumbria has been rated as First-Class and the highest ranked university in the North East.

For 2023/24 Northumbria was ranked 21st out of more than 150 universities across the UK. Within the categories measured, the University scored 100% in Environmental Policy and Strategy, Environmental Audits and Management Systems, and in Education for Sustainable Development.

Professor George Marston, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Projects leads the University’s strategic commitment to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is Chair of the University Sustainability Management Group which oversees the Environmental Sustainability Policy and related activities. He said: “The People & Planet University League is becoming increasingly competitive as the drive toward greater sustainability ramps up across the sector, so it is extremely rewarding to see Northumbria retaining its high ranking and First-Class status. We continue to focus heavily on minimising the impact our activities have on the environment and, through our world-class research and education to support the response to some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, including the global fight against climate change. Our work in this area will continue to grow.”

Northumbria University was also recently ranked joint 79th out of 1,591 institutions worldwide, and 21st in the UK for sustainability and global stewardship in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University scored highly across a number of SDGs, and most notably in SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG15: Life on Land, with global rankings of 7th and 22nd respectively.