Sustainability Policy
| Owner: | Director of Infrastructure |
| Author: | AD Sustainability |
| Approved by: | Executive Board |
| Date of Approval of this Version: | 11 April 2025 |
| Next Review Date: | 30 November 2026 |
| Version Number: | v2 |
| Applicable Statutory, Legal or National Best Practice Requirements: |
UK Government Commitment to Net Zero Sector-wide recommended frameworks for: managing sustainability; emissions reporting |
| Equality Impact Assessment Completion Date: | 20 January 2025 |
| Date Protection Impact Assessment Completion Date: | 20 January 2025 |
1. Introduction
1.1 The University has a strategic objective to embed a consideration of our contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals into all aspects of our research, learning, teaching and operations by 2025.
1.2 This policy defines the overarching framework and approach the University has adopted to pursue its ambition. The framework is centred on the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard, a tool developed by The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, of which we are a member, and which has been widely adopted across the sector.
1.3 The University’s ambition is driven by the UN’s SDGs, which resonate with the University’s vision, mission, values and ethical framework. Our approach is also guided by sector-wide recommended practice.
1.4 Universities are not, as yet, bound by individual, legally binding emissions reductions targets. This policy reflects an ambition for the University to achieve net zero carbon for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 and to achieve net zero carbon for its Scope 3 emissions by 2050.
2. Scope
2.1 The Policy applies in the first instance to staff at the University, and covers all aspects of the University’s teaching, research and operations.
2.2 Insofar as implementing the Policy affects all staff, students, suppliers and partners, this Policy has wide-ranging potential application. In practice, such changes are likely to give rise to more detailed policies and procedures to support this overarching document.
3. Glossary
3.1 Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education: the sector’s sustainability network interest group, allied to the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE).
3.2 Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS): a self-assessment methodology to structure and score a university’s progress to becoming a sustainable entity.
3.3 Emissions: related to the emissions of Greenhouse gases.
3.4 Net zero: achieving an operating model which reduces carbon or other harmful greenhouse gas emissions and/or ensures that any ongoing emissions are balanced by removals.
3.5 UN Sustainable Development Goals: 17 globally recognised aims to secure a sustainable, just, and peaceful world. They are No Poverty; Zero Hunger; Good Health and Wellbeing; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry Innovation and Infrastructure; Reduced Inequalities; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; Life Below Water; Life on Land; Peace Justice and Strong Institutions; Partnerships for the Goals (See https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
4. Responsibilities
The primary day-to-day responsibility for making this policy a reality lies with the Associate Director of Sustainability, the Sustainability Service and the Energy Team, supported by others as described below:
Council
4.1 The Council approves the University’s strategy and holds the Executive to account to deliver it and approves budget to pursue it. This Policy is one element in the delivery of the Strategic Objective to contribute to the UN SDGs.
Senate
4.2 The Senate has oversight of any curriculum and research aspects of the implementation of this policy.
Executive Board
4.3 The Executive Board supports the Director of Infrastructure to steer and implement the Policy. It receives reports on progress against achieving the University’s sustainability goals.
Vice Chancellor
4.4 The Vice Chancellor’s role is to support and challenge the Director of Infrastructure in pursuit of the policy.
Director of Infrastructure
4.5 The Director of Infrastructure is the named executive lead for Sustainability.
Sustainability Service
4.6 The Sustainability Service is responsible on a day-to-day basis for putting this policy into practice. It supports colleagues across the University to embed sustainability within their work areas.
4.7 The ambition is to mainstream Sustainability into a permanent feature of the University’s activities. The Sustainability Service will ultimately champion, co-ordinate, measure and report relevant KPIs, and hold others to account in pursuit of the strategic objective.
Employees
4.8 Employees are responsible for adhering to supporting policies and procedures implemented by the Sustainability Service.
4.9 Staff are encouraged to respond to consultation on proposed changes affecting them, including through their representatives.
Students
4.10 Students are responsible for adhering to supporting policies and procedures implemented by the Sustainability Service.
4.11 Students are encouraged to respond to consultation on proposed changes affecting them, including through their representatives.
5. Policy Intent and Approach
5.1 The intent of this policy is to enable the University to achieve is strategic ambition to embed a consideration of our contribution to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals into all aspects of our research, learning, teaching and operations by 2025.
5.2 The Sustainable Development Goals are wide-ranging and interrelated. Accordingly, our sustainability ambition is not only about stewardship of limited natural resources, and tackling climate change, and even though these are in themselves central to long-run wellbeing. We also act to bring about more sustainable society.
5.3 Becoming a sustainable university is complex and will involve myriad changes to process, behaviour, habit and operation compared to the model in place currently.
5.4 Our strategy is to pursue sustainability by working on 5 fronts:
5.4.1 We teach our students about climate change and more broadly sustainability as defined in the SDGs
5.4.2 We carry out research in the SDGs spheres, both locally and globally
5.4.3 We act locally with state, civil and private sector partners to make the Bradford district more sustainable
5.4.4 We are changing how we operate to reduce our carbon footprint
5.4.5 We are managing our grounds to conserve and enhance biodiversity on campus.
5.5 In developing our theory of change and our plan for action, we have adopted the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard of The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, of which we are a member.
5.6 At its core, this policy is therefore about the use of Scorecard as the methodology to guide our work.
5.7 The Scorecard defines 4 groups of in total 18 workstreams. They are:
5.7.1 Leadership and Governance (staff engagement and human resources; leadership; health and wellbeing; risk)
5.7.2 Partnership and Engagement (community and public engagement; business and industry interface; procurement and supplier engagement; food and drink)
5.7.3 Learning, Teaching and Research (research; learning and teaching; student engagement)
5.7.4 Estates and Operations (resource efficiency and waste; biodiversity; construction and renovation; water; travel and transport; climate change adaptation; energy).
5.8 For each workstream, a self-assessed score can be derived. The aim is to increase scores across workstream, to maximise the aggregate score and achieve “Gold” status. The status (Bronze/Silver/Gold) is reported on the University-level KPI dashboard.
5.9 The Scorecard has been selected because it allows comparison with other HEIs, which can inform our own development.
5.10 As with similar methodologies, the Scorecard does not prescribe what action needs to be taken, nor their sequencing or priority. The choice of action is therefore to be taken in the context of risk, resource, opportunity and impact, proposed periodically by the Sustainability Service and approved by Executive Board. This choice is shaped by how the action supports the University’s core sub-strategies of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience; Research and Innovation; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; and Business and Community Engagement.
5.11 The Sustainability Service will therefore define from time to time the focus of its activity.
5.12 The use of the Scorecard is supported by other important aspects of sustainability management, in particular: emissions reporting; ESG reporting as part of annual financial reports and accounts, which includes information on the University’s impact on the physical, human resource, societal and economic environments; and submission/publication of material to inform sustainability league tables.
6. Implementation
6.1 The policy will be implemented by the Sustainability Service, with net zero carbon for Scopes 1 and 2 delivered by the Energy Team. Colleagues across the University who are responsible for workstreams within the scorecard will be supported by the Sustainability Service to deliver their sustainability activity.
7. Monitoring and review
7.1 The application, utility and value of the Scorecard will be periodically reviewed by the Sustainability Service, at least annually.
8. Related policies and standards / documentation
8.1 This overarching, principally methodological policy is related to many other strategies and policies. These include in particular:
8.1.1 The University’s four sub-strategies.
8.1.2 The Estates and Infrastructure enabling strategy and development plans (because of their importance for physical resource consumption and emissions).
8.1.3 Supporting policies and procedures relating to the 18 workstreams in the Scorecard.
9. Appendices
None.