Strategy and performance
We take a cutting-edge, whole-institution approach to sustainability at University of Gloucestershire and this is reflected in our Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027.
We have defined priority goals for this next five years that reflect our maturity on sustainability and align with our core mission, vision and objectives. Sustainability has been a strategic commitment of the University since 2007 and is one of the 6 strategic enablers of the University’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027.
Strategy Goals 2022-2027
Learning
Goal 1 – Embed Education for Sustainability into all our courses
Goal 2 – Maximise our research outcomes and impact for sustainability
Practice
Goal 3 – Maintain leading performance and continual improvement in sustainability
Goal 4 – Achieve 2027 emissions reduction targets in the Carbon Net Zero Strategy
Collaboration
Goal 5 – Support students to drive change for sustainability within and beyond the University
Goal 6 – Collaborate with stakeholders to develop skills and practice in sustainability
Sustainability Governance
Sustainability is embedded in decision-making at the University of Gloucestershire and is considered at the highest levels. Key stakeholders are kept informed about developments across the organisation and responsibilities in their area.
The University’s governance systems integrate sustainability into business planning, decision-making and continuous improvement. This ensures we are consistent and transparent in how we deliver on sustainability commitments in our Strategic Plan 2022-2027 and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2027.
We have allocated duties and clear reporting lines, to progressively embed sustainability into culture and practice:
- Overall responsibility remains with the Vice-Chancellor, who reports to Council on agreed institutional Key Performance Indicators for sustainability
- University Council receive the annual sustainability report, provide input on sustainability matters and have a nominated champion to raise critical issues
- The Director of Sustainability holds responsibility for delivery of the sustainability strategy, leads the sustainability team and delivers the annual sustainability report to the executive group for review and discussion (University Executive Committee)
- The wider senior management team (University Management Forum) are involved in strategic discussions of cross-cutting issues and progress action on specific policies and plans relevant to their areas
ISO 14001:2015 accreditation
Our sustainability governance system and operation of our environmental management system (EMS) are accredited through ISO 14001: 2015. The assurance process provides external oversight of how we deliver against our policies and plans relevant to sustainability and how we identify the risks and impacts that matter most to our key stakeholders.
Our EMS covers the whole university estate – our campuses at Park, Francis Close Hall, Hardwick and Oxstalls – and spans campus operations as well as educational activities. Performance on our EMS targets and objectives, aligned to our Sustainability Strategy goals, is reviewed annually with oversight from our University Executive lead on sustainability and is formally recorded in our Annual Sustainability Report.
