University retains 'First Class' rating in People & Planet League
Thursday, 18 July 2019
The University has again been awarded a 'First Class' rating in the latest People & Planet University League for its environmental and ethical performance, ranking 28 out of 154 institutions in the scheme.
People & Planet, an independent student campaigning network, reviews the environmental performance of higher education institutions across the UK in 13 topic areas, awarding degree-style classifications for their overall environmental and ethical performance.
Reading scored top marks for its environmental management and auditing systems, also performing well in the Policy, Resources and Carbon Management categories. In the areas of Ethical Investment and Education for Sustainable Development, the league highlights the University has more work to do to keep up with its peers. The University is currently re-tendering its investment services, with the new contract intended to have a much greater emphasis on ethical investment.
In preparing the league, People & Planet review publically available data, both from institutions’ own websites and also from data available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Dan Fernbank, Energy & Sustainability Manager, said “It’s great to see the University retain its First Class award in the People & Planet league for another year. This is the most high-profile review of universities’ environmental performance, and whilst we should celebrate our success, we must also recognise the need to address those areas in which we are performing less well.”
The University recently reached a landmark 40% reduction in its carbon footprint, and is developing plans for how the University can reach a net zero carbon position in the years ahead.