University of Gloucestershire moves up seven places in People and Planet University League

University of Gloucestershire has moved up seven places and retained its First Class status in the 2024/25 People and Planet University League.

The annual People and Planet University League is the only comprehensive and independent assessment of UK universities ranked against a set of criteria that takes in all aspects of environmental and ethical performance.

University of Gloucestershire, which is committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030, has risen to 14^th in the overall league table and is among only 25 universities to achieve First Class status out of the 149 assessed this year.

The University gained a score of 100 per cent for Environmental Auditing and Managing Systems, 94 per cent for Education and Sustainable Development, 85 per cent for Staff and HR, and 80 per cent for Staff and Student Engagement, Policy and Strategy, and Carbon Management.

Dame Clare Marchant, DBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “We’re pleased that our actions around sustainability, environmental and ethical performance have been recognised in the latest People and Planet University League.

“We know how much sustainability matters to our students and staff, which is reflected in our long-standing commitment and track record in performance and innovation in this area. This is underlined by our strategy to reach carbon net zero emissions by 2030 and create greener, cleaner and more energy efficient campuses.

“We will continue to integrate sustainability into our activities, including our teaching and research programmes, student work placements, campus facilities and the partnerships we create across Gloucestershire and beyond.

“While there is still more work to do, of course, the whole of our University community cares deeply about sustainability and environmental issues and they will play a key role in ensuring we meet our ambitious targets.”

The University was ranked inside the top 300 in the world in the Environmental Sustainability category in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024, which assesses an institution’s strategy and operations towards an environmentally sustainable future.

The University’s commitment to sustainability excellence was recognised at the 2023 UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards for a collaborative sector project helping to drive improvements and support transparency around core curriculum sustainability learning.

The University’s measures to tackle environmental issues includes the launch in 2019 of the UK’s first digital-only undergraduate prospectus, featuring fully accessible and interactive online content, which won a Gold Award at the 2021 Heist Awards for its sustainable nature.

Main image: The University’s Park Campus in Cheltenham