University sustainability rankings 2021

by Laura Brown in Sixth form & college, Study Tips

Updated by Nele van Hout
9 December 2021

Unis are under increasing pressure to be kinder to the environment – but how many are actually taking action? These university rankings reveal the best and worst places for sustainability.

Credit: Tetiana Shumbasova (background) – Shutterstock

The general UK university rankings can tell us a lot, but when it comes to some of the issues we really care about, like (a big one!) the planet, they can fall a bit short.

If you've been wondering how sustainable your university is, wonder no more. Here are the comprehensive results charting the environmental and ethical performance of unis in the UK.

How the university sustainability league is calculated

Credit: CBC

These rankings were compiled by People & Planet and included 154 unis across the UK.

You'll see in our run-down of the results below that each university's been given a total percentage score. This is worked out based on their performance in 13 categories:

Environmental policy and strategy
Sustainable staff
Environmental auditing and management systems
Ethical investment
Carbon management
Workers' rights
Sustainable food
Staff and student engagement
Education for sustainable development
Energy sources
Waste and recycling
Carbon reduction
Water reduction.

Each university's scores across all categories are combined, with some categories carrying more weight than others. An overall total percentage is calculated, and the higher the total percentage, the higher the ranking.

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Most sustainable universities in the UK

These are the 10 most sustainable universities in the UK:

Manchester Metropolitan University – 86.3%
King's College London – 79.5%
Nottingham Trent University – 78.8%
De Montfort University – 78.1%
Cardiff Metropolitan University – 76.9%

University of Worcester – 76.9%

University of The Arts, London – 75.8%
University of Bedfordshire – 75.2%
Plymouth University – 73.9%

Swansea University – 73.8%

If you're wondering how Manchester Metropolitan University managed to come out top in these rankings, it probably had something to do with scoring 100% for environmental policies, 100% for carbon reduction, 100% for environmental auditing and management systems, and (you guessed it!) 100% for sustainability staff. Wow.

Manchester Metropolitan University's response

How did Manchester Metropolitan University respond to being number one for sustainability?

Professor Malcolm Press, Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, told us:

We are absolutely delighted that our important work on sustainability has been recognised in this way. Sustainability forms an integral part of everything that we do, from our teaching and research, to the way that we build and use our campus.

We know that the environment is one of the top concerns for people of all ages and this award demonstrates the pivotal role that sustainability plays in university life at Manchester Metropolitan.

While places like Manchester Metropolitan University are leading the way in terms of sustainability, others, in comparison, are doing much (much!) less. Let's hope your uni doesn't appear on the list below.

10 least sustainable universities

These are the 10 worst universities for sustainability:

University of Bolton – 6.3%
Royal College of Art – 5.1%
Ravensbourne University London – 4.8%
University College Birmingham – 4.7%
Norwich University of the Arts – 4.5%
Stranmillis University College – 3.1%
Royal Academy of Music – 2.4%

Courtauld Institute of Art – 2.4%

The University College of Osteopathy – 2.3%
University of Sunderland – 0.7%

Scoring 0% across 11 categories, including sustainable food, workers' rights, sustainability staff and ethical investment, the University of Sunderland is placed 154th out of 154 universities.

But, it's important to note that, if People & Planet can't find information for some categories (i.e. if the university hasn't made some info public), they will give them a score of zero. So, we hope, the University of Sunderland may be a bit more sustainable than the results suggest.

If you've not seen your university yet, check out the full university league table for sustainability below.

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Full university league table for sustainability

Ranking	University	Total score
1	Manchester Metropolitan University	86.3%
2	King's College London	79.5%
3	Nottingham Trent University	78.8%
4	De Montfort University	78.1%
5=	Cardiff Metropolitan University	76.9%
5=	University of Worcester	76.9%
7	University of The Arts, London (UAL)	75.8%
8	University of Bedfordshire	75.2%
9	Plymouth University	73.9%
10	Swansea University	73.8%
11	London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	72.9%
12	University of Salford	72.6%
13	City, University of London	71.9%
14	Bournemouth University	70.2%
15	University of Reading	69.9%
16	University of Exeter	69.8%
17=	Aston University	69.5%
17=	Northumbria University	69.5%
19	University College London (UCL)	68.6%
20	University of Bristol	67.3%
21	Newcastle University	67.2%
22	Coventry University	66.8%
23	University of Greenwich	66.6%
24	University of The West of England, Bristol (UWE)	63.7%
25	University of Oxford	62.9%
26	University of Winchester	62.8%
27	Keele University	62.4%
28=	Bangor University	61.8%
28=	Middlesex University	61.8%
30	Durham University	60.4%
31=	Bath Spa University	60.2%
31=	Birmingham City University	60.2%
33	University of Brighton	59.6%
34	University of Leeds	59.5%
35	University of Hull	59.4%
36	Queen Mary University of London	58.2%
37	University of Derby	57.9%
38	London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine	57.5%
39	University of Wales Trinity Saint David	56.1%
40	University of East Anglia	56%
41	University of Kent	55.9%
42	Glyndwr University	55.3%
43	Edinburgh Napier University	55.2%
44=	Cardiff University	55%
44=	Sheffield Hallam University	55%
46	University of Liverpool	54.2%
47	Anglia Ruskin University	53%
48	Birkbeck, University of London	52.9%
49	Liverpool John Moores University	52.6%
50=	Guildhall School of Music and Drama	52.4%
50=	University of Huddersfield	52.4%
52	SOAS University of London	51.7%
53=	University of Nottingham	51.3%
53=	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)	51.3%
55	University of Leicester	50.9%
56	London Metropolitan University	50.8%
57	University of West London	50.6%
58	University of Bradford	50.3%
59	University of Warwick	50.1%
60=	University of Sheffield	49.5%
60=	Arts University Bournemouth	49.5%
62	University of Essex	49%
63	Cranfield University	48.9%
64	Glasgow Caledonian University	48.8%
65	Solent University	48.2%
66	Imperial College London	48%
67	University of Lincoln	47.8%
68	University of Manchester	47.7%
69	Oxford Brookes University	47.3%
70	Leeds Beckett University	46.9%
71	University of Portsmouth	46.8%
72	University of Edinburgh	46%
73	Kingston University	44.8%
74=	Loughborough University	44.5%
74=	University of Surrey	44.5%
76	University of Bath	44%
77	Ulster University	42.5%
78	Canterbury Christ Church University	42.3%
79	Lancaster University	41.8%
80	Buckinghamshire New University	41.6%
81	University of Northampton	41.4%
82=	University of Cambridge	40.8%
82=	University of Gloucestershire	40.8%
84	University of Glasgow	40.3%
85	Edge Hill University	40.1%
86	University of South Wales	39.8%
87	Queen's University of Belfast	39.6%
88	University of St Andrews	39.1%
89=	University of Aberdeen	39%
89=	University of Westminster	39%
91=	University of Strathclyde	38.6%
91=	Teesside University	38.6%
93	University of York	36.9%
94	Brunel University London	36.7%
95	Liverpool Hope University	35.6%
96	University of Hertfordshire	35.5%
97	University of Stirling	34.8%
98=	University of Chester	34.5%
98=	University of Cumbria	34.5%
98=	University for the Creative Arts	34.5%
101	University of Chichester	34.3%
102	University of Suffolk	34.1%
103	Royal Holloway University of London	32.4%
104	York St John University	32%
105	University of The West of Scotland (UWS)	31%
106	Glasgow School of Art	30.4%
107	University of East London	29.9%
108	University of Sussex	29.5%
109	Heriot-Watt University	28.8%
110	Aberystwyth University	28.5%
111	Newman University	28.1%
112	Goldsmiths University of London	27.8%
113	Staffordshire University	27.7%
114	University of Abertay Dundee	27.4%
115	Robert Gordon University	27.3%
116	Harper Adams University	25.7%
117	The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	25.4%
118	Royal Veterinary College	25.3%
119	Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance	25%
120	University of Southampton	24.9%
121	University of Wolverhampton	23.7%
122	Falmouth University	22.9%
123	St. Mary's University College Belfast	22.5%
124	Leeds Trinity University	22.2%
125	University of the Highlands and Islands	21.3%
126	Bishop Grosseteste University	20.8%
127	Royal College of Music London	20.7%
128	University of Dundee	20.4%
129	Roehampton University	20.2%
130=	Queen Margaret University	19.8%
130=	Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance	19.8%
132=	University of St Mark and St John	19.1%
132=	St Mary's University Twickenham	19.1%
134	London South Bank University	18.9%
135	The Institute of Cancer Research	18.6%
136=	St George's University of London	15.3%
136=	Leeds Arts University	15.3%
138	University of Birmingham	13.1%
139	Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	12.7%
140	Royal Agricultural University	12.5%
141	Writtle University College	12%
142	Royal Northern College of Music	9.3%
143	The Open University	8.3%
144	London Business School	7.9%
145	University of Bolton	6.3%
146	Royal College of Art	5.1%
147	Ravensbourne University London	4.8%
148	University College Birmingham	4.7%
149	Norwich University of the Arts	4.5%
150	Stranmillis University College	3.1%
151=	Royal Academy of Music	2.4%
151=	Courtauld Institute of Art	2.4%
153	The University College of Osteopathy	2.3%
154	University of Sunderland	0.7%

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How to live sustainably on a budget

Credit: Watchara Ritjan – Shutterstock

Sometimes, it can feel like an impossible task to save the environment and your bank account. But, thankfully, there are ways to live more sustainably without spending a fortune.

One easy way to cut down on plastic waste, and save money in the process, is by no longer buying cups of coffee or bottled drinks while you're out.

Buying a reusable container like a travel coffee cup will make a massive difference. After the initial purchases, you'll be able to fill them up for free with tap water or get small discounts off hot drinks at some chain coffee shops for using your own cup.

Also, you can avoid food waste (and the extra cost of replacing out-of-date food) with some careful changes to how you buy and store food. Check out our tips on how to keep food fresh for longer as well as which foods should go in the fridge if you want them to last longer.

On top of this, there are loads of things you can recycle for money, such as clothes, plastic bags, mobile phones and more.

And it's worth reading our guide on how to cut down on plastic and save money to see how to reduce your environmental impact without doing some serious damage to your bank balance instead.

Find out the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint – the tips can help you save (or even make) money.