University of Reading has been ranked as the best university in the UK and Europe for championing responsible consumption and production in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023. It has also been ranked second in the UK and Europe for climate action and third for research and education linked to protecting life on land.
Compiled by THE, these rankings map how universities around the world are committing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a global call to action to tackle some of today’s biggest global issues, such as poverty, climate change and inequality.
Reading was the second-highest performing university in the world – and the best in the UK and Europe – for its contribution to supporting responsible production and consumption, out of 674 institutions who were ranked against SDG 12. This ranking focuses on the efficient use of resources, minimising waste produced, research on responsible consumption and production, having policies in place for sourcing ethical goods and for measuring and managing waste, and the publication of a sustainability report. Please see this detailed methodology for more information about this ranking.
University of Reading is dedicated to embedding the concept of the ‘Waste Hierarchy’ into our day-to-day operations. We aim to be an efficient user of resources and prevent waste being created in the first place; and then to reduce, re-use, recycle and recover items and materials. Sending materials to landfill is the last resort. We work closely with our main waste management contractor Select Environmental Services, a local company that is based in Reading, in order to roll-out new innovations and undertake new initiatives.
We want to enable everyone in the University to help minimise our impact on the environment. You can read more about our progress and achievements during 2021/22 academic year in section 7.0 of the University of Reading’s Sustainability Report.
To find more information about how to minimise waste generated on site, to re-use surplus items and to recycle different materials, go to our Waste, Resources and Recycling web page.
Paul Taylor
Sustainability Officer
