{"id":11794,"date":"2022-06-22T10:59:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T10:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/sustainability\/?page_id=11794"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:07:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:07:41","slug":"people-and-planet-league","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/sustainability\/policies-and-strategies\/people-and-planet-league\/","title":{"rendered":"People and Planet University League"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sustainability <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>

PUTTING PEOPLE AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO<\/h3>\n
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\"\"We are assessed annually for People and Planet\u2019s League which is a comprehensive and independent league table of UK universities, ranked according to their environmental and ethical performance.<\/p>\n

We have been improving people\u2019s lives for over a century, and remain dedicated to that same ethos of making the world a better place by putting people and the world we live in at the heart of our approach<\/a>. We are a world leading university on climate change, and sustainability is a core principle of the University\u2019s overarching strategy, demonstrating our commitment to making improvements in this area. We are also working to actively embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into what we do. We have a number of policies, strategies and reports<\/a> which set out our commitments and progress against these.<\/p>\n

The University\u2019s most recent summary results<\/a> are published by People and Planet and we are proud to have been rated \u2018first class' for the past several years, ranking 4th in both 2025 and 2024 and ranking 1st out of 151 universities in 2023. We have provided below some of the detail which underpins our current position across each of the 14 areas assessed. If there is something you would like to know about our sustainability which you cannot find below, further information is available within the pages of our sustainability website<\/a>. The latest on our sustainability projects and activities can be found on our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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POLICY AND STRATEGY<\/span><\/p>\n

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The University\u2019s Environment and Energy Policy<\/a>\u00a0sets out our sustainability and environmental commitments, and is signed off by the Vice-Chancellor, Robert Van De Noort. We also operate an externally accredited Environmental and Energy Management System<\/a> (EEMS).<\/p>\n

Our policy is reviewed annually and environmental performance is reported on against our sustainability objectives\/strategy to the Environmental Sustainability Committee<\/a> (ESC), and to the University Executive Board<\/a> (via ESC), through our annual Environmental Sustainability Report<\/a>. The Management Review for our EEMS is also reported to both groups. The ESC and UEB both have senior management representation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We have developed a responsible procurement policy<\/a>, and the staff of suppliers working on behalf of the University must ensure they are aware of this policy and comply with our EEMS. This is supported by our \u2018Code of Conduct\u2019<\/a> for suppliers, produced by our procurement department.<\/p>\n

Sustainability is one of the core principles of the University\u2019s overall strategy<\/a>. Our Environmental Sustainability Strategic Action Plan<\/a> revolves around 3 areas; Education and Engagement, Research and Influence, and A Green University. To support delivery against this, we have developed strategies\/plans for the following key environmental impact areas:<\/p>\n