An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a structured framework that helps the University manage its environmental responsibilities in a consistent and organised way. It brings together policies, processes, and governance arrangements to identify and manage environmental risks and impacts, monitor compliance with relevant environmental legislation and regulations, set priorities for improvement, and support informed decision-making and continual improvement across the University.
The Environmental Sustainability Team manages the EMS on behalf of the University, supporting the environmental management of activities across the estate. The EMS applies to all parts of the operational estate and all activities undertaken within its scope.
Over the last few years, we have strengthened how we manage the University’s environmental risks, legal compliance, and sustainability opportunities across its estates and operations. From laboratories and libraries to offices and operational services, environmental responsibility is increasingly embedded in everyday decision-making.
A major milestone in our journey came in September 2024, when we achieved ISO 14001 certification for our Environmental Management System (EMS), following independent external audits. ISO 14001 is the world’s most widely used standard for environmental management systems, providing a strong framework to manage environmental risks, comply with legal requirements, and drive sustainable improvement.
In October 2025, the certification was successfully maintained through third-party surveillance audits, demonstrating that the EMS is working effectively and supporting ongoing improvement.
Our EMS plays a key role in supporting research funding bodies’ expectations, strengthening environmental compliance in research, and enabling more sustainable laboratory and estate operations. It also reinforces our credibility in research partnerships, while embedding environmental responsibility, legal compliance, and continual improvement across our institutions.
Compliance in practice
The University operates within a complex regulatory landscape, with more than 80 pieces of environmental legislation applying across our activities.
We are using the EMS to drive a proactive approach to environmental management and compliance:
- All identified environmental legal obligations undergo regular review
- Compliance ownership is strengthening across institutions through training, awareness, and improved access to legal guidance
- More than 23 Trade Effluent Consents are being proactively managed, with regular monitoring and closer engagement with laboratory users
Training has been a key part of this progress. In 2025-26, we delivered targeted training to over 200 staff covering environmental risks and impacts, environmental permitting, air quality, oil storage regulations, F-gas compliance, offensive and animal by-product waste and emergency planning.
A maturity journey across departments
The EMS is also driving operational improvement through a risk-based internal audit programme.
Since 2020, baseline environmental audits have been carried out across many departments.
The growing audit coverage is already translating into measurable improvements:
- 95% of significant non-conformities picked up in audits have been addressed through corrective actions
- Departments have moved from ad hoc waste arrangements to compliant framework contracts
- Duty of care responsibilities are better understood and being more consistently applied
At the same time, audits have highlighted areas for further development, particularly around governance structures and clarity of environmental responsibilities. These baseline environmental reviews informed the development of an EMS Maturity Matrix, aligned with our Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
The EMS Maturity Matrix* comprises 5 levels, assisting departments in understanding their current position and identifying next steps:
• Level 5 - Demonstrates leadership
• Level 4 - Exceeds ISO requirements
• Level 3 - Fully compliant and embedded
• Level 2 - Partial compliance - targeted action required
• Level 1 - System in development
*The University of Cambridge’s EMS Maturity Matrix was developed in collaboration with Brite Green as a tool to support the structured implementation and continual development of EMS across the operational estate and University’s academic institutions.
Eight departments have already engaged with this process, resulting in a clearer understanding of the need for more specific governance arrangements, more defined roles and responsibilities, and stronger ownership of environmental performance.
Learning from incidents
The EMS supports a more structured approach to managing and learning from environmental incidents. For example, during the 2024-25 academic year:
- 10 environmental incidents were investigated
- Corrective actions were taken
- Preventative measures were strengthened
Each incident informed improvements and reinforced a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous learning.
Looking ahead
The EMS will continue to play a central role in embedding environmental sustainability across the University. As more departments engage with the system and progress through the maturity matrix, the focus will remain on strengthening compliance, improving environmental performance, and supporting our wider sustainability commitments.