People and Planet*

• Environmental policy and strategy
• Environmental auditing and management systems
• Managing carbon
• Sustainable food
• Ethical investment and banking
• Ethical careers and recruitment
• Staff and HR
• Workers rights
• Staff and student engagement
• Education for sustainable development

Environmental policy and strategy

Environmental policy - please see our Environmental Policy here.

University strategy

• Construction and refurbishment - The University's commitment to sustainable construction is founded in our requirement that all major projects must meet BREEAM ‘excellent’ criteria in their construction and BREEAM ‘outstanding’ in their level of operational energy use. This includes a requirement that major construction projects achieve at least a 40% reduction on a typical water consumption baseline, are required to include potential options for removing gas-based heating systems for consideration at an early stage of the design process and divert 100% of waste material in the construction process from landfill. 

• Emissions and discharge - Find the University's emissions commitments and approach here (including details of our scope 1 and 2 absolute zero target).

• Community involvement - The University is engaging the community through multiple streams of our environmental activity, including our Biodiversity Action Plan (please see page 14). Further examples of our community engagement can be found in the "Environment” area of our Civic and community engagement webpage.   

• Biodiversity - The University's Biodiversity Action Plan sets out our targets against a baseline of biodiversity outlined in our Biodiversity Baseline Summary Report.   

• Waste management - Find the University's waste and circular economy commitments here.

• Travel and transport - The University's travel and transport commitments and approach can be seen here.

• Sustainable procurement - The University's strategy and plans for sustainable procurement can be found here.

• Water - The University's commitments, approach and steps being undertaken to manage water consumption can be seen here. 

Environmental auditing and management systems

Please see the University's Environmental Management System (EMS) certificate for details of our ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification.

Managing carbon

Please see details of the University's Carbon Reduction Strategy and targets here.

Details of our scope 3 emissions arising from our water supply, waste water treatment, waste generation and staff commuting are available from our HESA submission. 

Please find our guidelines for sustainable business travel here. 

Our carbon progress can be found on this page (including calculation of all relevant scope 3 emission categories).  

Whilst the University are in the process of developing scope 3 targets for the majority of our scope 3 emissions, details of our existing business travel emissions reduction target is available here. 

Our Carbon Reduction Fund exists to support the delivery of our carbon and energy reduction commitments. Its primary purpose is to support delivery of our science-based scope 1 and 2 carbon reduction target, but by supporting our world-leading research it has also showcased and shared innovative energy reduction initiatives with the wider UK scientific community. In 2023-24, £2.5 million was spent through the Fund on measures such as cutting-edge research equipment carbon reduction initiatives, low carbon heating initiatives, ongoing energy efficiency improvements to the existing built estate, energy studies for potential new development, and University-wide scope 3 emissions activity. 

Sustainable food

The University Catering Service (UCS) runs cafes and hospitality services across our estate and is committed to sustainable food practices. In 2018, UCS launched a formal Sustainable Food Policy (SFP) developed in collaboration with our academics using a 'Living Lab' approach, where research on food practices and sustainability informs the policy. The SFP is also a condition in all catering contracts with private sector operators.

Since the policy’s launch and despite increased operations, UCS has reduced its absolute carbon emissions by 500 tonnes annually, cut emissions per kilogram of food by 33%, and lowered land use demand by 28%. Further impacts can be read in the Foodstep’s Scope 3 UCS Food & Drink Purchasing Report 2024.

Ethical investment and banking

Policy of Investment Responsibility 

The University has a Policy of Investment Responsibility (please see page 45) that commits the Cambridge University Endowment Fund (CUEF) to reducing fossil fuel exposure as swiftly as possible, in a manner consistent with the CUEF’s successful investment model. Specifically by 2030, the Investment Office aims to have no meaningful direct or indirect exposure to fossil fuels in the Fund’s portfolio. Please see this policy for further information on the Fund's longer-term decarbonisation targets. Please note the role of a Student Union Sabbatical Officer in the regular review of this policy. 

Responsible Investment Principles 

University of Cambridge Investment Management is committed to aligning the investments of Cambridge University Endowment Fund with net zero through the CUEF Responsible Investment Principles, approved by the Cambridge University Endowment Trustee Body. These principles recognise climate change as the most pressing problem facing humanity, necessitating a transition to an economic system with net zero greenhouse gas emissions, and commits to positioning the CUEF to prosper in a future net zero economy. Sustainability is fully integrated into the investment decision-making process for all existing and potential third-party fund managers, considering their approach to reducing emissions from their underlying portfolios is part of the due diligence process.  

Carbon reduction and supporting the green transition 

University of Cambridge’s Investment Management (UCIM’s) objective is for the Cambridge University Endowment Fund (CUEF) to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2038. 

UCIM’s objective is for the CUEF to have no meaningful exposure to fossil fuels by 2030. As of 31st December 2024, the CUEF’s conventional energy exposure was 1.2%*, meaningfully below that of the MSCI All Country World Index (3.8%).

UCIM has committed to replacing the CUEF’s conventional energy exposure with investments in renewable energy infrastructure. Since 2021, UCIM has made a total of £100 million in commitments to two specialist renewable energy fund managers and in aggregate its renewable energy commitments represented 3.3% of the CUEF as at 30th June 2024, exceeding the level of conventional energy exposure in October 2020, when UCIM’s sustainable investment strategy was announced.   

The University of Cambridge reports annually on our progress towards achieving the decarbonisation of our investments within our Annual Reports and Financial Statements (2023-24 Annual Reports and Financial Statements here). 

We are an active participant in the Request for proposals: Cash and money market funds, a collaboration between UK Higher Education institutions and trusts to create a market for cash products that do not contribute to the financing of fossil fuel expansion. 

Governance 

Oversight of University of Cambridge Investment Management (UCIM) is provided by a robust governance structure and led by experienced representatives from the investment sector with deep knowledge of strategy, compliance and risk management. A list of committee members that oversee investments can be seen on the governance page of UCIM’s website. 

The University of Cambridge publish minutes of our Council meetings for students and staff which are available on our Council’s website. We also published a detailed report on divestment and sustainable investment strategy in 2020, which can be found on the following links: 

• Cambridge to divest from fossil fuels with 'net zero' plan
• Council statement, 1 October 2020
• Divestment Report: Advantages and Disadvantages for the University of Cambridge  

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*Exposure of the MSCI ACWI is proxied using holdings of the iShares MSCI ACWI ETF available via Bloomberg. 

Ethical careers and recruitment

The University's Careers Service offers impartial service and advice to Cambridge students, Postdoc researchers and alumni. This impartiality is core to the Careers Service’s work and is written into its membership body’s professional standards and code of ethics. Please see the Careers Service's Vacancy Policy for further details on its approach to job advertisement. 

Users of the Service are free to make their own choices about who they do or do not wish to engage with, and our position is that it is not for the Careers Service to act as censor nor to make value judgements about specific employers or labour market areas. Our aim is to ensure that our users are able to make good decisions based on their own unique circumstances, aspirations and values. 

The Careers Service have decided not to accept research or philanthropic funding from fossil fuel companies whose business models do not align with the UK's Net Zero 2050 (NZ2050) target, except in exceptional circumstances. As a result, the Careers Service will also not accept those types of payments from organisations that do not comply with this standard. Organisations who are not aligned with the NZ2050 target may still be able to attend careers fairs and events as commercial agreements are permitted under the policy. This enables attendees to decide for themselves whether to engage with these organisations as potential employers. 

The Careers Service host regular green-focused events, provide interviews with alumni and employers in the environmental sector, and circulate a regular Green Careers newsletter for our students, postgraduates and graduates. 

We have partnered with Handshake to allow our students, postgraduates and graduates to explore career options, book appointments, find jobs and internships, connect with employers and enhance their networks.  

Staff and HR

Professor Bhaskar Vira FAcSS, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability provides senior leadership on the University's approach to academic environmental sustainability.

The Environmental Sustainability Team lead the work to improve the environmental performance of our estate and associated operations. Based in the Estates Division, the Environmental Sustainability Team support departments and teams to take action on our environmental sustainability commitments, give strategic direction on the approach to delivering against these commitments, and report on environmental progress. Further information on the roles and responsibilities of individual members of the Environmental Sustainability Team can be found on the Environmental Sustainability Team page and contact details can be found on our Contact us page.

The Environmental Sustainability Team engage staff to support them in driving improvement to the environmental performance of the university through a variety of engagement programmes, including Laboratory Efficiency Action Framework (LEAF), Green Impact, and Local Environmental Sustainability Plans (LESPs). These plans are designed to engage senior leadership within departments, schools, and non-school institutions to build custom plans tailored to their local context while ensuring that they are aligned with our environmental sustainability ambitions.   

Workers' rights

The University has full Living Wage accreditation through the Living Wage Foundation (LWF). The Catering Service's Sustainable Food Policy commits the University to purchasing Fairtrade catering products where applicable (in particular, all tea, coffee, sugar, and bananas, subject to supply), and promoting products which actively support Fairtrade initiatives. It also contains an objective to increase the Fairtrade product range and raise awareness of Fairtrade campaigns organised throughout the year.

Staff and student engagement

The Environmental Sustainability Team publish data and case studies relating to the University's environmental sustainability performance on an annual basis.

The University's Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) sets out a 10-year vision to manage nature and includes clear actions to enhance biodiversity across the estate. The University have also signed a Nature Positive Pledge and is a founding member of the global Nature Positive Universities network formed in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Environmental Sustainability Team promotes events and activities staff and students can get involved in through an internal Environmental Sustainability Hub, which hosts a calendar of events and a monthly Sustainability Matters newsletter. The Environmental Sustainability team also hosts a Facebook and Instagram page promoting local environment-related announcements and events.

In 2025 Cambridge Zero hosted an annual Sustainable Labs Competition which provided users of teaching and research laboratories with the opportunity to submit proposals to enable sustainable lab solutions that facilitate greener science. The winning team(s) were supported to carry out their proposal, and may receive up to £2,000 of funding, subject to the approval of their implementation plan.

Trade union input into the Environmental Sustainability Team's work on sustainable transport is encouraged and facilitated through the Union Advisory Group for Transport (UAGT), which allows the Environmental Sustainability Team to share proposals relating to transport with representatives from the Unions to gather feedback on their strengths, risks and potential mitigation measures.

Students are represented on the University's Environmental Sustainability Strategy Committee (ESSC) which provides strategic oversight of the University's commitment to environmental sustainability. Two student members are appointed by the Committee, one on the nomination of the CUSU Executive and one on the nomination of the Graduate Union Executive Committee.

Between 2012 and 2025 the University of Cambridge has operated as a member of the Green Impact Accreditation scheme. We are now taking forward a programme of Local Environmental Sustainability Plans (LESPs). These plans are designed to engage senior leadership within departments, schools, and non-school institutions to build custom plans tailored to their local context while ensuring that they are aligned with our environmental sustainability ambitions.

Education for sustainable development

Professor Bhaskar Vira FAcSS is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability.

Details on our provision of scholarships for refugees, asylum-seekers and other forced migrants can be found on the The Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement webpage.

Cambridge Zero exists to maximise the University's contribution towards achieving a resilient and sustainable zero-carbon world. To achieve this mission, it has two strategic objectives:

• Deliver a strategic engagement programme to influence and inform climate and sustainability education within our formal undergraduate and taught postgraduate curriculum.
• Ensure every student at the University of Cambridge has access to climate and sustainability training within the informal undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum, including support for Mastercard Foundation scholars.