For over 200 years, UCL has been at the forefront of tackling the world’s most pressing challenges.
With the launch of our new UCL Sustainability Plan (2025-2035), we aim to continue that legacy in addressing the climate and ecological crises.
Building on progress
Since the launch of our previous strategy in 2019, we’ve made significant progress: cutting building energy emissions by 56%, transitioning to renewable electricity, creating over 10,000m² of biodiverse space and opening our first net-zero carbon building at PEARL. These achievements helped UCL become the top-ranked UK university in the 2025 QS Sustainability Rankings and retain a 1st Class People and Planet Award for 7 consecutive years.But the world has changed significantly since 2019. Geopolitical upheaval, extreme weather events, rising global temperatures and rapid technological advances - this is a new era. The next decade demands a more urgent, comprehensive and collaborative approach to sustainability. One that balances bold ambition with transparency and accountability.
We know that progress is not always linear, and we are committed to being open about the challenges we face and the lessons we learn along the way.
A plan shaped by our community
The new Sustainability Plan was developed through a collaborative process involving staff, students, academics, researchers and the Students’ Union UCL. To ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach, a Sustainability Plan Steering Group was formed in late 2023, supported by several thematic working groups. These groups focused on key areas of sustainability and drew on the collective expertise of the UCL community, including a dedicated Student Sustainability Forum on the Plan.The resulting Plan is centred around six signature campaigns:
- Positive Climate uses UCL’s climate expertise to reduce carbon emissions, aiming for net zero across scopes 1 & 2 by 2030 and scope 3 by 2040.
- The Loop transforms how UCL consumes and disposes, with a goal to cut waste by 10% by 2027 and reach 85% recycling by 2034.
- Wild UCL brings nature further into focus, committing to a 20% biodiversity net gain by 2034 and joining the Nature Positive University campaign by 2025.
- UCL Inspires Action empowers the community through sustainability education, launching a university-wide plan by 2027.
- UCL Shapes a Sustainable Future amplifies global impact by aligning research with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and expanding our Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework.
- UCL is Run Sustainably embeds sustainability into everyday decision-making, operations, and leadership across the institution.
We are committed to reporting transparently on our progress towards these ambitious targets through our Annual Sustainability Report, celebrating successes and acknowledging where more work is needed.
Michael Spence, UCL President and Provost, stated:
"UCL’s legacy of tackling global challenges is built on the strength of our people and the power of our ideas. The Sustainability Plan 2025-2035 is a declaration of our intent: to lead with purpose, act with urgency, and inspire change that reaches far beyond our campus.’’
Harriet Waters, UCL Director of Sustainability, stated:
’’This plan represents a pivotal moment for UCL. It reflects not only our ambition to lead in sustainability, but our commitment to doing so transparently, collaboratively and with integrity. We know the path ahead won’t always be easy. By working together, being honest about our challenges, and drawing on the strength of our community, we can deliver meaningful and lasting change."
Be the Ripple: a platform for change
At the heart of UCL’s commitment to sustainability is a powerful belief: "Every ripple starts a wave." Our Sustainability Plan is built around this idea, that bold, intentional actions taken here on campus can spark meaningful change far beyond our walls.Be the Ripple is our new campaign to ignite actions from across our community that have a positive impact for our planet. We’ve already seen from real-world examples across UCL how local initiatives can shape a more just, climate-positive and sustainable future globally.
From research and innovation to grassroots student activism, operational transformation and everyday sustainable choices, the ripple starts at UCL.
