A report from the University’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, ‘Roadmap to Super Low Carbon Live Music’, successfully supported Massive Attack in delivering the lowest-carbon live music event of its kind. Commissioned by the band, the roadmap set out clear, measurable targets for the live music industry to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and align with the Paris Agreement.

Each year we launch a report which highlights how we are addressing key issues facing humanity as set-out by the United Nations.  As the UK’s first university to have social responsibility as a core goal, we’ve developed a strategy to tackle the SDGs in four inter-related ways: through our research, learning and students, public engagement and operations.   

Our latest SDG report shows that the University published over 22,000 pieces of research on the SDGs in the past five years, which is 4% of the UK’s entire share of publications. It details teaching and learning programmes that address the SDGs, such as our ‘Creating a Sustainable World’ interdisciplinary unit. 

The University of Manchester and Manchester School of Architecture are partnered with acrylic manufacturer Floreeda to repurpose plastic waste through REFLO, a circular recycling process that transforms student modelmaking offcuts into new acrylic sheets. Floreeda’s REFLO process converts end-of-life acrylic into granules, which are levelled, heated, and pressed into new sheets, enabling multiple reuses and supporting a closed-loop, circular economy. 

• Find out more on the University partnership 
• Find out more on REFLO

The Sustainability Champions Programme is an opportunity for passionate students to take on an additional role alongside their degree programme to help promote sustainable change. Student champions are organised into teams based upon their personal interests in environmental sustainability. These subject areas include nature, travel and transport, energy and carbon, sustainable food, reuse and recycling and our hedgehog champions. In teams, our champions plan and deliver events to promote sustainability, for instance events focused on reducing the environmental impact of Halloween as a celebration, demonstrating how the Champions programme is a vital mechanism in embedding sustainable thinking through community engagement and social practice. 

Find out more here. 

Bee Circular UoM is a student-led initiative focused on reducing food waste and fostering sustainability within the University of Manchester and its surrounding community through strategic partnerships and volunteer engagement.

Sustainability Action Month is our biggest sustainability event of the year involves four weeks of interactive activities and events to enhance understanding of the climate crisis and showcase easy ways to embed sustainable practices at work, on campus, and at home. We share practical hints, tips, and solutions that we encourage you to embed in your everyday lives at work, on campus, and at home.  

Our No Time to Waste sustainability platform makes it easy and rewarding for staff and students to build sustainable habits. Users are rewarded green points, that lead to monthly prizes, for logging sustainable activities. To further encourage sustainable habits our travel app CommuteUoM is designed to make low-carbon commuting easier by helping staff and students to carpool safely, plan public transport routes and more.

The University catering services, including UniCafe outlets, Food In Residence, and HospitalityOnCampus, hold a three-star rating in the Food Made Good Standard, awarded by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). This certification recognises outstanding leadership in sustainable and ethical sourcing (procurement), community impact, and environmental responsibility across University food services, and is valid until December 2027. The Food Made Good assessment scored us:  

• 79% for Sourcing – due to our Fairtrade leadership, responsible and local procurement, and prioritisation of plant-forward menus with higher welfare animal products .
• 88% for Society – for treating colleagues fairly, promoting healthy menus, and operation of community fridges on campus . 
• 84% for Environment – reflecting our strong action of waste reduction, Net Zero commitments, and student engagement .