Goal 6: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation.

Measuring water consumption  

We measure the total volume of water used in the university that is taken from mains supply, desalinated or extracted from rivers, lakes or aquifers. Our water consumption figures are annually published as part of our environmental sustainability reporting. The most recent data reported on HESA indicates the volume of water used in the whole university was 776,014 m3 in the year 2022/23.  

Wastewater treatment

The University has processes in place to treat wastewater, with the majority of our wastewater treatment takes place with United Utilities who provide wastewater treatment services to 3 million homes across the breadth of the North West of the UK.

We have implemented a process to reuse rainwater in our buildings. Alan Gilbert Learning Commons uses a rainwater drainage and harvesting system with a capacity of 20,000 litres which feeds the WC cisterns throughout the building. Alternatively, the majority of our wastewater treatment takes place with United Utilities.

Water system pollution prevention

Water is a scarce resource, and we recognize the critical importance of preventing water pollution and using water sustainably. The University has processes to prevent polluted water entering the water system, including pollution caused by accidents and incidents at the university. 

We adhere to UK government guidelines on water discharge and standards to uphold water quality and protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare. We also have a target of zero pollution incidents for emissions and discharges.

In line with our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, we follow a range of health and safety procedures and policies, including the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations. We are committed to reducing our water consumption by 15% by 2028, using 2022 as our baseline year.

Free drinking water

We provide free drinking water for staff, students and visitors. We have a document that lists all our free water dispensers on campus. We have improved water dispenser provision across campus and produced high quality signage for free drinking water facilities. We have mapped our publicly accessible water dispensers on our Sustainability Map to encourage our staff and students to refill their reusable water bottles for free. 

In our Responsible Plastics Action plan, the first row shows that water fountains can be located by visiting the sustainability map. Many of our Food on Campus outlets are available to members of the public on the Refill app which also shows plans to continue to improve water dispenser provision across campus and produce high quality signage for drinking water facilities. 

Water conscious building standards

 We apply building standards to minimise water use. We follow Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) which is the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings. This includes multiple measures to minimise water use during design, construction and operation.  

Our EPM PM7 Code of Practice for Design Teams specifies a requirement for all new builds to reach ‘excellent’ and all major refurbishments to reach ‘very good’ as detailed in section 9.1.8. Water reduction is also outlined in section 9.1.11. 

Fast detection and repair of leaks, alongside the replacement of inefficient water equipment throughout our construction and refurbishment activities in both residences and main campus buildings is a key driver to achieve our water reduction target of 15% reduction by 2028 vs a 2022 baseline.

Water conscious planting

We plant landscapes to minimise water usage. Our living wall has been designed to minimise water usage using computerised automatic irrigation. We plant green roofs and walls for several reasons: they are part of our climate-adaptation actions, promote wellbeing through green space, and minimise water usage, all benefits are highlighted in our Green Roof and Wall policy. Another way we minimise water use through our planting landscapes is by adding swell gel to compost for summer and spring bedding, and shrub borders to retain water during the hotter months of the year. 

Water reuse policy and measurement

We have a policy to maximise water reuse across the university. Our Energy and Utilites policy, reviewed in 2024, includes maximising water reuse across the University and measures to minimise water consumption, as does our Code of Practice for Design Teams. We also publish our broader approach to sustainable use of water.

We measure the reuse of water across the university. We reuse water collected from Broomcroft Hall and the Firs botanical grounds for plants in our greenhouse. Our MECD building has a water butt collecting rainwater from the roof each year. From this we have estimated that we are reusing at least 24,000 litres of water per year.  

Promoting water management 

We provide free educational opportunities for local communities to learn about good water management. We have provided a world-leading free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) regarding clean water and sanitation. This is accessible to anyone able to sign up and is available to enhance education around water management in both local and wider communities. Our academics are working with a range of water companies, universities, home builders & local authorities on an Ofwat project Enabling Water Smart Communities – so communities can learn how to conserve water, manage drought & floods. 

Promoting conscious water usage

As part of our commitment to reduce water consumption by 15% reduction by 2028 vs a 2022 baseline, we actively promote conscious water usage on campus, and in the wider community.

On campus, across our labs, workshops, and technical spaces, staff are asked to follow the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) that offers guidance and criteria to improve the sustainability and efficiency of research and teaching laboratory spaces, including water usage.

We also actively promote conscious water usage in the wider community. Our research is helping to inform how limited freshwater resources can be managed sustainably and efficiently to meet the competing needs of human uses and the environment. Major on-going research in this area includes sustainable water consumption, identifying the drivers of individual and household water consumption practices, and developing solutions to incentivise more efficient water use behaviour and governance. We are explicitly supporting sectoral and inter-sectoral water policy both in the UK and internationally, including support for more equitable and sustainable water management in OD countries to enable economic growth and improved resilience to climate change. 

Our Hydrocitizenship research actively promotes conscious water usage within the wider community by engaging local communities and water sector professionals on sustainable water management. This work enhances understanding of critical issues like flooding and drought and drives practical action. We share insights from this research through public talks, illustrating how art-based approaches can encourage water-conscious behaviors and sustainable practices beyond the University.

Off-campus water conservation support

 We support water conservation off campus. Water conservation is a principal theme for our Manchester Environmental Research Institute, which brings together academics from all University Faculties with partners from industry, government, civil society groups, NGOs, and environmental organisations to address water conservation, climate change and clean water – at a local to global level. Our Hydrocitizenship research is helping to understand how communities live and engage with the environment, which is key for promoting sustainable management of water resources off campus, in local communities.  

Sustainable water extraction

We are utilising sustainable water extraction technologies on associated university grounds, on and off campus. On our Environmental Sustainability webpage we have highlighted how we use sustainable water extraction techniques, such as sustainable urban drainage (SUDS). SUDS has been used in our new Engineering building to achieve 30% reduction from existing site run-off. 

Cooperation on water security

We cooperate with local, regional, national, global governments on water security. We have worked with local, regional and national policymakers on the Joint Water Evidence Programme. We have collaborated with the UK’s Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs bringing together the UK’s senior policy makers and thought leaders from academia to address our local, regional and national water environments and the challenges these face over the next 50 years. Our FUTUREDAMS project is also working with national and international governments to ensure that dams can provide a secure and sustainable source of water.