Sustainability Champions Programme

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. 

200 for 200: Bicentenary Recruitment Initiative

In 2024 were proud to create 200 meaningful employment opportunities for members of our local community. This initiative, led by the University in partnership with Aspire Recruitment, successfully reached and supported candidates from a wide range of underrepresented backgrounds. Of those engaged, 76.4% identified as BAME, 60.4% as female, 23.4% as LGBTQ+, and 12.4% declared a disability. 

EDI programmes for staff

We offer five EDI Leadership programmes, aimed at developing a diverse pool of leaders by equipping colleagues from groups that are statistically underrepresented in leadership. These programmes include: 

• Aurora: For colleagues who identify as women  

• Disability Leadership Training: For disabled academic, research and PS colleagues 

• LGBTQ+ Leadership Training: For LGBTQ+ academic, research and PS colleagues 

• Stellar HE: For Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse PS, academic and research colleagues  

• 100 Black Women Professors Now (BWPN): For colleagues who identify as women (+non-binary) from African / African Caribbean or mixed Black diaspora. This includes academic and research colleagues, and PhD students. 

University awarded Fairtrade University two-star status

The University of Manchester holds a Fairtrade University two-star status which recognises that we are: embedding Fairtrade into our strategy and operations; actively engaging students and staff in campaigns and education; supporting ethical procurement and supply chains; and collaborating with local and global partners to promote social justice.  

Give It, Don’t Bin It

The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester City Council and the British Heart Foundation are all working as a partnership to deliver our Give It, Don’t Bin It campaign. The campaign aims to help students donate their unwanted items to charity when moving property at the end of term.  

Partnership with Stone Group

In IT Services we have a strong commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. In a move to support local youth and promote digital equality, IT Services at the University in partnership with IT Provider, Stone Group, has donated laptops to the RAFAC 1263 (Rochdale) Squadron.

Travel plan

We have a Travel Plan which aims to lower our travel-related carbon footprint. This plan aligns with the Environmental Sustainability strategy and aims to reduce carbon emissions while ensuring fairness and affordability for all.

Bicentenary inclusive recruitment campaign

The Bicentenary inclusive recruitment campaign is an initiative contributing to our social responsibility objectives by diversifying the talent pools we recruit from. Designed to reduce unemployment and promote regional socio-economic development, this initiative reflects our commitment to creating a meaningful and lasting impact within Greater Manchester.

Sustainability Fair

Every year we host a Sustainability Fair to raise awareness about the ethical and sustainable choices available right here on our campus. For example, in 2025, the event was focussed on raising awareness and encouraging everyone to make informed choices about the food they consume.

Valuing Nature Action Plan

Our Valuing Nature Action Plan aims to transform the University’s estate into a thriving environment where people and wildlife coexist, addressing both the climate and ecological crises. The plan focuses on creating biodiverse green spaces across campus to support pollinators, birds, hedgehogs, and other wildlife. It also emphasizes fostering connections between nature and the wellbeing of our staff, students, and the surrounding community.

Medebridge solar farm

We have partnered with Enviromena to supply up to 65% of the University’s electricity demand through the Medebridge Solar Farm in Essex, advancing our commitment to a zero-carbon future. This initiative will reduce the University’s carbon emissions by 12,000 tonnes annually. Built entirely on brownfield land, the solar farm underscores our dedication to sustainable land use. The site’s central field will feature a dedicated biodiversity zone, with enhancements to hedgerows, native grasslands, and wildflower meadows. 

Staff volunteering

We have an employee volunteering policy which provides all employees with the opportunity to request up to three days paid leave to participate in a volunteering activity of their choosing. We understand how important it is for staff to be able to give back to the wider community, whether that’s here in Greater Manchester, or further afield.

Mental Health Charter Award

The University has been awarded the University Mental Health Charter Award from Student Minds – the UK’s student mental health charity. The UMHC Award is a voluntary accreditation scheme that supports universities to understand their areas of strength and development to inform ongoing improvement in mental health and wellbeing, recognising good practice along the way. 

International Green Gown Award

The University has won a prestigious International Green Gown Award in recognition of its ambitious decarbonisation plans. The ‘Zero Carbon Without a Net’ initiative is part of our Environmental Sustainability strategy and subsequently won the 2023 UK and Ireland Green Gown Award. Now, we are being honoured for our dedication to sustainability on an international scale. Recognising the innovative and pioneering initiatives in sustainability, the Green Gown Awards celebrate the projects undertaken by further and higher education institutions who are striving for a sustainable future. 

Booth Street East: our first zero emissions building

The University has opened its first zero-emissions building. After a refurbishment, Booth Street East now has the infrastructure to support zero emissions, and a new Teaching and Learning Innovation Space has been introduced. It is our first non-residential campus building to be solely heated by air-source heat pumps.

The reusable Bee Cup

The University launched a reusable and sustainable cup scheme in collaboration with Manchester City Council and InOurNature. The reusable Bee Cup can be found in several hot drink locations across campus and on Oxford Road, encouraging our students and staff to sip sustainably wherever they go. The scheme aims to significantly reduce the number of single-use paper cups used at our campus café locations every year. 

Partnership with Environmena

We have partnered with leading UK clean energy firm, Environmena, to purchase electricity generated from its solar farm based in Medebridge, Essex.  

The Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (cPPA) commits the University to purchase 80% of Medebridge’s total annual generation capacity for the next decade. This commitment significantly reduces our carbon emissions and helps us towards achieving our zero-carbon ambitions by 2038. 

Sustainability Champion

The University of Manchester was named the UK’s most sustainable University at the QS EduData Summit 2024. We were awarded the title of ‘Sustainability Champion’ in celebration of our standout achievements within the area of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Sustainability Action Month

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.  

University’s Bug Hotel

The University’s landscape and services team has recently installed a new Bug Hotel, nestled in the corner of our Williamson building. The Bug Hotel is made using recycled wood, as well as foliage and twigs that were found around the campus grounds. As the number of pollinators in the UK is in decline, this project aims to provide these important insects a home.  

2030 Climate Action prize

We have won the ‘2030 Climate Action’ prize at the prestigious UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards in recognition of its “forward looking and innovative” work to decarbonise the University’s operations. The Green Gown Awards celebrate the innovative and transformative initiatives and projects in sustainability across the further and higher education sectors, and the University of Manchester claimed the top prize for work supporting its new Environmental Sustainability strategy. Further details of our award can be found here.  

Food waste recycling on campus

In an effort to make our University more sustainable, food waste caddies have been installed in all staff kitchens on the main campus. The goal is simple: to cut down on the greenhouse gases linked to food waste. Instead of going to landfill and generating more greenhouse gases, the food waste collected is taken to a specialised processing plant where it is used to generate electricity and produce a fertiliser which can be used in farming.

Reducing University air travel emissions

Our new travel policy, supports our ambition to be a leader in developing sustainable research and teaching practices. This is part of a wider project to reduce our total carbon footprint in line with our Environmental Sustainability Strategy. As part of this, there is guidance and funding in place to support staff with greener travel. In 2022/23 we nearly halved our air travel emissions, compared to pre-pandemic levels, as a result of the new policy.

Manchester Purple Wave

The Purple Wave is a UoM Sport initiative designed to bring our community together to celebrate physical activity and shared experiences. It’s all about participation, not elite performance – just having fun, making friends, and being active with like-minded people. As part of this, people can become a Purplewave fundraiser, raising money at events like the Great Manchester Run. Over the years, hundreds of wonderful fundraisers have raised tens of thousands of pounds to support good causes right here on campus. From rebuilding the Paterson Cancer Research building to providing disadvantaged students with scholarships – brilliant Purple Wave fundraisers have helped make some amazing things happen for our community.

The Whitworth Gallery of Sanctuary status

The University’s Whitworth gallery is the first gallery in the North-West of England to proudly join the hundreds of local councils, schools, universities, libraries, and cultural institutes who have Sanctuary status, pledging to create a culture of solidarity and inclusivity, and welcome people from a forced displacement background. The Sanctuary Awards recognise and celebrate the organisations who go above and beyond to welcome people seeking sanctuary.