Sustainability: addressing our environmental impacts
Our sustainability programme aims to address the environmental impacts and carbon emissions of our charitable activity and operations.
Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice
The UK research and innovation (R&I) sector have co-developed a voluntary environmental sustainability concordat. The concordat represents a shared ambition for the UK to continue delivering cutting-edge research, but in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable way.
About the concordat
The aim of the concordat is to ensure research and innovation continues to play a critical part in understanding how our planet is changing, while helping the sector to act responsibly to protect and promote our environment
By signing this concordat, signatories:
- recognise the need to change how we conduct research and innovation as well as promote wider solutions
- agree to take shared action now and in the future to reduce and eliminate our own negative environmental impacts and emissions and achieve the transition to sustainable practices.
This concordat has been produced in collaboration with representatives across the research and innovation sector (including universities, research Institutes, catapults and funding organisations) so that the sector can deliver a shared ambition as part of meeting the global challenge.
Watch a webinar about the concordat
This webinar will provide an overview of the concordat’s goals, progress to date, and future directions. This webinar will also include a Q&A for open discussion, such as the barriers and challenges to the sector, tools and resources and knowledge sharing.
As part of our Environmental Sustainability Policy, Wellcome requires organisations we fund in the UK to be signatories of the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice by the end of 2024.
Aims of the concordat
Signatories agree to work individually and collectively to ensure the future design and practice of UK research and innovation is environmentally sustainable.
The aims of the concordat are to:
- have visible and credible leadership for environmental sustainability at all levels within institutions and across the research and innovation sector – from organisational leaders to individual researchers and from those funding the ideas to those delivering impact
- ensure research and innovation is carried out in an environmentally sustainable way, aligned to the science of climate change and ecology and signatories are transparent about environmental impacts of research and innovation and are open to collaboration and shared learning
- establish new ways of working so that institutions, researchers, and innovators continue to achieve a global reach and deliver world-leading impact in research and innovation using a climate conscious, low carbon approach, taking advantage of new ideas from across all disciplines, wider enterprise, and new technologies
- ensure net zero or near-net zero carbon infrastructure is being used to deliver research and innovation (with scientifically robust carbon sequestration where absolute zero carbon is not possible)
- support robust decisions made in resourcing research and innovation projects and data, based on circular economy principles and life cycle costing, with the need for responsible sourcing demanded all through supply chains
- promote a shift to the greater use of reusable products, innovative developments in single use materials and to have reduced the use of fossil fuel-based products being used and disposed of by those carrying out research and innovation to only those areas where there is no viable alternative.
By achieving these aims, the UK will retain its global influence in research and innovation, continuing and enhancing the strong partnerships and collaborations that exist and aiming to inspire organisations, researchers, and innovators around the world to follow in the UK’s footsteps in how we conduct research and innovation in an environmentally responsible way.
Priority areas for delivery
Signatories to this concordat agree to the following six areas where they commit to taking action at a whole institutional level and collectively across the sector to deliver real change by 2050:
Leadership and system change
Sustainable Infrastructure
Sustainable procurement
Emissions from business and academic travel
Collaborations and partnerships
Environmental impact and reporting data
How to sign up
Organisations can show their support for the concordat at two levels: as a signatory or as a supporter.
Signatories: Signatory organisations agree to all six priority areas that are outlined in this concordat.
Supporters: Supporters of the concordat agree with the aims and many of the priority areas included in the concordat, however they are not able to commit to being a full signatory at this time. Supporters can become signatories at any time, as and when they can agree to the commitments in the concordat.
Signing up to the concordat is a commitment to the concordat's aims, and signatories are not expected to follow the terms on the day of signing.
To sign up, your organisation must:
Submit this form to sign up to the Concordat as either a signatory or supporter. Responses to this form are managed by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC).
Ensure that a letter is published on their website to within 6 months of becoming a signatory. This should be signed by the head of organisation, for example the Chief Executive, Head Director, or Vice Chancellor.
Include concordat references in appropriate and prominent organisational strategies, documents and practices. This may include environmental/ climate change strategy, corporate responsibility reports, objective setting or your annual report.
Ensure the annual reporting referred to in priority six of the concordat is published and is open and transparent.
Questions about signing up to the concordat:
Supporters of the concordat agree with the aims and many of the priority areas included in the concordat, however, they are not able to commit to being a full signatory at this time. Supporters can become signatories at any time, as and when they can agree to the commitments in the concordat.
Yes. By becoming a signatory, your organisation is committing to taking action and reporting its progress annually. At the point of signing, organisations will be at various stages of their environmental journeys, and they are not expected to have started or completed actions in all six priority areas. By becoming signatories, organisations are agreeing “to take action at a whole institutional level and collectively across the sector to deliver real change by 2050”.
Yes, supporters can become a signatory at any point, once their organisation is ready to commit to all the requirements of the concordat.
Submit this form to sign up as a signatory to the concordat.
A signatory must publish their letter of support on their organisation’s website within six months of signing up to the concordat. The letter must be signed by the head of the organisation, for example the Chief Executive, Head, Director or Vice Chancellor. A letter template has been developed to support signatories.
Once you submit your form, you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging your submission. This email will include details on the next steps as a signatory or supporter.
You will receive a further email when your organisation has been added to the list of signatories on the concordat website. This list is updated monthly.
We aim to update the signatory and supporter list of organisations on a monthly basis.
Organisations can join the environmental sustainability concordat community of practice.
For further information on how to join the group, visit the environmental sustainability concordat community of practice.
Signatories
- Aston University
- The Babraham Institute
- Bangor University
- Bath Spa University
- Birkbeck, University of London
- British Academy
- British Heart Foundation
- Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
- Cardiff University
- Cranfield University
- De Montfort University
- Durham University
- Earlham Institute
- The Francis Crick Institute
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- Imperial College London
- The Institute of Cancer Research
- John Innes Centre
- Keele University
- King's College London
- Lancaster University
- Leeds Beckett University
- Leeds Trinity University
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
- Newcastle University
- North Bristol NHS Trust
- The Open University
- Oxford Brookes University
- The Pirbright Institute
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory
- Queen Mary University of London
- Queen’s University Belfast
- Robert Gordon University
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute
- Royal Holloway, University of London
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- Royal Veterinary College
- Scottish Funding Council
- Swansea University
- The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
- University College London (UCL)
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- University of Central Lancashire
- University of Dundee
- University of Edinburgh
- University of East Anglia
- The University of Essex
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)
- University of Hull
- University of Kent
- University of Leeds
- University of Leicester
- University of Lincoln
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Northampton
- University of Nottingham
- University of Plymouth
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Reading
- University of Salford
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of St Andrews
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Surrey
- University of Sussex
- University of Warwick
- University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE)
- University of Worcester
- University of York
- Wellcome
- Wellcome Sanger Institute
- 3PM Project Management
- Academy of Medical Sciences
- Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC)
- Barts Charity
- British Neuroscience Association
- Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara)
- Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfENI)
- Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC)
- International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories
- Loughborough University
- Medical Research Foundation
- Microbiology Society
- Muscular Dystrophy UK
- My Green Lab
- Ramboll
- Ratio
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- UK Clinical Research Collaboration Clinical Trials Unit Network (UKCRC CTU Network)
- UK Trial Managers' Network (UKTMN)
- Understanding Animal Research
- Worldwide Cancer Research
Management of the concordat
Wellcome are hosting the concordat on behalf of the sector, with assistance from UKRI. The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) are providing the secretariat function for the concordat's signatories. Data collected is managed in line with EAUC's privacy policy.
Organisational data provided will be published on this page as well as in relevant reports about the concordat's reach, implementation and impact. Personal data collected will be shared solely between Wellcome and EAUC for the purpose of managing signatories.
Concordat Oversight Group
The Oversight Group is made up of representatives from across the sector and meets twice a year. Meeting summaries will be published on this webpage. The Oversight Group will review evidence on the concordat’s impact and make recommendations on what further action is necessary to assist the transition to environmentally sustainable research practice.
- Alasdair Cameron, Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA)
- Alasdair Nisbet, Moredun Research Institute
- Alyson Fox, Wellcome Trust
- Andrew Clark, Royal Academy of Engineering
- Dave Foreman, John Innes Centre
- Lydia Cole, University of St Andrews
- Professor Matthew Grenby, Newcastle University
- Professor Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova, Exeter University
- Professor Stephen Mobbs, National Centre for Atmospheric Science
- Robert Van de Noort, Reading University
- Ruth Gill, National Museums Scotland
- Simon Breeden, UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (UK ITSS)
- Susan Simon, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Content review
In recognition of the need for continuous improvement, after five years of operation the wording of the concordat priorities and guidance will be reviewed. The content review will ensure that the wording reflects the current landscape, appetite for change and capabilities of the sector, factoring in any developments in good practice, technology and approaches that are likely to emerge at pace through this transition, for example nature-based solutions.
Questions about reporting and management of the concordat:
Signatories must report headline data on environmental impact and performance on an annual basis on their website. Organisations may augment their quantitative reporting by providing a narrative report alongside their figures. Reporting should also include concordat-related priority actions for the year ahead. The concordat encourages the use of existing internal processes and frameworks for reporting, rather than requiring anything additional or new. The report must be open and transparent.
The Concordat does not include a specific reporting mechanism, so organisations can use their current mechanism/s (such as ISO14001, EMR, GGC etc.) and publish them on their website to meet the reporting requirements.
The concordat does not have any specific requirements on laboratories. The concordat only states ‘organisations following accredited standards or programmes (including but not limited to ‘LEAF’, ‘My Green Lab’, ISO standards) are encouraged to cross-reference or refer to any associated and relevant reporting when considering the narrative reporting outlined’.
No. The concordat is self-governed by the sector. It is the responsibility of each signatory organisation to manage its own reporting processes and ensure compliance with the reporting requirements outlined in the concordat.
Yes, there is a reporting framework for research and innovation institutes and organisations funding research and innovation. This framework has been developed to help align reporting on the impacts of research and innovation.
Sign up to the concordat newsletter
Receive the latest updates and announcements, including case studies, upcoming events and sector-related news. This newsletter will publish three times a year with occasional news and announcement updates in between.
Contact us
For questions about the concordat, contact the Environmental Association for Univeristies and Colleges's (EAUC) dedicated inbox.
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