Sustainability

The University will:

• Transparently report all Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions within its organisational boundary annually
• Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 90% by 2035
• Minimise Scope 3 emissions through targeted action across key categories  
• Balance unavoidable residual emissions using robust, evidence-based carbon offsetting aligned with best practice.  

These objectives align with and support the commitments in the Strategy, as defined in 2021, and were reaffirmed in 2026 as part of revisions. The revised Strategy includes additional commitments as part of a newly established governance workstream, including milestones during 2026 and 2027 to validate that our decarbonisation pathway is aligned with science and to introduce best-practice 3rd party verification of progress.  

The University has historically used its peak energy consumption of 2009/10 as its emissions baseline, but during 2025/26 it completed a comprehensive carbon accountancy exercise to capture its complete organisational boundary under its operational control.  This is likely to supersede the historic baseline as part of the verification process

Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2021

The University’s Decarbonisation Plan sets out our journey to deliver our net-zero target. Reports on progress against this goal are published annually and are also available as part of the University’s Financial Statements.   

The University will:

• Demonstrate enhanced biodiversity across its estate by 2035
• Measure and reduce biodiversity impacts throughout its operations and supply chain  
• Achieve 20% Biodiversity Net Gain on all new developments  
• Contribute to the global Nature Positive goal through restoration, conservation and responsible management.

This workstream is responsible for enhancing environmental sustainability studies and supports students, staff and wider communities to engage with sustainability learning.

Key deliverables

• Expand opportunities for all students to study environmental sustainability and monitor progress across the curriculum.
• Provide extracurricular sustainability learning opportunities for students.
• Support staff through training, guidance and engagement programmes.
• Engage public and community audiences through the Oxford Living Lab programme.

This workstream is responsible for strengthening the University's environmental sustainability research and improves the sustainability of research practice.

Key deliverables

• Increase the quantity, reach and impact of environmental sustainability research.
• Embed sustainable research practices across all research disciplines, exceeding funder requirements where possible.
• Use the Oxford Living Lab to support applied research and learning through decarbonisation and biodiversity projects.

This workstream is responsible for delivering the decarbonisation of the University's energy systems.

Key deliverables

• Eliminate fossil fuel use across the estate wherever feasible.  
• Deliver a net zero-aligned pathway for Scope 1 emissions.
• Develop a zero-carbon electricity supply that prioritises renewable and locally generated energy.
• Support the decarbonisation of heat across the University estate.

This workstream is responsible for delivering the University's Nature Positive commitments across its estate.

Key deliverables

• Enhance biodiversity across the estate in line with Nature Positive targets.
• Deliver a minimum of 20% Biodiversity Net Gain on all new developments.
• Apply the mitigation hierarchy through the "Refrain, Reduce, Restore and Renew" approach.
• Share biodiversity research and restoration activities through public engagement.

This workstream is responsible for reducing the environmental impacts associated with food and catering across the University.

Key deliverables

• Measure and reduce the carbon emissions and biodiversity impacts of food.
• Work with academic, college and supplier partners to develop and scale sustainable food initiatives.
• Improve sustainability standards through externally verified certification schemes.

This workstream is responsible for reducing climate and biodiversity impacts across the University's supply chains.

Key deliverables

• Identify, measure and manage supply chain climate and biodiversity impacts.
• Deliver mitigation actions for at least 30% of procurement-related impacts through supplier collaboration.
• Reduce impacts associated with priority commodities and product groups through targeted procurement and research partnerships.

This workstream is responsible for reducing negative environmental impact associated with local and international travel.

Key deliverables

• Promote walking, cycling and public transport while reducing private car use.
• Decarbonise the University's vehicle fleet.
• Reduce business travel emissions in line with institutional targets and report progress annually.
• Support sustainable transport and mixed-use development across Oxford. 

This workstream is responsible for developing and implementing the University's carbon and biodiversity offsetting approach.

Key deliverables

• Align offsetting with the University’s research and the Oxford Principles for net zero aligned Offsetting.
• Secure high-quality carbon and biodiversity offsets where required.
• Demonstrate sector leadership in credible, science-based offsetting.

This workstream ensures that the University's estate supports long-term environmental sustainability.

Key deliverables

• Deliver new developments and refurbishments that support a resilient, net zero-aligned estate.
• Update the Sustainability Design Guide to reflect Scope 3 emissions, adaptation and embodied carbon priorities.
• Manage the University's commercial property portfolio in alignment with Strategy targets.

The strategy is overseen by the Environmental Sustainability Subcommittee chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives: Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg, with representation from across the collegiate University, including divisions, colleges and the Students' Union.

Each Strategy workstream has a designated lead responsible for delivery, risk management and reporting. Progress is reviewed regularly and reported publicly through the University's Annual Report and Accounts, ensuring transparency and accountability.

The Oxford Sustainability Fund supports delivery by providing investment for major sustainability projects across the estate.

Progress towards our environmental commitments is monitored through:

• Annual public reporting  
• Independently verified emissions targets  
• Workstream milestones and reporting
• Periodic Strategy reviews
• Transparent governance and accountability
• Periodic internal audit

This framework enables continuous improvement while ensuring the strategy evolves alongside advances in science, policy and best practice.

Read our most recent annual report as presented in the University’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Past reports

• Environmental Sustainability Annual Report 2023-24
• Environmental Sustainability Annual Report 2022-23
• Environmental Sustainability Annual Report 2021-22

• Local transport strategy 2024-2029
• Travel policy (travel for business)
• Sustainable Design Guide
• Concordat for Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice
• Biodiversity action plan (to be published soon)

Education

The University is committed to providing an opportunity for all students gain the knowledge, skills and opportunities to address environmental sustainability challenges, whatever their discipline. To support this ambition, the University is expanding sustainability learning across the curriculum and beyond.

A baseline mapping exercise (link TBD) has been completed to understand the current provision of sustainability education and will be used to monitor progress over time.

The University is also a member of the Responsible Futures programme, which empowers students to play a leading role in embedding sustainability throughout their academic experience. Responsible Futures fosters collaboration between students and staff through training, partnership and shared learning, helping institutions strengthen sustainability across teaching, learning and the wider student experience.

In addition to formal study, Oxford offers a wide range of extracurricular opportunities (link to Intranet page) for students to develop their knowledge, skills and experience in environmental sustainability.

Research

The University's work in this area has three complementary strands:

Environmental research – advancing knowledge and developing solutions to environmental challenges.

Sustainable research practice – reducing the environmental impact of research activities and laboratories.

The Oxford Living Lab for Environmental Sustainability – using the University and its estate as a living laboratory to test, develop and implement innovative sustainability solutions.

Environmental research

Oxford is internationally recognised for its world-leading research and innovation. Researchers work across disciplines and in partnership with industry, government, the third sector and other universities to tackle environmental challenges and develop evidence-based solutions with global impact. 

Explore some of Oxford's environmental research through: 

• Oxford Networks for the Environment (ONE)
• Environmental Humanities Hub
• Pulse
• Oxford Excellence

Small grant programme

The Environmental Sustainability team manages a small grants programme to support research and education projects that advance the University of Oxford’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy. 
Current staff and students can apply for funding. Further information and the application form are available here (SSO required). Funding must be received by a department, college or recognised student society at the University of Oxford. Individuals are not eligible to receive the funding.

• Grants between £10,000 and £20,000 will be awarded for small research projects directly related to the goals, enablers, priorities and commitments of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy. A maximum of £60,000 will be awarded per year for research projects.  
• Grants between £1,000 and £2,000 will be awarded for education and research engagement projects directly related to the goals, enablers, priorities and commitments of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy. A maximum of £5,000 will be awarded per year for education/engagement projects.

Sustainable research practice

Laboratories are at the heart of research and discovery at Oxford, but they are also among the University's most resource-intensive environments, with significant energy, water and material use. The University is working to embed sustainable practices across its research community, enabling laboratories to reduce their environmental impact while maintaining research excellence. 

This work forms part of the University's wider commitment to environmental sustainability and a significant part of its research culture. 

In 2025, the University became a signatory to the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, joining leading UK research funders and higher education institutions in committing to embed environmental sustainability across the research and innovation system. 

Further information on sustainable research practices is available on the Oxford Intranet, with practical guidance and resources available through the Environmental Hub (SSO required).

Living Lab

“By uniting our breadth of expertise with bold new initiatives—many of which can only be realised through philanthropic partnership—we will equip future generations to lead responsibly in a changing world, deliver climate intelligence for all through open, accessible platforms, and transform Oxford itself into a living laboratory for climate sustainability and biodiversity recovery. Working with partners and collaborators from across the globe, Oxford is stepping up to help shape a more sustainable future.”

Professor Irene Tracey CBE FRS FMedSci in her annual Oration to the University in the Sheldonian Theatre. 7 October 2025.  

The Oxford Living Lab for Environmental Sustainability is a new initiative that combines applied research, problem-based learning, and collaboration with the local community to achieve the goals of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy. In the 2026-27 academic year, a series of Living Lab Challenges will be launched and funding provided for both student-led and researcher-led projects. This programme builds on the Environmental Sustainability Small Grants programme which has supported a number of research and education projects.

Oxford Climate Forum 2027

The Oxford Climate Forum, taking place 18–21 April 2027, will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and partners to explore solutions to the climate and environmental challenges facing society.

The University’s target is to achieve Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2035.  

Decarbonisation programme

The University of Oxford's decarbonisation programme sets out a comprehensive roadmap to achieve Net Zero Carbon across over 250 buildings within the University's functional estate by 2035, delivering a 90% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. The programme focuses on eliminating direct emissions from fossil fuel on our estate while transitioning to low-carbon, electrified heat, ensuring the University's buildings continue to support world-leading teaching and research in a resilient, efficient and sustainable way. 

The majority of the University's Scope 1 emissions are derived from more than 1,800 gas and oil-fired boilers. The programme priority is the phased removal of fossil fuels by electrifying the heat supply wherever practical through a combination of district heat networks and building-level solutions. Heat networks will be developed across key clusters, including the Old Road Campus and Science Area, while many city-centre buildings are expected to connect to an Oxford-wide district heat network. Buildings that are not suitable for, or cannot wait for, heat network connections will transition to individual low-carbon electric heating solutions (e.g. heat pumps). 

As the estate is electrified, the remaining operational emissions will increasingly be associated with Scope 2 electricity consumption. The decarbonisation programme assumes the continued decarbonisation of the UK electricity grid, combined with an aligned energy procurement strategy. The indirect emissions associated with powering heat networks, electric heating systems and supporting infrastructure, will therefore continue to reduce over time with the University benefitting from an increasingly low-carbon electricity system as the national grid progresses towards net zero. 

To learn more about decarbonisation at Oxford visit our Intranet site, guidance and resources on The Environmental Sustainability Hub. (Links are available with SSO)

Passivhaus buildings and Sustainable Design Guide

The University of Oxford has adopted the Passivhaus standard for new projects (including major refurbishment).  This is enshrined in University policy and a sustainability design guide with the requirements set out clearly and in concert with the building services design guide. All design guides are open to the public.

Passivhaus is considered to be the best design standard to deliver buildings which are performed in real life in the way that they are designed, minimise the use of energy, and maximise user comfort. The University is gaining experience in delivering Passivhaus buildings including the Schwartzman humanities building which is Europe’s largest Passivhaus university building and world’s first Passivhaus concert hall.  

Solar Energy generation  

Whilst the current focus of the decarbonisation strategy is on removal of scope 1 emissions (i.e. the removal of gas boilers), there is room to expand the already considerable amount of solar generation which the University has across the estate. This is a focus which the University will return to within the next five years.  The University has carried out a number of surveys of properties and is aware of where there are opportunities for solar energy generation, albeit that these are limited and the impact on carbon emissions considerably lower than the focus on scope 1. 

The University has committed to reaching Nature Positive targets by 2035, covering both its managed estate and supply chain.

Oxford is dedicated to making improvements across our estate. As such, we have published our Biodiversity Action Plan, which sets out how we will improve biodiversity on the estate in priority areas by 2035, and how we will monitor that change. Improving biodiversity across our estate involves working with multiple teams, including Oxford Green Estate, Parks, and our gardens, libraries and museum sites.

The University is making efforts to account for its biodiversity impacts in its supply chain. We are building on initial footprinting work, which was published in Nature, to set more specific supply chain targets in the future.

Find out more about the work we are doing:

• Wytham woods
• Park Farm
• Oxford Green Estates

The University completed a comprehensive assessment of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. This assessment will be updated annually to track progress and inform future action.

The assessment identified science equipment and consumables, construction and IT as the University's three highest-impact areas for Scope 3 emissions. Work is now underway to engage suppliers in reducing their emissions and encouraging the adoption of net zero and biodiversity commitments.

Alongside this, the University is in the process of selecting an emissions target verification standard and mapping its supply chain to strengthen emissions reporting, improve transparency, and support the transition to a more sustainable procurement approach.

Understanding the environmental impact of AI is an important part of the University's responsible approach to adopting these technologies. As AI becomes more widely used for work, teaching and research, it is increasingly important to understand the associated environmental implications.

The University is carrying out a comprehensive review of its carbon accounting, including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. These indirect emissions include those associated with products and services the University uses, such as the third-party data centres that power many AI platforms. This work will provide a clearer picture of the University's overall environmental impact, in line with best practice, and help track how AI-related emissions change over time. It will also inform practical steps to reduce these emissions where possible.

At the same time, AI has significant potential to support environmental sustainability. It is already accelerating research in areas such as climate modelling and helping researchers develop innovative approaches to reducing emissions, including in fields such as global healthcare. Within the University, AI can also improve operational efficiency by enabling faster analysis of large datasets, streamlining routine processes, and identifying patterns and insights more effectively.

The relationship between AI and sustainability is complex and continues to evolve. Understanding both the environmental costs and the potential benefits of AI will be an important part of the University's ongoing Sustainability Strategy.

The University sources food from a range of suppliers with the primary contract holder being Compass Group. Compass follows sustainability commitments and are actively striving to reduce the environmental footprint of the food operation.

This is done through:  

1. Offering a menu with over 50% meat free, including a variety of hot vegan dishes.  
2. High–welfare animal products through external accreditation and sourcing British–grown produce.
3. Supporting fair trade and human rights through Fairtrade accredited products and social value partnerships.
4. Reducing waste and encourage reuse. This is done through Too Good To Go, and actively promoting Refill Oxford.
5. Encouraging use of reusable packages by offering meaningful discounts for customers using reusable drinks cups and food containers.
6. Supporting local suppliers, stock a range of purposeful brands and B-Corps, collaborate with local initiatives and give back to the Oxford community.
7. Currently pursuing the Sustainable Restaurant Association "Food Made Good" standard.