All four GW4 Alliance Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter have signed the environmental sustainability concordat which has been co-developed by the UK research and innovation sector.
Signed by all four Vice Chancellors, the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, represents a shared ambition for the UK to continue delivering cutting-edge research, but in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable way.
The Concordat aligns with GW4’s Sustainable Net Zero strategic priority and the Universities individual aims and strategic civic missions. It strengthens their commitment to ensuring their world-leading research is delivered as sustainably as possible, and also commits them to share improvement plans and publish annual summaries on their progress.
GW4 has convened a GW4 Environmental Sustainability Working Group to explore and develop opportunities to deliver collaborative sustainable transformation and support our institutions to deliver this change using the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability as a framework.
Dr Katie Lidster, GW4 Research Development Manager for Net Zero and AI, said: “Sustainability is a huge research strength and priority area for GW4 and our universities. Joining this concordat builds on our previous environmental commitments and future ambitions. GW4 universities were among the first to declare a climate emergency and are fully committed to decarbonising their operations and to accelerate the transition to sustainable Net Zero.
“As a regional Alliance, we are well placed to advance environmental sustainability. Our region is home to more climate expertise than any other region and the South West and Wales has a thriving Net Zero economy. Through groups such as the GW4 Environmental Sustainability Working Group we are able to work together to focus on our hardest-to-decarbonise emissions areas. We want to work with our external stakeholders to co-create solutions to these complex challenges and help the transition to a greener, sustainable future.”
Researchers across the GW4 Alliance are already leading the way in tackling some of the planet’s greatest and most complex issues – from climate change and biodiversity loss to improving health outcomes and addressing AI and digital transformations – and are passing their knowledge onto the next generation through their teaching and research.
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.
The concordat outlines the following six priority areas where signatories 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
As part of GW4’s work in this area GW4 held a Systemic Sustainability Change Workshop, facilitated by Arup in Bristol. Sustainability leads across the alliance, along with GW4 representatives discussed respective progress in delivering sustainable estates, whilst exploring objective one of the Concordat looking at leadership and system change.
GW4 has also supported our universities in the journey towards becoming Net Zero organisations. We piloted and developed a living labs model for finding, testing and sharing Net Zero solutions across the South West of England and South Wales, and produced a report on our findings.
Sustainability is a huge research strength and priority area for GW4 and our universities. Joining this concordat builds on our previous environmental commitments and future ambitions.
As a regional Alliance, we are well placed to advance environmental sustainability. Our region is home to more climate expertise than any other region and the South West and Wales has a thriving Net Zero economy. Through groups such as the GW4 Environmental Sustainability Working Group we are able to work together to focus on our hardest-to-decarbonise emissions areas. We want to work with our external stakeholders to co-create solutions to these complex challenges and help the transition to a greener, sustainable future.
