Sustainability timeline

Follow our sustainability story here, from humble beginnings to becoming the sustainable university
View of church top and trees overlooking Drake's Place
2025
2024 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
  • First in the People & Planet Green League. 
  • Re-accreditation of the EMS to ISO14001 for a further three years. 
  • Drake’s Place Gardens and Reservoir wins Green Flag. 
  • Drake’s Place is shortlisted for the Green Gown Award.
  • Fairtrade accreditation status renewed. 
  • Renewed Food for Life Catering Mark: John Bull and hospitality menus gained Bronze and Drakes, Loafers and Reservoir Café won Silver. 
  • University creates apiary and sites two bee hives.
  • Sustainable Restaurant Association Three Star standard renewed. 
  • Sustainable Earth Institute is launched. 
  • Zero waste to landfill delivered. 
  • The Guardian Awards 2015 winner for Social and Community Impact. 
  • NUS Responsible Futures Award in recognition of the excellent quality of Sustainability Education.
  • Drake's Place wins two Abercrombie Awards including the coveted People of Plymouth Award.
2014
  • University of Plymouth Business School
    Link to School: Plymouth Business School
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    "> Business School     became a PRME Champion.
  • Launch of revised and updated Sustainability Strategy. 
  • Special commendation from People & Planet Green League for retaining 'highest performer’ place since its inception in 2007. 
  • UPSU was awarded Excellent in the national Green Impact Scheme.
  • Won the prestigious Gold Award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. 
  • First university to be awarded Three Star standard from the Sustainable Restaurant Association. 
  • Bronze award for Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association. 
  • Three Green Gown Award wins for: Food and Drink, Enterprise and Courses and Learning categories. 
  • The House, the University’s own performing arts centre is opened, built to BREEAM Excellent standard.
  • Renewed Athena Swan Bronze Award.
2013
  • UPSU won a Gold Award in the national Green Impact scheme. 
  • Won Silver Award in the national sustainability performance index: Learning in Future Environments (LifE). 
  • Sustainability featured as one of the University’s four key ambitions in the Strategy 2020, echoed in the Teaching and Learning and Student Experience strategy.
  • Shortlisted at the Times Higher Education Awards for outstanding contribution to sustainable development.
  • Ranked second in People and Planet.
  • Seventh in International Green Metric.
  • Won a Good Egg Award.
2012
  • The Institute for Sustainability Solutions Research (ISSR) was established to promote the sustainability research agenda, linking 300 academics across the University. 
  • Plymouth was ranked fifth for overall sustainability performance by the international Green Metric World University Ranking, judged against 215 international entrants. 
  • First university to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.
  • Food for Life Bronze certification.
  • Ranked second People and Planet.
2011
  • Won the Green Gown Award for Whole Institutional Change – Continuous Improvement. 
  • Published the first Sustainability Report. 
  • Won the Green Tourism Gold Award.
  • Ranked forth in the People & Planet Green League.
2010
  • The Sustainability Executive Group was formed – reporting to VCE – bringing together the tri-cameral structure: operations, research and teaching and learning. 
  • CSF was re-established as part of the Teaching and Learning Directorate after HEFCE funding expired – to champion sustainability in teaching and learning. 
  • Ranked first in the People & Planet Green League.
2009
  • Gained Fairtrade University status.
  • Achieved ISO 14001 accreditation for our Environmental Management System.
  • Won Silver in the Corporate Responsibility Index from Business in the Community.
  • The cross-institutional Sustainability Advisory Group was formed.
  • Ranked sixth in the People and Planet Green League.
2008
  • Our first Sustainability Strategy was approved.
2007
  • Ranked second in the then newly launched People & Planet Green League of UK universities.
2005
  • Won funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to set up a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).
  • Named the Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF), the Centre's aim was to transform the University from an institution characterised by significant areas of excellence in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), to an institution modelling university-wide excellence – able to make a major contribution to ESD regionally, nationally and internationally.