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Our Carbon Reduction Management Plan aims to provide direction for our overall carbon reduction strategy. This document acts as a policy for BSU to focus on our most impactful areas, and is updated regularly. 

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ have set targets to reduce waste, including within our Food Waste Minimisation Plan, and our Sustainability Strategy. With these targets we aim to reduce the amount of waste produced, as well as ensure it is disposed of in a sustainable manner to support a circular economy. None of our waste is sent to landfill. 

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ are currently Fairtrade accredited, reflecting the work done to promote fairtrade, and the products sold across campus. We are working towards and accreditations, and expect these to be awarded summer 2025.

Vegetarian and planet based food is available at all of our food outlets, and one (our Pitta Bar) is completely meat-free. 

We also support community involvement in our food supply, by working with the grounds team to collect and use fruits grown on site. We have a shared allotment space at Newton Park that’s open to all students to grow fruit and veg, from first time growers to expert gardeners. Find out more about our allotments on our Growing Spaces page.

You can find out more in our Sustainable food policy and Food Waste Minimisation Plan.

Our beautiful grounds are a source of pride for BSU, and we aim to look after them well, with annual biodiversity monitoring and reporting, as well as living lab opportunities offered throughout many of our Bath based courses.

We have set specific targets for biodiversity within our Sustainability Strategy, and are also working towards our Green Flag certificate to recognise the hard work we do to maintain and improve our historic surroundings.

Travel and transport are recognised as an important part of our sustainability strategy, where we’ve set specific goals to improve our active and public travel uptake. We work closely alongside the Students Union to improve the buses available for travel to our campuses, and have set specific goals to improve air quality and reduce staff business and commuting emissions. 

Our Travel Plan and Travel Policy provide more detail.

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ understands that the goods and services procured in the course of University business have environmental, social and economic impacts throughout the supply chain, as well as financial impacts upon ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿.

Our Sustainable procurement policy contains more detail.

Our policy and targets for water use reduction are included within our Sustainability Strategy. We aim to improve our resource efficiency as well as investigate innovative ways of reducing consumption and promoting reuse.  

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ are aware that construction is a significant source of emissions, and as a growing organisation we must ensure any new or refurbished builds are as sustainable as possible. Our Sustainability Strategy and Sustainable Construction Policy lay out our goals for this area.  

We are committed to ensuring students have access to green career prospects, and will only advertise jobs that align with our ethical careers position statement.

We have a dedicated sustainability team at BSU, but all staff are involved in sustainability in one way or another. Our current team is as follows: 

Sustainability Manager: Ripley Hill-Nixon 

Sustainability Co-ordinator: Harry Richardson, Emma Jakins 

Energy Performance Officer: Eve Winwood 

We understand that to make a difference, we need everyone at the university to get involved. For this reason we host an , where our members of staff can get involved in our schemes, and start their own initiatives. 

Key responsibilities are to:

• Assist with the development and delivery of the Carbon Literacy Training programme
• Disseminate any changes to policy, practices and staff benefits focused on sustainability
• Share and take responsibility for department/school responses to the Travel Survey
• Coordinate the enhancement of the Sustainable Development Goals within the curriculum of employee’s department
• Relay any ideas or concerns highlighted by colleagues to the Sustainability Team

Any staff member with a passion and drive for sustainability is welcome to join the . We aim to have at least once representative from each department and school across all Bath Spa campuses. 

Meetings are open to all employees and are held quarterly.  

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ are committed to looking after our employees, and are accredited as a Living Wage Employer. 

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ are signed up to the pledge, a campaign committed to end the misue of NDAs to buy victims' silence.

We are also committed to sustainable procurement practices, and are covered under the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium by the Electronics Watch to ensure fair treatment of workers in global supply chains.  

Outsourced staff statement 

The University is committed to ensuring equal pay and conditions of employment for directly employed staff and for individuals hired outside of the University’s internal staff workforce, often referred to as outsourced workers. 

We expect outsourced workers to receive equivalent pay to that of staff directly employed by the University for undertaking equivalent roles and tasks, and as we are proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer, no less than the Real Living Wage for the time they are employed. 

We also ask contractors to pay at least the Real Living Wage rate to staff assigned to work under tendered contracts for the duration of the contract. 

We commit to regular review of all individuals hired outside of our internal staff workforce to ensure ongoing equality of pay and conditions for all staff and workers involved with the University. 

Proportion of academic staff on fixed term contracts 

We are proud of the work that we have completed in partnership with our Trade Union, UCU, to introduce permanent Teaching Fellow contracts, which have reduced the use of casual academic contracts at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿. Providing greater job security for those working within these roles. 

As at May 2025, the proportion of academic hours worked by those on a fixed term contract compared with those hours worked by individuals on a permanent contract was 5.83%. This data set will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure we maintain an appropriate proportion of academic staff on fixed term contracts. 

Engaging with our staff and students is key to reducing our environmental impact. This policy outlines how we will engage with staff and students, our targets and reporting mechanisms.

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ have also signed up to Green Impact, a methodology to engage with staff across the university, encourage more sustainable action, and involve students in our annual auditing process.  

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ (BSU) holds an active, robust and publicly available which applies to the full scope of the Institutions investments.

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ is fully committed to acting in a socially responsible manner. Its policy sets out consideration of Environmental, Social and Governmental (ESG) issues relating to all decisions regarding the Universities investment portfolio. 

Our Responsible Investment Policy is reviewed regularly by the Finance and Infrastructure committee to ensure the policy remains fit for purpose. Any proposed changes are subject to approval by the Board of Governors. This has been actively reviewed in the prior 5 years. 

For further information on our commitment to fossil free investment, please read the confirmation from Yorkshire Building Society about our investment portfolio.

The University is committed to ensuring the banks we hold deposits with are aligned with our sustainability goals, and comply with our Responsible banking and treasury policy. 

The University publishes its annual report and financial statements following formal approval at the December meeting of the Board of Governors.

Annual reports and financial statements for previous years are available online.

As part of our sustainability commitments, we think it’s essential that our investments support the decarbonisation agenda.

In addition to our Fossil Free Pledge, we’ve developed a Responsible Investment Policy, which prevents us from investing in companies with corporate behaviour that leads to "Environmental Damage or Climate Change", which excludes investment in the fossil fuel industry.

To ensure this is upheld, we have in place a Financial Portfolio Committee, which reports to the Board of Governors.

In line with our compliance requirements governed by our regulator the OfS, we publish our financial statements within our annual report on an annual basis.  This report contains a summary of our sustainability work during the year.

To ensure transparency and in line with sustainability best practice, we also publish an annual report on our investment porfolio and its holdings.

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ has no investments in extractor fossil fuel companies and commits to ensuring that they will be excluded from any future investments we make. 

Read more about our commitment in our Fossil free pledge.

Our Finance and Infrastructure committee advises on the management of the University's assets, reporting to the Board of Governors.

A list of committee members that oversee investments can be found in the Finance and Infrastructure Committee Terms of Reference.

Meeting minutes can be found in the Board of Governors’ Documents archive list.

View and download the confirmation of ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿'s fossil free status.

• We have transferred services to reduce the energy use of our cloud-based services. We have standardised on the Microsoft technology stack due to their commitment to be carbon negative by 2030.
• We have moved our NP data centre from two rooms into a single smaller room, reducing the overall energy required to power AC
• Our website has also been optimised to reduce data transfer by:
  
  • Minifying our CSS and JavaScript files when publishing out to the website - this reduces file size by removing lots of whitespaces that make up usual formatting of code
  • Ensuring photos and other downloads are optimised for the web - reducing these files in size as much as possible without a visible downgrade in quality from the original.
  • To advance this further, we'll be doing enhancement projects to many areas of the website over the next 12 months that will include content audits to:
    • remove out-of-date content
    • reduce the number of pages (where possible)
    • refocus existing pages with re-written, user-focused content. 

Embedding International Environmental Standards

Our work in sustainable IT sits within a broader institutional commitment to environmental responsibility.

ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ meets the requirements of ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems. This provides a structured framework for identifying, managing and continually improving our environmental performance.
We also meet ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management. This helps us monitor and improve energy efficiency across our operations, ensuring that energy use is managed systematically and effectively.

Together, these standards support a culture of continuous improvement, helping us reduce environmental impacts, improve resource efficiency and make informed decisions about how we operate as an institution.

• Our digital infrastructure and IT services use a significant amount of energy both on and off site. We're working to improve efficiency and to reduce energy consumption
• Advice on energy efficiency and sustainable IT use has been compiled in our Guide to sustainable IT and digital use.

We've consolidated all information about our use of AI on our AI pages.

We're aware of the environmental impact of AI, and of the implications of improper use: for example security risks, legal implications, and the potential for unreliable results. Advice on these risks are included on our AI mini site.

We use Ecosia as our default search engine

We're thrilled to announce that is now the default search engine on all Open Access and Lab computers at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿.

Ecosia is a search engine that uses its profits to take action against climate change, with the majority of funds going to tree-planting projects around the world. It publishes monthly financial reports and sends us direct updates on the number of trees that BSU searches have helped plant. More information about the projects Ecosia funds, as well as a full breakdown of its finances, is available on on the Ecosia website.

Ecosia displays Google search results, ensuring you receive a wide range of high-quality search results – all while benefiting the planet.

If you would like to help turn searches into trees, you can set Ecosia as your default search engine on BSU devices using .

Extending the Life of Our Technology

One of the most effective ways to reduce the environmental impact of technology is simply to use it for longer.
Traditionally, many organisations have refreshed devices every three years. At ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, we have moved to a five-year IT equipment refresh cycle, helping to maximise the value and lifespan of the devices we purchase.

Extending device lifecycles reduces demand for new hardware, minimises carbon associated with manufacturing, and decreases the volume of equipment requiring recycling or disposal. By ensuring that devices remain secure, reliable and fit for purpose for longer, we are reducing waste while making more efficient use of the resources already embedded within our technology estate.

This approach supports both our sustainability ambitions and our commitment to delivering value across the University.

Supporting the Circular Economy Through Responsible IT Recycling

When equipment does reach the end of its useful life, responsible disposal is essential. That's why we work with Converge Technology Solutions, a specialist IT asset disposal and recycling partner whose environmental credentials align closely with our own sustainability objectives.

Converge operates a WEEE-compliant recycling facility and is independently verified by Valpak as a Zero Avoidable Waste to Landfill organisation, helping to ensure that end-of-life IT equipment is managed responsibly and diverted from landfill wherever possible.

Beyond its zero-waste-to-landfill commitment, Converge holds a wide range of industry-recognised accreditations that demonstrate high standards in environmental management, security, quality and responsible recycling. These include:

• • ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification
  • ISO 27001 Information Security certification
  • ISO 22301 Business Continuity certification
  • ADISA Distinction accreditation for secure data destruction and IT asset disposal
  • Cyber Essentials Plus certification

BSI Kitemarks for refurbishment and remanufacturing processes that support the circular economy
These accreditations provide assurance that retired University devices are processed securely, responsibly and in a way that maximises opportunities for reuse, refurbishment and recycling.

Small Decisions, Long-Term Impact

Sustainable technology is often about making better decisions throughout the lifecycle of equipment rather than focusing solely on disposal.

By extending device lifespans, working with accredited recycling and refurbishment partners, and maintaining recognised environmental and energy management standards, ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ is taking practical steps to reduce waste and support a more sustainable future.

These actions may happen behind the scenes, but their impact contributes directly to the University's wider commitment to environmental responsibility, ensuring that our digital infrastructure supports not only learning and innovation, but also a more sustainable way of working.