Sustainability at Birkbeck

Sustainability at Birkbeck

We are driving forward our commitments to more sustainable practices at Birkbeck. We are embedding sustainability into our operations, from reducing our carbon footprint and pledging to meet net zero, to reducing our waste and improving the sustainability of our catering.

We have pledged to meet net zero emissions through scopes 1, 2, and 3. The first steps to meeting these targets have been taken by mapping our full carbon footprint for the year August 2023 to July 2024, alongside creation of a new Energy and Carbon Management Plan and development of a Heat Decarbonisation Plan. 

Birkbeck’s Policy Statement on Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero

Birkbeck has held a joint ISO14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) certification with neighbouring institutions The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) since 2016, and the three universities were among the first in the UK to achieve this certification. Our EMS next audit is due to take place in June 2025. ISO14001 is the internationally recognised standard for EMS. It provides a framework for organisations to design and implement an EMS, and continually improve their environmental performance. 

Courses

Birkbeck offers several courses that focus on net zero and sustainability. 

View all Environment Studies courses.

Research

Birkbeck’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability was formed in December 2023. The research centre takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackling the entwined challenges of environmental and climate breakdown and the need to transition to a more sustainable way of life.