Welsh university recognised for significant sustainability practice

A Welsh university has been recognised for significant progress in sustainability and ethical practice in the latest People & Planet University League, which assesses institutions across the UK on environmental and ethical performance.

The results highlight a number of areas where the University of South Wales is performing strongly, particularly in ethical careers, energy use, and water reduction, reflecting ongoing work across the university to embed sustainability into everyday operations.

One of the standout achievements is in Ethical Careers, where USW is ranked joint second in Wales and joint 11th in the UK. This marks a substantial improvement, driven by the introduction of a new Ethical Careers Policy developed by the University’s Careers team.

The policy sets out clear commitments to avoid engagement with industries that do not align with sustainability and ethical principles, helping students make informed career choices. As a result, USW’s score in this category has risen substantially from 14% to 90%.

USW has also performed strongly in Energy Sources, ranking second in Wales and joint 19th in the UK. This reflects continued investment in renewable energy, including the ongoing installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across campuses, increasing the proportion of electricity generated on-site and reducing reliance on external energy sources.

In Water Reduction, the University is joint second in Wales and joint 35th in the UK. This progress has been supported by a range of measures across campuses. Rainwater harvesting systems, including at the Sports Park Campus, collect and reuse water for facilities such as toilet flushing, reducing demand on mains water.

Alongside this, improvements in automatic sub-metering allow the University to identify high-consumption areas and potential leaks more quickly, while ongoing maintenance, water-efficient upgrades, and increased awareness among staff and students, have all contributed to reducing overall water use.

Work underway 

Work is already underway to build on these successes, with plans in place to address areas for improvement ahead of the next assessment in 2026.

Neil Bradley, Sustainability and Energy Manager at USW said: “It’s great to see USW doing so well in the People & Planet University League.

“We are committed to showcasing the transformative strides we are making in sustainability across the University. Securing such high positions for these categories in this league is testament to the passion and efforts of our university community – an achievement that reflects our shared values and one in which we can all take immense pride.

“These improvements won’t stop here – we’ll continue to focus our efforts with the aim of being a leading institution in this League in coming years.”

You can see how the University scored in all categories here.