King’s College London (KCL) has been given a first-class rating across sustainability-related categories by People & Planet, despite cases identified by the student community.
Out of 181 universities across the UK, King’s ranked fifth, increasing six places from last year. The only universities which ranked higher than King’s were University of the Arts London (UAL) in fourth, University of Bedfordshire in third, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in second and the University of Reading in first place.
The People & Planet University League is the only league table of UK universities based on environmental and ethical performance that is both independent and comprehensive. King’s achieved a perfect 100% score across six key categories:
- Environmental policies
- Auditing
- Sustainable food
- Sustainability staff
- Engagement
- Education
King’s also scored highly on carbon management, carbon reduction and worker’s rights.
The QS World University Sustainability Rankings placed KCL at 44, a 24-place rise from 68 the year before, out of 1,500 institutions across the globe. The QS rankings examine how universities are tackling the world’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges.
KCL do still face questions over their sustainability practices. This semester, Roar have highlighted several areas of sub-standard practices. This includes KCL Culture’s ‘The Quiet Enchanting’ exhibit, supporting the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, which is estimated to use enough energy to boil a kettle almost 4,000 times to power two low energy efficiency screens.
KCL also dropped their 2025 net zero target, pushing it back by five years. The same report identified that the university was behind on 16 of its sustainability targets, spanning topics from recycling on campus, to business travel and supply chain emissions.
To keep up to date with sustainability at King’s, click here.
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