BNU rises five places in the People and Planet University League Table

Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has risen five places in the People and Planet University League Table for 2023/24 and now ranks joint third nationally for carbon reduction.  

BNU places 85th overall out of 151 institutions, improving on last year’s score by two percentage points and five ranks.  

The University scored an impressive 90% for carbon reduction, the third highest of all those ranked, and 75% for Environmental Auditing and Management Systems. 

The People & Planet University League is an independent and comprehensive ranking of UK universities based purely on environmental and ethical performance. The student campaigning network ‘People & Planet’ compiles the league table each year, and it is used by prospective students who prioritise the sustainability of their education. A full breakdown of BNU’s score in the People and Planet University League Table can be found here. 

Steve Edge, Head of Sustainability at BNU, said: “We’ve worked hard on developing our Sustainability Strategy this year, and as we begin to deliver upon our goals, I’m thrilled to see that we’ve risen five ranks in the People and Planet League Table.  

“Of course, there’s plenty more that we as an institution can do to improve further and we will continue to deliver on our plans for a better future.” 

BNU launched its Sustainability Strategy earlier this year, laying out its approach to major and challenging sustainability issues and taking a 'big picture' approach through ambitious but feasible goals and targets.  

In the foreword of the strategy, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Braisby, said: “[Our strategy] boldly sets out our ambition to become a leader in the higher education sector, finding creative and innovative ways of overcoming the constraints of our urban campuses to increase biodiversity and have a positive impact on nature. We will build on our existing carbon-reduction measures, including clean energy, to ensure that our use of the world’s natural resources can be sustained long into the future.” 

The University is also proud to be a signatory of the Nature Positive Universities Pledge, which helps universities to minimise damage to the environment through improving biodiversity among other targeted actions. You can read more in our latest update here. For further information on environmental research projects the University is involved in, please click here.