Imperial College's main centre of operations is its South Kensington Campus. Medical research, training and teaching are also carried out at Royal Brompton, St Mary's, Hammersmith, Charing Cross and Chelsea and Westminster Campuses. Silwood Park, Ascot, accommodates the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Consistently rated amongst the world’s best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Imperial College recognises the effect its operations and activities has on the environment. The College acknowledges the responsibility it has to limit these effects in order to maintain the environment for future generations. The College therefore seeks to establish an ethos at all levels and in all departments towards protecting and improving the environment and reducing the negative effect of its operations.

This Environmental Policy has been prepared to provide an outline of the College’s mission in relation to managing the environmental effects of its operations. The Policy will provide the basis for certification to the international standard Environmental Management System ISO 14001. The Policy will communicate the aims and objectives of the College Directors to the College employees, students, suppliers and other interested parties. The College aims to quantify its effect on the environment and to minimise this effect in all its operation and new development.

The College commits to improve awareness of environmental matters through:

  • Appropriate training to staff and estates management.
  • Adoption of ‘Best Practice’ in its operations.
  • Seeking opportunities to develop environmental awareness in students, through academic programmes and campus awareness initiatives.
  • Facilitation of research in sustainability.

Staff and students will be encouraged to extend this to life outside the College.

The purpose of this Environmental Policy is to:

  • Assure students and staff of the commitment of the College to implement responsible environmental management in an economical and efficient manner.
  • Reduce incidents which might harm the environment and for which the College may be in contradiction of its legal requirements.
  • Reduce the consumption of raw materials and energy.
  • Help to provide a better environment for future generations.
  • Continue to make the College an attractive institution for study, research, business, sponsorship and with Government.

Continuation of the policy

The College will seek to continually review, improve and develop this Environmental Policy and will commit to its implementation. This includes full compliance with local and national legislation and guidance and achieving integration of the Policy into decision making at all levels and in all departments.

The basis of the content of the Policy will be compliance with relevant environmental legislation as a minimum level of performance. The College will seek to improve on this minimum wherever it can.

Promote education for sustainable development through the curriculum

The College will seek to train its employees and raise awareness in the academic staff, students and other users in environmental issues and the environmental effects of its operations.

An academic Environment Champion (Professor Ralf Toumi) has been appointed to provide an interface between the operational and research communities and to raise the profile of sustainability throughout the institution.

In November 2009 it was agreed that sustainability would be incorporated into the College's Health and Safety management and its formal governance structure.

The College's Health, Safety and Environment Committee is chaired by the College Secretary and reports to our Management Board and onto the Colleges' Council. Its Terms of Reference have recently been revised. Henceforth it will formally monitor the work done regarding sustainability initiatives, track their progress and report achievements. This will form an important audit function and allow relevant information to be reported upwards to the Audit Committee.