Our ambition? To set a global benchmark for university sustainability that is forward leaning, evidence-based and practical.
The Sustainable Imperial Strategy 2026–2031 builds on the university’s achievements to date and aims to enhance sustainability across every part of the institution in the coming five years and beyond – spanning operations, education, research, innovation, partnerships and community action.
It is rooted in scientific rigour, with clear, measurable targets to track progress, and frames Imperial’s ambition around two complementary goals:
- minimising our environmental footprint – by striving for net‑zero carbon campuses for direct emissions by 2040, cutting indirect emissions, and embedding sustainable practice across the university.
- maximising our positive handprint – through education, research and innovation that support global sustainability transitions.
Together we can
To celebrate the launch of the Sustainable Imperial Strategy 2026-2031, Sustainability Projects Officer Stav Friedman wrote a poem – "Together We Can" – that captures the spirit of our ambition, and how we can achieve it by working together as a community.
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The Sustainable Imperial Strategy is ambitious, but it is also achievable. It builds on our strengths, reflects our values and provides a clear framework for action. It is a strategy that focuses less on promise and more on performance that we will deliver together. Professor Anna Korre Associate Provost (Sustainability)
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How the strategy was created
Learn more about how colleagues, students and the wider Imperial community helped shape the Sustainable Imperial Strategy.
Further information:
- Our sustainability journey – what we are doing to minimise our environmental footprint and maximise our positive handprint
- Take action – what you can do to help us shape a more sustainable future