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Shared Future appointed to lead business travel policy development

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Update December 2022: Following a review of our approach to reducing business travel emissions, we have decided to adopt an in-house process to better meet our aims, and have agreed upon taking this new approach with Shared Future CIC, the original consultants. This is to enable a comprehensive engagement exercise to understand better the complexities around our travel activity.  A detailed planning workshop will take place in January 2023 to identify opportunities to fully embed sustainable travel across the University. We are keen to co-create incentives with our staff and students that offer environmental, social and economic benefits to our Leeds community and beyond.

The University of Leeds has appointed consultants Shared Future to run a “citizen’s jury” through which staff and students will recommend how the University’s business travel policy should support our net zero emissions target. 

The Sustainable Travel principle of the University’s Climate Plan aims to reduce travel emissions by 50% from pre-Covid levels as part of our pathway to net zero emissions. It sets out a participatory approach to achieve this in a way that is fair, equitable and does not compromise the quality of research. 

Shared Future, guided by an Oversight Panel consisting of representatives from across the University, are tasked with making sure the process is accessible, inclusive and representative of the university community. The recommendations – expected in early 2023 - will be used to inform future business travel policy. 

The process will run from October 2022 to February 2023, and will involve a jury panel of 35 staff and students.  Participant selection will be supported by the Sortition Foundation, to ensure it is representative. 

Participants will attend a series of workshops facilitated by Shared Future, where they will collaboratively develop a set of recommendations aimed at reducing travel emissions whilst remaining fair and equitable.   

A wider online consultation opportunity in late January will give all staff and students the opportunity to provide feedback on potential policy approaches before the final recommendations are made by the jury to the University. 

Shared Future has supported communities across the country to collaborate and put forward recommendations to local authorities and other stakeholders in response to climate change. We are delighted to be working with the University of Leeds to support this specific initiative in collaborative policy making. We look forward to working with the 35 staff and students who are selected to be part of the process!

The Sustainability Service is working closely with Shared Future, Sortition Foundation and the wider Climate Principles Programme Board to develop the timeline and framework for the participatory process, and further details will be shared once this is finalised.  Interim guidance to support sustainable travel decision making is also in development. 

 

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Graphic with the text 'Climate Plan' in large, and the words 'Achieving sustainable travel' above.

This project is part of delivering the sustainable travel principle within the University Climate Plan.

 

We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. This project contributes to goal 13 Climate Action as well as a number of other SDGs.

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.