The University’s Environmental Management System has Achieved ISO 14001:2015 Recertification!
Have you ever considered the environmental impacts of your work?
Did you know that there are university processes and guidance which can support minimising environmental risks within your work area?
On 29 April 2025, the university's Environmental Management System (or EMS for short) was officially recertified as operating in conformance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard. The ISO 14001:2015 standard is an internationally recognised standard which outlines the best practices for developing, implementing and improving an EMS. A copy of the certificate can be accessed here.
Why do we need an EMS?
Our EMS provides a framework which supports the university's environmental compliance and improved environmental performance. The EMS works alongside other university systems such as Health & Safety to minimise the potential negative environmental impacts associated with the university's day-to-day operations. The EMS contains:
- Environmental Policy – which outlines our commitment to protect the environment
- System documents – which outlines how we operate the EMS to ensure it fulfils its aims (for example: how we conduct internal audits or how we keep up to date with changes to relevant environmental legislation)
- Operational documents – which outlines how we can reduce negative impacts and maximise positive impacts in various areas such as biodiversity, procurement, construction and waste.
The easiest place to find EMS documents that may be relevant to your work is on the EMS webpage.
How do I find out more about the EMS and how I can engage with it?
If you would like further information on the EMS, the Sustainability Service has developed a short training course, which provides a brief overview of the system. The course consists of a core module, which takes about 10-minutes to complete and is suitable for all staff members. This module outlines what the EMS is and how you can engage with the system. Two additional supplementary courses are available for roles which involves purchasing and those who work in labs. These modules take approximately 5-minutes to complete.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. The EMS relates to all of the SDGs.
Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.