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Strategic approach

The RCA Environmental Sustainability Strategy seeks to celebrate the existing work across the College in sustainability and highlight the priority areas which we need to take action in the coming years, to achieve our sustainability vision.

The Royal College of Art is a small specialist institution and we need an approach which balances the urgency of the climate crisis with our size and ability to deliver, while acknowledging that different areas of the College are at different stages of the sustainability journey. Our first Environmental Sustainability Strategy needs to focus on the most urgent and important issues that we must act on now, and will be a building block for greater ambition as we approach our Net Zero target in 2035.

Technology, regulation, guidance and best practice in sustainability is constantly evolving in response to scientific developments or market changes, within the Higher Education sector and more broadly. While this strategy outlines our approach based on the most relevant priorities in 2024, we need to acknowledge the need for flexibility in this changing landscape. We also need to acknowledge that, in many areas, we are early in our journey and, as we progress, we may find new challenges. Our approach needs to be agile and we will need to continually review the priorities and timelines set out in this strategy in addition to the resources needed for delivery, with the support of the Environmental Sustainability Committee and Senior Management Team.

The Environmental Sustainability Strategy supports with the three goals and five enablers set out in the RCA’s Strategic Plan 2022-27. Four pillars have been identified to focus our work on climate change and sustainability. Underpinning these four themes is a structure to embed the delivery of the strategy in everything we do across the College, covering governance, training, staff and student engagement, data and reporting.

Net Zero

Objective: Achieve Net Zero by 2035 by reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from a 2022/23 baseline and building resilience to the effects of climate change.

Vision: We will have a detailed decarbonisation plan outlining the route to net zero and clear targets for reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 aligned to climate science. We will have begun concerted efforts to reduce our emissions and improve our data quality. We will better understand the climate risks facing the RCA and will have created a plan to ensure resilience.

Sustainable Resource Use

Objective: Reduce our draw on natural resources and work towards becoming a circular institution.

Vision: We will have established an Environmental Management System and will be continuously working to improve our environmental impact, including in our events and exhibitions. We will have created opportunities to reduce waste, increase recycling and promote reuse of materials. We will have more green spaces and planters across campuses and work towards becoming CLIMAVORE in our food offer.

Teaching & Learning

Objective: Embed environmental sustainability in all forms of teaching and learning so that students can contribute to and work within a more sustainable future.

Vision: We will have supported students to apply creativity and innovation towards a sustainable future through teaching and learning. We will have created a framework for technical workshop framework to support sustainable practice. We will have supported staff to understand the environmental and social impacts of climate change and facilitate opportunities to share knowledge of sustainable practice and teaching.

Research & Knowledge Exchange

Objective: Develop solutions to global sustainability challenges through research and innovation.

Vision: We will have delivered innovative research across the climate crisis and circular economy, while maximising engagement with and impact of this research internally and externally. We will have supported staff and doctoral students to develop understanding environmental sustainability in research and seek ways minimising the environmental impact of doing research.

Delivering the strategy

Successful progress towards fulfilling our sustainability objectives and commitments requires input and action from colleagues all across the College. By 2027, we will have supported staff and students to embed sustainability in day-to-day College activities and report transparently on our progress internally and externally.

Approval and review

The pillars of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy were approved by Council in July 2024.

Annual updates and review of the carbon footprint, progress against the Environmental Policy and Environmental Sustainability Strategy will be received by the Senior Management Team and Council.

Strategic aims

Underpinning each objective are a number of aims relating to key focus areas within the pillar. These aims have been reviewed and approved by the Environmental Sustainability Committee, Senior Management Team, and Senate, relating to the Teaching & Learning pillar. These will be reviewed with Council in October 2024, following the confirmation of the 2024/25 budget.

See more detail on our strategic aims below, or download the Strategic Aims: Objectives & Targets (PDF).

Our strategic aims: objectives and targets

Energy

  • Reduce emissions from energy by 42% by 2030 from a 2022/23 baseline, with significant progress made by 2027

Buildings

  • All major refurbishments to be rated SKA Gold by July 2027
  • Develop detailed Decarbonisation Plan to be signed off by SMT by July 2025
  • Measure and evaluate embodied carbon of major refurbishments
  • Develop a Climate Adaptation Plan to be signed off by SMT by July 2025/6 [subject to budget and resource].

Procurement

  • Engage with 50 suppliers (representing 80% of spend-based emissions), aiming to improve data quality and commit to setting science-based emission reduction targets, by July 2027

Staff Travel

  • Reduce emissions from staff travel by 90% by 2035
  • Maintain emissions from staff commuting from a 2022/23 baseline by July 2027

Student Travel

  • Reduce emissions from student travel by 90% by 2035
  • Maintain emission from student commuting from a 2022/23 baseline by July 2027
  • Model the emissions relating to internationalisation strategy by July 2027

Investments

  • Work with the College’s investment advisors calculate the carbon emissions from as much of our portfolio as practicable by July 2025
  • Develop a reduction target with the College’s investment advisors, that can be measured and implemented, by July 2025
  • Engage with InnovationRCA portfolio companies to assess feasibility of calculating emissions by July 2026

Waste

  • Increase recycling of operational waste from 54% in 2022/23 to 60% by July 2027.
  • Create opportunities on all campuses for students to reuse and share materials.

Water

  • Reduce water consumption by 10% by July 2027 from 2022/23 levels.

Biodiversity

  • Increase biodiversity through the introduction of planters and/or green spaces as part of renovation works in Darwin by July 2027.

Food

  • Embed “Becoming CLIMAVORE” principles in the food offering at The Refectory in Kensington by July 2027.
  • Identify ways to reduce single-use plastic on an ongoing basis, following the successful ending of selling plastic bottles.

Events & Exhibitions

  • Set up monitoring of environmental impact of exhibitions and events by December 2024 and seek to generate year-on-year improvements.

Environmental Management

  • Achieve an accredited Environmental Management System by the end of academic year 2027.
  • Work towards EcoCampus Bronze status in 2024/25 (budget and resource dependent).

Curriculum

  • Review and map the current status of sustainability in teaching and learning in conjunction with staff training needs, and identify an action plan for improvement by July 2025.
  • Continue to deliver programmes and challenges which aim to have a positive sustainability impact.
  • Support students to conduct living lab projects, using the College and/or local communities as real-world testbeds.
  • Seek all opportunities to embed sustainability in all curricula delivered at the College and to explore new opportunities to design and deliver sustainability-aligned curricula where appropriate.

Induction

  • Embed sustainability in inductions at all levels: College, School, Programme, Technical.

Training

  • Support staff carbon literacy and understanding of the environmental and social impacts of climate change in relation to materials and ideas.
  • Provide staff development opportunities to support embedding sustainability in teaching and learning.

Knowledge Sharing

  • Create a community of practice for academic and technical staff to share knowledge of sustainable practice and teaching.

Technical Workshops

  • Develop and implement a framework for sustainable technical workshop practice.

Research and Knowledge Exchange

  • Deliver planned research and knowledge exchange addressing issues relating to climate change and circular economy.
  • Contribute to the challenge of climate change through a bold new initiative with a national or global partner by 2027.
  • Support cross-College research and knowledge exchange initiatives that address themes relating to environmental sustainability and the climate crisis.
  • Seek to maximise the visibility, engagement with and impact of this research to internal and external audiences.
  • Support staff to develop awareness and understanding of environmental sustainability in research through RCA RKE Academy sessions.

Doctoral students

  • Support doctoral students to develop awareness and understanding of environmental sustainability in research for PhD students through RCA Doctoral Training Programme sessions.

Operations

  • Support staff to minimise the environmental impact of doing research.
  • Become a supporter of the UKRI Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice by July 2024 and a signatory by December 2025.
  • Identify and develop ways to apply relevant research findings to enhance the environmental sustainability of RCA operations.

Reputation

  • Explore feasibility of participating in the QS sustainability rankings.

The Environmental Sustainability Strategy's Net Zero pillar commits to reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2035, from a 2022/23 baseline. We have additionally committed to reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% by 2030.

The Environmental Sustainability Committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the College’s environmental sustainability strategy, carbon management plan, and staff and student engagement plan.

The Environmental Sustainability Manager is responsible for the day-to-day coordination of the strategy and carbon management plan delivery.

The Environmental Sustainability budget for 2023/24 was £8,253. The whole College is responsible for achieving our net zero ambitions and as such budgets are devolved.

The RCA's decarbonisation roadmap is built on our 2022/23 greenhouse gas emissions baseline for scope 1, 2 and 3.

Scope 1 & 2 baseline:

  • Natural gas: 894 tCO2e
  • Propane: 7 tCO2e
  • Electricity (market-based): 602 tCO2e
  • Heating & Cooling: 410 tCO2e

Scope 3 baseline:

  • Procurement: 12,854 tCO2e (this includes water supply which is 3 tCO2e, and construction waste which is included in the spend-based emissions of our contractors)
  • Fuel- and energy-related activities: 521 tCO2e
  • Operational waste: 9 tCO2e
  • Business travel: 1,392 tCO2e
  • Employee commuting: 454 tCO2e
  • Student travel: 8,387 tCO2e (this includes relocation which is 7664 tCO2e, commuting which is 511 tCO2e and exchange students which is 213 tCO2e)
  • Downstream leased assets: 190 tCO2e
  • Investments: 1,631 tCO2e

Note, in 2022/23 RCA did not have any in-house student accommodation or externally managed accommodation and therefore did not calculate emissions from student accommodation as these are out of scope, in line with the Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework.