Essex among the best universities in the world for sustainable development

We are hugely proud that, for three years running, Essex has been ranked in the top 100 universities in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. These rankings measure contributions towards the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). In 2024 Essex placed 58th in the ranking, out of over 2,000 universities around the globe that participated. Our strong position highlights the University’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainable development. Performance is measured across four themes: Research, Stewardship, Outreach and Teaching, and designed to capture a holistic overview of contribution towards the SDGs, measuring all of our work - both internal and wider external impacts.

The 17 UN SDGs do not just focus on environmental sustainability, but provide a broader approach to help end poverty, ensure quality education, promote good health and well-being, take urgent climate action, and support work and economic growth. Through the Impact Rankings, THE have developed a robust set of measures that allow universities to monitor their progress and contribution to each of the SDGs and identify their greatest strengths.

Essex submits evidence against the measures for all 17 of the SDGs, however it’s those we perform best in that form our ranking. To calculate a university’s overall ranking, THE combines their score of SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, which is mandatory – plus the three top performing SDGs for that institution. In 2024 Essex’s three strongest additional SDGs were:

• SDG 5 Gender Equality
• SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

These areas reflect a deep tie with social justice and equality, and underline that Essex is a university that is committed to fair opportunities for all.

Let’s take a closer look at why these SDGs are so strong at Essex, based on THE’s metrics.

SDG 5 gender equality

2024 rank: 31

We score particularly well for the proportion of senior female academics at Essex, for research on gender equality which has been published, and for the measures we have in place to support women to succeed at Essex. Policies that ensure there is no gender discrimination, including for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, are well established at Essex. There are also schemes to support those with children and caring responsibilities, and are areas of real strength that we can be proud of.

Further information on Essex’s approach to gender quality can be found on our Staff Directory.

SDG 10 reduced inequalities

2024 rank: 22

Like Gender Equality, our policies and measures against discrimination are one of our greatest tools. We have a range of initiatives in place, including tracking student applications and staff recruitment from under-represented groups, providing accessible facilities and supporting people with disabilities, which are all underpinned by our Inclusion Team.

Our metrics for inclusion also score particularly well, and we are recognised for having a high proportion of students who report having a disability, as well as for those who are from developing countries.

Our score for research on reduced inequalities is strong too, reflecting the work done by departments such as ISER, Economics and Sociology.

Further information on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Essex can be found online.

SDG 12 responsible consumption and production

2024 rank: 28

We score very well across the board for this SDG, achieving at least 80% for all metrics. Our research linked to responsible consumption and production is strong and delivered by departments including the School of Life Sciences, Essex Business School and Sociology. Operational measures and policies for managing waste ensure that as much as possible is recycled, and we make sure we manage any hazardous materials. We also publish an annual report on our sustainability progress, which helps gains us marks for this criterion.

All of our waste is diverted from landfill, and instead anything that cannot be recycled is used as ‘refuse derived fuel’ - it’s incinerated to create energy. Managing all recyclable waste correctly on campus not only ensures that materials are recovered but can also be cost effective for the University due to differences in collection fees and rebates available.

Further information on waste and recycling is available on our website.

Help us to show our best side

We are in the process of preparing our 2025 submission, collating a range of evidence across all 17 SDGs. If you have a project you think could be showcased as part of our evidence, please contact impactrankings@essex.ac.uk.