Coventry University, based in the West Midlands, has a long tradition as a provider of education. Students benefit from state-of-the-art equipment and facilities in all academic disciplines including health, design and engineering laboratories, performing arts studios and computing centres. The university hosts three national Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning enabling it to invest substantial sums of money in health, design and mathematics.
Coventry University came to Grain in 2021 for support in developing and articulating its environmental sustainability approach. It wanted to create a discussion document to inform the organisation’s sustainability strategy and bring stakeholders together behind a common approach.
We worked with its sustainability lead to undertake a strategy review that pulled together policies, processes, and activities that supported sustainable activities at the university. By mapping existing initiatives, we developed an overarching sustainable development strategy and identified commonalities and areas for focus.
Building on sustainability success
The university had been making good headway towards a set of sustainability goals for 2030. These goals included embedding sustainability teaching into courses at the university and a recycling target of 80% of campus waste. With ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) certification since 2014 and a cross-functional team looking at projects from energy reduction to bike repair sessions, there was already a positive approach to embedding sustainability throughout the organisation. Grain brought the different elements together by building detail into the existing outline. This created a consistent approach and aligned targets to engage the university’s stakeholders behind a single vision.
Learning from leaders
Next, Grain conducted a benchmarking exercise that assessed the extent and breadth of sustainability work occurring at eight other universities. The benchmarking report highlighted best practices in the higher education sector and mapped Coventry University’s position for comparison and insight.
One comprehensive approach
The implementation phase saw the creation of a strategy discussion document. This brought together the work done so far into a single document that could drive engagement and discussion. The document incorporated the university’s high-level ambition and reflecting on the current status of sustainability-aligned activities. It referenced areas that needed attention and suggested approaches for stakeholder engagement while aligning with the organisation’s corporate strategy.
Phase two completed the project. Grain created a sustainable development framework in which Coventry University’s activities were aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In turn, these sustainability elements complemented and supported the University’s Group Strategy.
It was a pleasure to work with Coventry University. Education facilities are essential in promoting sustainability by creating a low-carbon campus and teaching about the climate crisis and its potential solutions. We look forward to seeing the university inspire the next generation of passionate sustainability advocates.
