Sustainability Consulting Services

We are proud to provide sustainability consulting services to the further and higher education sector, through a new strategic partnership with SUMS Consulting. Through these services, any module can be tailored to the specific needs of your institution.

Sustainability in Further and Higher Education

Sustainability has wide-reaching implications for the further and higher education sector, touching all aspects of university and college life and being a key interface between these institutions and the wider world. Our sustainability services focus initially on supporting institutions towards achieving net zero carbon emissions. Over time, we intend to expand into other key areas of sustainability.

Your Path to Net Zero

We can support your institution in understanding, modelling and planning your track to net zero:

Net zero targets and strategies (scopes 1, 2 & 3)
Decarbonisation and carbon reduction plans
Decarbonisation analysis and technologies
Carbon emissions reporting and data management and analysis
Sustainable construction
Sustainable supply chains and procurement and supplier engagement
Using your estate more sustainably
Capital plans stocktake
Reducing your business travel emissions
Carbon offsetting and carbon markets
Scope 3

Building Sustainability at your Institution

We can help to truly embed sustainability at your institution:

Sustainability: Strategy to reality
Governance for sustainability
Climate adaptation and risk assessments
Full climate opportunities assessment
Communications, engagements and partnerships
Institutional development/change management
Sustainability literacy
Biodiversity (including impact assessments)
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Curriculum and research mapping

A Team of Experts

This strategic partnership allows us the chance to combine specialist subject matter knowledge from our membership with their consulting expertise. You can find our cohort of Associate Consultants here.

Join our team

If you would like to join our team we are looking for genuine expertise in any sustainability service provision. All our Associates need to understand the nuances and complexities inherent within the HE and FE sector. They need to be comfortable facilitating sessions and building positive relationships with stakeholders from boards of governors, vice-chancellors/principals, executive teams, professional service functions and academic departments. You must have capacity to work with a minimum of 2 days per month as a baseline. You can find more information on how the model works here.

Case Study and Testimonials

We are delighted to share a case study from Oxford Brookes University on our work with them to develop a programme to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

"This was a key piece of enabling work for Oxford Brookes to further develop and future-proof our Carbon Reduction Strategy. Understanding our scope 3 impacts to develop robust plans and roadmaps will be key to successful delivery. We greatly value the insights and recommendations and learned a great deal during the process. The report will be used as a basis for developing a new strategy, ensuring integration within existing frameworks and the development or enhancement of robust governance structures"
Michele Morley, Head of Environmental Sustainability, Oxford Brookes University

We are also delighted to share a case study from the University of Essex on our work with them on spurring transformation and culture change for a sustainable university.

"It was great working with the SUMS and EAUC team. They really understood our challenge and what we were aiming to achieve. Their approach was very thorough from the outset and gave us confidence that they were focused on what we needed; and they had the breadth of expertise in the tam to deliver recommendations that would be realistic and achievable in the context of our organisation"
Daisy Malt, Sustainability Manager, University of Essex