We track all of our outputs, such as carbon emissions, waste and energy to ensure we are meeting the targets outlined in Our Sustainable Future.
At The University of Manchester we’ve gone from having a 'true zero, not net zero' target without a plan, to a having a timeline of what needs doing, when, an estimate of cost, and sector-leading funding to kick things off. We will be engaging and educating our staff, students and wider community to do their part in making a real difference.
Carbon emissions
Our University has been tracking its direct (Scope 1 and 2) carbon emissions since 2007. Since then, our emissions have fallen by 36% but we are committed to doing much more.
Read the Carbon Action Plan (Word Doc, 227KB) in full.
We've had an independent third party verification of our direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2 and selected Scope 3) greenhouse gas emissions, as detailed in our carbon footprint calculation for the period 1 August, 2022 to 31 July, 2023.
Read our Carbon Data Verification Statement (Word Doc, 227KB) in full.
Race to Zero
We joined the UN's Race to Zero Climate for Universities and Colleges campaign on 12 July 2021.
Read the full Race to Zero report (Word Doc, 424KB) for updates on our progress against the criteria.
Scope 3 emissions
Through Universities UK, the higher education sector has committed to 'setting a target for Scope 3 emission reductions and other environmental targets beyond emissions' as well as 'setting out how progress against these targets will be reported in a transparent, consistent, and understandable way'.
In July 2023 we set a Scope 3 emissions target of net zero by 2050.
Read the full Scope 3 report (PDF, 1.13MB) for more on how we are going to meet this target.
Find our latest updates on Scope 3 emissions data.
Energy
Our aim is to reduce our energy consumption by a total of 10% against a 2018 baseline, achieved by joint working across the University led by the Directorate of Estates & Facilities and IT Services.
Month |
Energy use in 2022 (MWh) |
Energy us in previous year (MWh) |
Difference (%) |
Baseline year 2018 (MWh) |
Difference (22/23 vs 18/19, %) |
January | 31,589 | 32,186 | -1.9 | 29,222 | 8.1 |
February | 30,004 | 27,328 | 9.8 | 28,314 | 6.0 |
March | 28,834 | 28,793 | 0.1 | 29,277 | -1,5 |
April | 24,886 | 26,670 | -6.7 | 21,765 | 14.3 |
May | 20,206 | 23,987 | -15.8 | 16,596 | 21.8 |
June | 16,225 | 14,947 | 8.6 | 11,417 | 42.1 |
July | 15,631 | 15,842 | -1.3 | 10,661 | 46.6 |
August | 15,306 | 15,779 | -3.0 | 11,115 | 37.7 |
September | 16,776 | 18,743 | -10.5 | 14,439 | 16.2 |
October | 21,580 | 20,436 | 5.6 | 22,087 | -2.3 |
November | 25,955 | 25,891 | 0.2 | 24,872 | 4.4 |
December | 32,076 | 28,359 | 13.1 | 26,162 | 22.6 |
Total | 270,327 | 276,583 | -2.3 | 245,432 |
10.1 |
Water
We monitor and assess our water consumption and use across the University campus to ensure that this important resource is used in a sustainable way.
Water usage (m3) |
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
January | 118,003 | 61,788 | 53,881 | 44,106 | 52,456 |
February | 103,148 | 65,454 | 61,781 | 48,378 | 59,204 |
March | 85,796 | 74,079 | 60,894 | 56,595 | 72,315 |
April | 74,192 | 54,841 | 48,637 | 46,037 | 58,530 |
May | 89,812 | 65,158 | 39,250 | 52,156 | 89,731 |
June | 94,230 | 58,573 | 41,052 | 49,101 | 81,964 |
July | 71,018 | 154,189 | 46,525 | 42,967 | 52,435 |
August | 69,952 | 50,453 | 45,799 | 39,078 | 50,755 |
September | 50,690 | 58,242 | 46,589 | 40,619 | 51,125 |
October | 79,409 | 61,948 | 62,433 | 58,900 | 69.695 |
November | 65,125 | 59,470 | 68,159 | 59,504 | 81,942 |
December | 58,001 | 60,813 | 55,957 | 57,831 | 75,756 |
Total | 959,376 | 825,008 | 631,956 | 595,273 | 795,908 |
Annual performance reviews
Discover our annual performance reviews, showcasing progress in achieving the goals and commitments from Our Sustainable Future (PDF, 4.7MB):
- Performance review 2022 to 2023 (Word, 298kb)
- Performance review 2021 to 2022 (Word, 431kb)