New Environmental Plan charts path towards climate neutrality

The Vice-Chancellor has adopted a new Environmental Plan for Uppsala University. The plan is in effect from 8 September 2026 until 30 June 2029 and covers both the University’s environmental objectives and the measures intended to help achieve those objectives.

The overall goal remains unchanged: greenhouse gas emissions from the University's activities are to be reduced by at least half by 2030 compared to 2019. After this, emissions must continue to decline so that the University can achieve climate neutrality in its activities by 2045 at the latest.

Things are already moving in the right direction in multiple areas. Between 2019 and 2025, the University's total energy consumption decreased by 24 per cent. During the same period, greenhouse gas emissions from in-service travel decreased by 58 per cent.

Six areas in the new plan

The Environmental Plan covers six areas: overall environmental work, facilities, in-service travel, purchasing and procurement, circular flows and IT. In total, the plan contains 16 targets with associated measures, responsible functions and timelines.

Among the targets are reducing energy consumption, increasing the occupancy rate in teaching premises and reducing emissions from both domestic and international in-service travel. The University will also set clearer environmental requirements for procurement, increase the reuse of furniture and equipment, and reduce the amount of plastic waste.

IT is a separate area in the new plan. Their manufacture accounts for a large portion of the environmental impact of computers, phones and other IT equipment. Therefore, the University will work to extend the service life of this type of equipment, offer recycled equipment when appropriate, and increase the recovery of equipment that is no longer in use. Guidelines for more environmentally conscious IT use will also be developed.

More areas and clearer monitoring

The new Environmental Plan represents both a continuation and further development of the University’s previous environmental work. The overall objective of at least halving emissions by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2045 was already included in the 2022–2024 Environmental Plan and remains in place.

Both the 2022–2024 plan and the 2025 Environmental Plan focused primarily on in-service travel, facilities, and procurement and reuse. They included targets and measures to reduce emissions from travel, lower energy consumption, utilise facilities more efficiently and increase reuse.

The new plan covers more aspects of the organisation’s environmental impact. IT and circular flows have become separate focus areas, while water consumption, plastic waste, catering, and transport related to purchasing all have specific targets. The plan also distinguishes between domestic and international in-service travel, with different targets for how much the emissions from these should be reduced.

The targets and measures are also more detailed than previously. For example, the occupancy rate in teaching premises is to increase to 50 per cent by 2028. At least 65 per cent of the furniture and furnishings accruing from renovations and refurbishments must be reused within the same year. The University also aims to achieve a 100 per cent recovery rate for IT equipment by 2028.

For each measure, a function with primary responsibility and a deadline by which the work must be completed or started is now specified. The University will also develop a roadmap with milestones and key performance indicators for the path towards climate neutrality by 2045, and will investigate a tool for monitoring carbon footprint at the University, disciplinary domain and departmental levels.

All activities need to contribute

The Vice-Chancellor and University Administration bear the ultimate responsibility for our environmental work. With support from the environmental representatives and, in some cases, the campus management organisation, the heads of department or equivalent are responsible for planning and carrying out this work within their respective activities. The measures must be accommodated within each department’s budget.

Environmental work may involve trade-offs, however. Internationalisation and in-service travel are one example: travel is important for research, education and international collaborations, but it also has a significant impact on the climate. According to the Environmental Plan, such conflicting objectives need to be addressed on an ongoing basis through a dialogue between the various parts of the University.

Anders Berndt