Sustainability News

News stories

Our sustainability research is helping to tackle some of the pressing environmental and social challenges facing the planet.
Campus looking green

University of Sheffield ranked 24th in the world for sustainability in QS rankings

The University of Sheffield has been ranked 24th globally out of more than 1,400 institutions in the 2024 QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, as well as 7th in the UK and 12th in Europe.
Plastic waste on a beach

MPs and Sheffield researchers call for ban on all plastic waste exports

Scientists and MPs are calling for a ban on the export of all plastic waste exports from the UK by 2027.
The view from underneath the wing of an ULTRA UAV during a test flight

Swarms of advanced UAVs to collect key environment data

Swarms of advanced unmanned aircraft are set to carry out aerial surveys of Antarctica – gathering crucial data on changes to the region’s environment and wildlife – as part of new research with engineers from the University of Sheffield.
A photo showing a number of students crossing the road with the Arts Tower in the background.

Sheffield students dedicate 33,000 hours volunteering in the local community

Dedicated students from the University of Sheffield have spent 33,443 hours volunteering to help the local community over the past 12 months.
Conventional refrigeration methods are very inefficient.

Materials discovery holds the key to efficient refrigeration

The world needs more efficient refrigeration. Could solid state refrigeration be the answer? Researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering are developing new materials that could help this to become a reality.
A mural near the COP26 summit showing how our climate is changing

Climate emergencies - do they help?

Various governments all over the world have declared climate emergencies in recent years, but do they help, or can they also have drawbacks?