What is People & Planet?

Starting out as ‘Third World First’ in 1969, People & Planet is a student network that runs and supports campaigns for social and climate justice. Through their campaigns, they have influenced change in government, worldwide and in universities, such as campaigning towards the Climate Change Bill. Thanks to People and Change, the number of universities with ethical procurement policies jumped from 26% to over 70% in the space of only one year.

People & Planet’s three main campaigns are:

Fossil Free – students are campaigning to get their universities to terminate their investment in the fossil fuel industry. So far, 117 UK universities have committed to divestment.

Divest Borders – students are campaigning to get their universities to divest from the border industry – the industry involved in running detention centres and prisons and deporting migrants – and are working towards a world without borders

Fossil Free Careers – this campaign calls on universities to terminate recruitment links to careers related to fossils fuels. 18 UK universities have committed to this so far.

People & Planet’s University League

Each year, People and Planet publish a league table ranking UK universities on their environmental and ethical impact. The criteria are as follows:

· Environmental Policy

· Auditing & EMS

· Carbon Management

· Sustainable Food

· Ethical Investment

· Ethical Careers

· Sustainability Staff

· Workers’ Rights

· Engagement

· Education

· Energy Sources

· Waste & Recycling

· Carbon Reduction

· Water Reduction

How did UWE do?

We are pleased to announce that UWE came in 14th place, scoring 11 places higher than last year and making it a ‘1st Class University’. It’s overall score was 68.9%, and it’s highest-scoring category was Auditing and EMS (Environmental Management System), at 100%. Click the link below to see a full breakdown of how UWE scored in each category.

University of The West of England, Bristol | People & Planet

One of the categories that the universities are accessed on is their commitment to screen out specific sectors, which aligns with People & Planet’s Fossil Free Careers campaign and their Divest Borders campaign. Here’s how UWE did:

· Commitment in policy to screen out fossil fuel investments: 20/20%

· Commitment in policy to screen out investments in arms companies: 10/10%

· Commitment in policy to screen out border industry companies: 0/20%

· Commitment in policy to screen out investments in companies in violation of international law: 5/5%