Swansea is the first University in Wales to achieve the top Platinum award, and only the thirteenth organisation in the UK as a whole.  This helps the University with its legal compliance, Green League score, Sustainability Strategy, and represents the first international standard that the University has achieved across all Colleges and administrative functions.

Dr Heidi Smith, Sustainability Manager for Swansea University said: “ We are absolutely delighted to have moved from Silver, straight through to the top Platinum level of award. The three external auditors picked up on loads of positives, including Senior Management support, integration of sustainability into many areas of operations, our work on biodiversity, and the Environmental Coordinators that exist in our Colleges and support departments.”

Swansea University now hopes to be the first UK University to achieve ISO 20121 (the international standard for green event management) in time for the hosting of the IPC European Championships in August 2014.  This would make the international sporting event in Swansea the second in the UK to achieve the standard (after the London Olympics).  We will be working with partners including British Athletics (also working towards ISO 20121) to make this the ‘greenest’ European Paralympics to date, and set the sustainability bar for the future.

• EcoCampus is the leading national Environmental Management System (EMS) and award scheme for the higher and further education sectors. The scheme enables universities to systematically identify, evaluate, manage and improve their environmental performance and practices.