The most important thing we can do is help create cultural change that embodies sustainability. Universities have an integral role to play in helping establish a meaningful shift in this area, through our education, research and people. From the 85 teams receiving awards today, it is clear that we are all committed to driving this momentum into action. Our Sustainability Champions embody the values we put into Strategy 2030. Congratulations to all teams receiving awards.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President
20 July 2026
King's celebrates significant strides in campus sustainability
From cold storage to lab and office sustainability, King’s staff are achieving important sustainability milestones.
King’s has made great progress in meeting our sustainability ambitions, becoming one of the first universities to reach 100% silver-level sustainability accreditation across our wet labs and coming fourth globally in the global Freezer Challenge – achievements celebrated at the 2026 Sustainability Awards.
Over 100 externally benchmarked awards were given to King’s staff for their work embedding sustainability within our laboratories and offices, as well as for their achievements in reducing the impacts of cold storage through the Freezer Challenge.
LEAF and the environmental impact of research
Spanning 44 departments and 74 accredited teams, each team reached silver or gold in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) – a significant increase from the 2025 awards in which 64 teams achieved bronze level or higher.
LEAF enables our research and technical staff to undertake research in an environmentally sustainable way, offering a series of targeted actions and guidance in areas such as improving efficiency and reducing use of resources such as plastics, water, and energy.
This is supported by the Freezer Challenge, a global competition run by My Green Lab to reduce energy consumption within the research process, focusing on ultra-low temperature freezers.
King’s came fourth in the world in the Freezer Challenge - from 327 submissions from over 40 countries - with two teams also winning individually in their categories.
The teams who took part saved significant resources, reducing energy consumption by an average of 2586.95 kWh per day.
Sustainability awards ceremony
These achievements were celebrated on 16 July 2026 at the King’s Sustainability Awards Ceremony, where staff from across the University came together to celebrate the embedding of sustainability through the Sustainability Champions programme.
86 teams across King’s were given awards, an increase of 10 from the previous year.
The Sustainability Champions help ensure that our campuses are sustainable and fit for the future, a key enabler of Strategy 2030.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President, spoke during the ceremony about the importance of sustainability, as well as the role King’s Sustainability Champions have to play in creating a stronger future:
The awards cover four pathways: LEAF and My Green Lab for laboratories, Green Impact for offices and Green DiSC for computer-based research, which this year received its first team submission.
The growth in numbers of both teams and people within the Sustainability Champions programme reflects an increasing momentum behind sustainable action across the University.
The Sustainability Champions play a key role in supporting King's to reach the targets set out in King's Sustainability Strategy 2026-30, which aims to embed sustainability within education, research, and operations at King's.
Dr Vicki Daws, Sustainable Research Coordinator, said:
We are so proud of our wet labs across King's for not only achieving 100% silver (or higher) LEAF awards but for doing this a whole year ahead of schedule. This is hugely significant; whereas bronze LEAF expects the implementation of basic sustainable laboratory initiatives, silver LEAF demonstrates labs embedding sustainability across their laboratory operations and processes, making lasting changes that have real-world impact. We want to say a big thank you to everyone involved and we look forward to working together to continue to grow this amazing community.
Dr Vicki Daws, Sustainable Research Coordinator
Learning more from our teams
The awards ceremony also included case study examples from a variety of teams, who discussed some of their innovative approaches to lab sustainability – from reusing waste fryer oil to reducing the impact from our data storage.
The afternoon concluded with a networking drinks reception, including a range of plant-based celebration cakes and food from the Root-to-Tip project.
Katherine Trott, Senior Sustainability Engagement Officer and event lead, said:
The Sustainability Champions Network is brimming with enthusiastic and driven individuals all striving to make King's and the world a better place. The awards ceremony provides an opportunity to celebrate the amazing work they do, and it was a pleasure to be a part of.
Katherine Trott, Senior Sustainability Engagement Officer
Find out more about the Sustainability Champions or how you can take action on sustainability at King’s.
Related departments
- Faculty of Arts & Humanities
- King’s Business School
- Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
- The Dickson Poon School of Law
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
- Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences
- Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
- Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy
- Research & Innovation
- Estates & Facilities