King's College London

King’s has today published a new Sustainability Strategy (2026–30), which provides a holistic, whole-institution approach for sustainability at King’s, aligning with priorities set out in our overall King’s Strategy 2030.

A whole-university approach to sustainability

Developed in consultation with our community, the strategy outlines King’s vision to take an inclusive, collaborative and innovative approach to addressing the climate and ecological crises, embedding sustainability in everything we do.

We will do this through an ambitious set of objectives and actions, grouped into three key themes:

• In education, all King’s graduates will understand how their learning can address the climate and ecological crises and empower them to contribute to a more sustainable future in the workplace and society, aligned with their own values.
• In research & innovation, we will increase the quality, breadth and scale of our research to address the global challenges of the climate and ecological crises through collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches.
• In operations, we will reduce the adverse environmental impact and strengthen the positive contributions of our university, enriching King’s reputation as a university in service of society.

Each theme is underpinned by strategic targets and performance indicators, so that we can track and transparently demonstrate our progress.

The strategy articulates five enablers that will support its delivery: leadership & governance, data & reporting, funding & training, communications & community engagement and partnerships & frameworks.

The strategy was developed in collaboration with the whole King’s community. This included in-person and online sessions for students and staff and a feedback survey, which shaped and informed the final strategy.

Restating our net zero target

Since King’s initial 2030 net zero target was set, we have gained a better understanding of our emissions and the investments needed to reach net zero. We have also committed to prioritising reducing our own emissions rather than offsetting. On this basis, we have revised our net zero target date to 2045 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 2050 for Scope 3.

King’s remains committed to achieving net zero and our new targets are part of a credible delivery pathway. We have set an initial milestone reduction target for our Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 40% by 2030 from a 2018–19 baseline. We will outline interim emissions targets for 5-year periods and are committed to accountability and transparent annual reporting.

Building on our achievements

We’ve made significant progress on sustainability at King’s. In education, teaching staff are embedding Education for Sustainability into the curriculum and we have expanded our opportunities for students and staff to learn about sustainability. In research, our seed fund and other support have expanded our capacity to deliver impactful research, and 100% of our wet labs were accredited by the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) in 2025. In operations, we’ve cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 26% since 2018-19.

Our progress has been reflected in global rankings, with the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and QS World Sustainability Rankings consistently placing us within the top 1-2% of universities globally.

Looking forward

Sustainability at King’s is sponsored by Professor Rachel A. Mills CBE, Senior Vice President (Academic) and delivery of the strategy will be led by Professor Frans Berkhout, Assistant Principal (Sustainability) and Sara Kassam, Director of Sustainability.

We will implement the strategy through a detailed plan and monitor progress. Day-to-day delivery will be carried out by the King’s Sustainability team, working closely with the whole King’s community.

By embedding sustainability in education, research and innovation and operations, our community plays a critical role in turning strategic commitments into impact. There are many ways for students, staff, alumni and partners to get involved in helping us achieve our ambitions. Please visit King’s Sustainability for further information.