Bournemouth University: BU has risen to 42nd globally in the THE Impact Rankings 2022

The Rankings measure the success of universities against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), and BU has risen to 42nd place out of 1,406 universities measured internationally, up from 74th last year, placing BU among the top 3% of universities included in the rankings, and joint 8th overall for UK universities in the rankings.


Each university receives a score against the UNSDGs to create an overall score, with BU scoring highly in:

SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production – BU scored 4th internationally (up from 8th last year) out of 604 participating institutions. This places BU first in the UK in this SDG12 ranking.
SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth – BU scored 4th internationally (up from 201-300 last year) out of 849 participating institutions. This places BU first in the UK in this SDG8 ranking.
SDG13 Climate Action – BU scored 13th internationally (up from 15th last year) out of 674 participating institutions. This places BU first in the UK in this SDG13 ranking.
SDG15 Life on Land – BU scored 31st internationally (up from 80th last year) out of 521 participating institutions. This places BU ninth in the UK in this SDG15 ranking.
Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University, said, “At BU we’re proud of our commitment to sustainability. This runs through everything we do across education, research, professional practice and all of our activities across the whole organisation. We are embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals across all areas, and we pleased to see our score in THE Impact Rankings increasing as we further develop our approach. I am so proud to see that our efforts have been recognised, with my thanks to all in the BU community who have been working towards this goal, and we know we have more to do as we continue in our work.”

Lois Betts, Sustainability Manager at BU said, “Everyone at BU contributes to our vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and healthy society. We report against all 17 SDGs and this year we have made improvements in SDG 15 Life on Land, through our life and environmental science research and community outreach; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth with improvements in employment practices; and SDG1 No Poverty with our AFRICAB research project improving disaster management resilience in Sierra Leone. I’m proud of our impact on the world around us and THE Impact Rankings help to measure that. I particularly value SDG17 Partnership for the Goals to reflect the importance of working together with organisations and communities to improve society.”

BU’s research, education and practice in sustainability and climate action extends to all Faculties and Departments, including the sustainability of BU’s Estate, and the work to embed sustainability in the curriculum. BU’s research into the environment also supported the rise in this year’s rankings.