Environmental Performance
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Data from the College's environmental data audit, including greenhouse gas emissions and electricity, gas, water travel and waste data.
Greenhouse Gas emissions
The Royal College of Art calculated its first full carbon footprint for the academic year 2022/23. This carbon footprint will act as our baseline for achieving net zero by 2035.
The carbon footprint was developed in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Standardise Carbon Emissions Framework. Further detail on the carbon footprint is found in the "Environmental Data" section below.
The RCA greenhouse emissions in 2022/23 were 27,351 tCO2e.
A carbon footprint is split into three scopes:
Scope 1: direct energy use = 3%
Scope 2: indirect energy use = 4%
Scope 3: indirect upstream and downstream activities = 93%
Greenhouse gas emissions split by scope
Five hotspots make up 98% of emissions:
- Procurement = 47%
- Student relocation and commuting = 31%
- Energy = 9%
- Investments = 6%
- Staff business travel = 5%
Greenhouse gas emissions split by category
Improvement initiatives
The RCA is constantly seeking opportunities to improve our environmental performance and raise awareness of sustainability, as seen in our Staff & Student Engagement Strategy. Examples of improvement initiatives include:
- Data: increased monitoring of environmental data and calculation of our first carbon footprint, to enable target setting and reductions
- Governance: establishment of the Environmental Sustainability Committee
- Reuse: running pop-up Materials Exchanges and establishing a pilot Reuse Station in our Kensington campus to support students to reuse and share materials
- Food: introduced at least one hot vegan option every day in the Kensington Refectory
- Sustainable Food Policy: achieved key targets in the Sustainable Food Policy, including the removal of beef from the menu and stopping the sale of the plastic drinks bottles
- Waste: introduced sale of reusable cups in RCA cafes and began accepting reusable containers in the Kensington Refectory
- Energy: completed refurbishment of Darwin 3rd floor with increased energy efficiency through improved heating and ventilation, LED lights and reflective window films.
- Responsible Procurement: development of Responsible Procurement Policy and inclusion of environmental criteria in key tenders.
- Supply chains: The RCA is a member of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC), which is affiliated with Electronics Watch. Electronics Watch is an independent monitoring organisation working to achieve respect for labour rights in the global electronics industry through socially responsible public purchasing in Europe. It combines its affiliates' collective ITC purchasing power to reform public sector supply chains.
- Green space: provision of space on campus for growing food, herbs and dye plants and ongoing collaboration with staff and students to expand.
A staff-led gardening project has created containers in our Battersea campus.
Environmental Data Audit
Greenhouse gas emissions is just one environmental data point that the College measures and monitors. We audit the following areas on at least an annual basis (bi-annually for travel surveys): energy, waste, water, travel, procurement, biodiversity. See below for the detail of these audits.