UCC ranked fourth in global environmental rankings

Striving for zero-waste by 2030

Next month marks the second anniversary of UCC’s banning of the sale of all disposable cups and plastic bottles on campus. 

Over the course of those two years the University has saved over 2 million disposable cups as well as hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles. 

The University was an early adopter of the Deposit return scheme with two DRS machines on campus, both of which are linked to charitable donations.

 The University’s caterer KSG has implemented an innovative “Positive Carbon” AI tool in kitchens, which has seen huge reductions in the amount of food waste being produced.  These, along with numerous other initiatives, have seen total waste produced on campus reduce by 40% in the last 5 years.

On the path to cutting emissions by more than half

UCC has also seen an impressive 32% reduction in carbon emissions.  In 2024, an ambitious 2-year deep retrofit of the University’s Enterprise Centre was completed.  The project resulted in an 80% reduction in energy emissions from the building and is part of a programme of upgrades and retrofits to be delivered over the next 5 years, which will see the University reduce its overall emissions by 51% by 2030.  The University grounds are managed for biodiversity and it is designated as an international Open Arboretum.  In 2024, a new Biodiversity trail was launched along the Cavanagh way.

UCC’s Green Campus programme is “student-led, research-informed and practice-focused”.  UCC researchers are globally leading in the areas of climate action and sustainable energy.  UCC’s teaching is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, and it’s innovative SDG toolkit supports teaching staff to embed the SDGs withing their curriculum, regardless of discipline.