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OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Unite Students is home to more than 70,000 students across 22 UK cities. As the UK’s largest owner, manager and developer of purpose‑built student accommodation, our community is the size of a small city - and with that comes a huge responsibility.
Our purpose is simple: to create a home where you have room to thrive - one that is affordable, supportive, inclusive and sustainable. We design places where you can Live. Your. Now. As a major provider of student homes, we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact and leading the way on sustainability. That’s why we’ve made a clear commitment:
We’re improving the energy efficiency of our existing buildings to cut overall consumption.
Starting from our 2019 baseline, we’re targeting a 28% reduction in energy intensity by 2030, aligned with the CRREM 1.5°C pathway. To achieve this, we’re investing in large‑scale retrofits, including:
LED lighting
Air source heat pumps
Improved heating controls
We’ve already invested £20 million in energy‑saving initiatives and reduced consumption by 6.5% compared with 2019 - with all new buildings designed for high energy efficiency.
We’re committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and have joined RE100, a global initiative of organisations working towards fully renewable power. Our approach includes:
Purchasing electricity backed by
REGO certificates
Investing in new renewable energy projects
Increasing use of PPAs to buy electricity directly from new, unsubsidised renewable sources
This ensures our energy supply is zero‑carbon under GHG Protocol reporting.
For new developments, we aim to cut construction‑related carbon emissions by 48% by 2030, in line with the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge. We’re taking steps to achieve this by:
Optimising building designs
Using low‑carbon materials
Improving construction site practices
