The University of Strathclyde has pledged to help make Glasgow one of the greenest cities in Europe by becoming a signatory of The Sustainable Glasgow Charter.

The charter aims to support the city’s objective to achieve net zero emissions by 2030  and is part of the Glasgow City Council-led Sustainable Glasgow partnership, which aims to encourage Glasgow businesses to adopt more sustainable business practices. It sets out how they can take action within their own organisations and sectors to help contribute to a green recovery as Glasgow looks towards becoming a Net-Zero Carbon City by 2030.

City chambers

Signatories, which also include Scottish Power, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Scottish Enterprise and SPT, joined Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken to sign the local authority’s Sustainable Glasgow Green Recovery Hub charter at an event in the city chambers.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “Achieving net zero and tackling climate change will only be achieved by working together closely, locally and globally. 

“The University was involved in establishing the original Sustainable Glasgow initiative a decade ago and we remain fully supportive of the city’s commitment to strive for the needed change and adaptation as well as applying the systems approach to achieve our targets across Scotland and the UK.”

Strathclyde is amongst the top universities in the world whose work is contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2021.

Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken, said: “Glasgow City Council have developed policies and plans, such as Glasgow’s Climate Plan and the Circular Economy Routemap, to ensure that we are in the best position to play our part in contributing to the collective effort to make Glasgow a Net-Zero Carbon city by 2030.

“This charter underpins those efforts, and I would encourage businesses from across Glasgow to sign up to help support the city’s climate ambitions.

“I’d like to thank the Sustainable Glasgow partner organisations for not only making the charter a possibility but also for their ongoing efforts in tackling the climate emergency with new and innovative solutions.”