About Sustainability

Pioneering research

Research and radical innovation are fundamental to addressing the challenges of living sustainably, by enabling data-led decisions to be made. Our world-leading research focuses on finding solutions to major global challenges, through significant international collaborations and connections with industry.

iNetZ+, our Global Research Institute for Net Zero and Beyond, connects researchers spanning multiple disciplines and all our campus locations, to tackle one global challenge - climate change. Founded on our leading expertise in energy, engineering, and construction, we're building a new future through decarbonisation, energy transition and radical innovation. We're pioneering ground-breaking solutions that redefine environmental stewardship and will help propel us towards a carbon-neutral future.

Energy transition

We have the technology, but energy transition needs multi-disciplinary, multi-system integration, to engineer solutions. In Orkney, the emerging Islands Centre for Net Zero and the ReFLEX project are leading the way.

A just transition

Net Zero cannot be achieved in isolation and must go hand-in-hand with societal change, to ensure a just transition for everyone. Our award-winning research around disadvantage and inequality drives policy for a sustainable future.

Industrial decarbonisation

We have a lead role in IDRIC, the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre, the focus of the green transformation of the UK's industrial heartlands, finding solutions where they matter most.

Circular construction

From sensing and robotics, to the decarbonisation of the cement industry in the UAE, to the revolutionary, recycled K-Briq - we are working with partners and industry to reduce emissions and build a sustainable future.

Sustaining our seas

The sustainability of our seas is fundamental to our wellbeing. Our marine sciences and fisheries research, from the Orkney campus to the Lyell Centre, focus on the management of ocean resources and environmental risk.

Sustainable communities

Sustainability is not one-size-fits-all. Developing countries and resource-poor communities need innovation to enable energy conservation and greater self-sufficiency. A ground-breaking project shows how effective technology can be.

Sustainable road freight

Provision of everyday commodities and transportation of goods accounts for a significant proportion of global COâ‚‚ emissions. The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight is helping industry and government minimise carbon emissions from the road freight sector.

Research itself can be energy and resource intensive. We are working to reduce the environmental impact of our research by improving the sustainability of our laboratories. Heriot-Watt have joined the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) programme to promote and support actions to reduce carbon emissions and resource usage. We will be rolling out recommendations and access to resources as part of the programme. If you would like to join LEAF, please email SustainableHWU@hw.ac.uk