June 1, 2023

UOW emerges as leader in latest sustainability rankings

Rankings reflect UOW's ongoing commitments in sustainability

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has secured an impressive 61^st rank in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Impact rankings announced today, (Thursday 1 June 2023).

The ranking, up nine places from equal 70^th in 2022, is even more impressive given that 1591 institutions worldwide were included in this year’s rankings, a significant increase on the previous year.

The outstanding results are a testament to the university's commitment to sustainability and its dedication to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Highlights for UOW include:

• 5^th globally in SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
• 28^th globally in SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
• 64^th globally in SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The University’s performance in Decent Work and Economic Growth is a result of its excellent graduate employability outcomes and work-integrated learning opportunities provided to students while they are studying a degree at UOW.

UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson said UOW is committed to driving innovation that contributes to the global effort of achieving a more sustainable future.

“This is another example of UOW cementing its position in the top one per cent of universities worldwide,” Professor Davidson said.

“These rankings reinforce UOW’s impact as an anchor institution, not only in the Illawarra, but in communities across New South Wales and the globe.

"We are proud to be recognised by Times Higher Education for our efforts, and will continue to work with partners from around the world and across sectors towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating a brighter future for generations to come.”

The THE Impact Rankings continue to be UOW’s best performing global ranking. The methodology continues to be updated with more stringent criteria and the rankings saw a 13 per cent increase in the number of institutions ranked.

UOW has made sustainability the foundation of its operations and culture. The University has taken a number of steps in recent years to reduce its environmental footprint, such as switching campus buildings to 100 per cent renewable energy sources, reducing waste sent to landfill and introducing water saving measures on campus.

UOW’s Sustainable Building Research Centre (SBRC) is one of the many examples that reflect UOW’s commitment to creating a future that is clean, efficient and sustainable. The SBRC facility is a leader in developing green solutions that focus on providing cutting-edge holistic approach to Green IT, the facility also produces more energy than it consumes, and harvests and distributes water beyond its needs.

The latest rankings reflect UOW’s extensive work in the sustainability area and working towards achieving its SDGs through impactful research.

To find out more about how UOW is working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals read the UOW SDG Report here: www.uow.edu.au/united-nations-sustainable-development-goals