Teaching resources
Our commitments
Our video
Our journey to carbon zero. Because the world can’t wait, and we won’t either.
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©2023 Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Together, we can create a sustainable future for our learners and the planet.
We care about reducing our carbon footprint and creating a better future for our planet. That’s why we’re making changes to our business. From how we create our English exams and books, to how we get these to you, through to the way that we run our operations. We’re always finding new ways to reduce our carbon emissions.
2030
By 2030 we’re committed to reducing our energy-related emissions by 72%.
2048
We'll be carbon zero on energy-related emissions by 2048.
Our progress towards carbon zero
At Cambridge, we believe in making commitments that are measured using science-based targets. Everything we can do to help our planet has an impact – like switching to 99% renewable electricity for our UK premises, using sustainable and recycled materials in our products and reducing our energy use. But we know the world needs us to do more.
We’re making
positive changes
of paper used for
our English learning
materials and exams is
sustainably sourced
99%
reduction in energy-based emissions
by 2030
72%
renewable electricity in our UK offices
99%
less plastic in Cambridge English Qualifications packaging
17 tonnes
Our journey to reach carbon zero
Only sustainably sourced paper
Using sustainable materials
A more sustainable supply chain
From paper to digital
Getting our products to you
Renewable electricity
Only sustainably sourced paper
Paper is at the heart of our heritage, and the biggest part of our carbon footprint comes from paper used to create our English coursebooks and exams. Our goal is to only use certified sustainably sourced paper and we’re nearly there. Right now, 99% of our English learning materials and exams use certified sustainably sourced paper.
17 tonnes
less plastic by switching to recycled or alternative materials
Reducing the use of plastic packaging
For all our qualifications, we always look for ways to reduce our use of plastic packaging. We've saved over 17 tonnes through introducing recycled or alternative materials.
We don’t just care about what goes into our products, we also care how they’re made. We look at suppliers’ environmental credentials when we choose who we work with. That’s why we’re partnering with an independent sustainability assessment service, Ecovadis, to improve the sustainability of our print suppliers and make sure that they are meeting our sustainability ambitions.
A more sustainable supply chain
More and more of what we do is becoming digital, meaning less paper and less plastic, creating less waste. We’re exploring the carbon impact of our digital products so we can make them lighter - this means they will use less data, will be more accessible and be better for the planet.
From paper to digital
We’re working to reduce our carbon footprint when getting our products around the world from our suppliers to you. Every year, we ship learning materials and exams around the world by land, sea and air. We’re reducing how far our English learning materials travel, meaning fewer emissions from transport. By developing more ways to print our learning materials locally and on demand, we’re able to cut down our freight miles.
Getting our products to you
Our UK offices are supplied by over 99% renewable electricity, from solar panels to other renewable sources. Five of our UK offices already have on-site solar panels and we’re working to find even more energy and carbon savings at our own facilities.
Renewable electricity
Sustainability in English language teaching
We know our English teachers around the world care about sustainability as much as we do. That’s why we have support for teachers who are striving to bring sustainability into their English lessons.
The Sustainability Framework for ELT makes it easier for you to see why teaching sustainability is important and helps you integrate sustainability skills into your lessons.
Discover a range of practical teaching resources that help your learners develop their sustainability skills.
Teaching resources
Supporting our
people and the planet
We care about sustainability across our business and we’re proud to be part of the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Learn more about how we’re supporting our communities around the world and see our latest progress to 2048.
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Removed single-use plastics
35%
We've reduced our UK Scope 1 & 2 energy-related emissions by 35% since 2018-19.
73%
of our total UK energy use is from certified renewable sources
Teaching resources
See more from Cambridge
Play the video
We’ve stopped using single-use CDs and USBs for Cambridge English Qualifications globally. That means over 389,000 CDs and USBs are no longer going to waste each year.
Language around sustainability can be confusing, so to help you we've added links to clear definitions for words that we use.
2024
We have reduced our energy-related emissions by 35% since 2018-2019.
2024
We have reduced our energy-related emissions by 35% since 2018-19.