The East of England, where our campuses are located, is one of the driest regions of the UK and an area increasingly affected by water scarcity and climate change.
We're committed to reducing water consumption across its campuses and continually improving water efficiency through its Sustainability Strategy and ISO 14001-certified environmental management system. We monitor water use as a key sustainability indicator and have established targets to maintain top-quartile performance for water efficiency compared with the higher education sector.
We are committed to water-conscious building standards. New buildings at ARU must achieve BREEAM Excellent standard which includes standards for water consumption above regulatory standards. Our landscaping and planting is also water-conscious, designed to consider numerous factors including site, biodiversity, ground conditions, and maintenance. We have created a Mediterranean garden on our Chelmsford campus specifically to minimise water use and tolerate drought.
We actively promote water-saving practices on campus and raise awareness for staff and students. We display water saving stickers at all sinks on campus, posters in all kitchens and toilets. We mark World Water Day in March every year via our ARUgreen staff & student engagement programme.
All of these existing measures have seen ARU rank among the top 25% of UK universities for water efficiency in seven of the last ten years. In 2024/25, water consumption across ARU's non-residential buildings was 25% lower than the sector top-quartile benchmark, demonstrating the University's ongoing commitment to responsible water stewardship.
Improving water efficiency on our Cambridge campus
In 2025, ARU won £500,000 of UK Government funding to the Greater Cambridge Water Efficiency Programme to help introduce a range of water efficiency measures to tackle local water shortages and unlock green growth. The programme will help ARU to reduce water consumption further, identify leaks and promote more water-efficient behaviour by students and staff. Water savings achieved by the programme will be independently monitored by the UK Environment Agency.
Protecting local water resources from pollution from accidents and incidents
We have processes to prevent polluted water entering the local water system, primarily through our ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System and sustainable drainage initiatives. These measures include risk assessments, pollution prevention measures, and emergency response protocols for spills and incidents. SO 14001 mandates documented procedures for: Pollution prevention (including water pollution), incident response plans for accidental releases.
Free drinking water to staff and students to reduce use of bottled water
We provide free drinking water on all our campuses through water fountains and bottle refill stations. These facilities are part of ARU’s sustainability efforts to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable hydration for students and staff. Free water fountains are available in all buildings on all our campuses.
Last updated: October 2026
To request additions, corrections or changes to the information in these pages, please contact: Dr Zareen Bharucha: [email protected]. Please use the subject line ‘ARU SDG’.