The THE Impact Rankings, now in its fifth year, has seen a rapid growth in participation, with an extra 185 institutions taking part this year compared to 2022.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Chair of the RMIT Sustainability Committee, Professor Sherman Young, said RMIT’s continued performance in this context underlined the University’s deep and sustained commitment to sustainability.
“The education sector has a crucial role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to help to create a more sustainable future for everyone, and RMIT is truly leading the way on this thanks to strong leadership and the hard work of so many of our people,” Young said.
Last year, the University announced it would fast track its carbon neutral target from 2030 to 2025.
“RMIT has achieved the biggest on-site emissions reduction of any tertiary institution in Australia and continues to act with urgency to address climate change by continuing to reduce our carbon emissions globally,” he said.
All RMIT’s philanthropic investments are now fossil free, thanks to its sustainable global fund that excludes companies with carbon reserves and companies which derive material revenue from fossil fuel-related activities.
Meanwhile, the University’s Knowledge with Action strategy includes a major focus on partnerships and regional collaboration for impact.
Examples include supporting a community resource centre in rural Fiji to empower the lives of indigenous women, partnering with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to develop and test a suite of open source urban liveability indicators and partnering to deliver SDG masterclasses at the Games for Change Asia-Pacific Festival.