Collaborating for Sustainable Development: 2024–25
During 2024-25, Keele University worked with regional, national and international partners to advance sustainable development through collaboration, knowledge exchange and collective action. Through partnerships with governments, businesses, charities, community organisations and academic institutions, the University contributed to place-based impact, international learning and practical solutions that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
This page covers activity from August 2024 to July 2025 and supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Our work in this area supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 global goals adopted by all UN member states in 2015 to tackle challenges such as poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Main goal
Also contributes to
- SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 4 Quality Education
- SDG 13 Climate Action
Shaping SDG policy with government and regional NGOs
Collaborating in Climate Policy Implementation
In 2024-25, Dr Rosa Fernandez-Martin led a collaborative project with Cannock Chase District Council and Stafford Borough Council to strengthen local climate policy development and implementation through evidence-based decision-making. The project engaged elected members, council officers, schools, community organisations and local residents to identify barriers and opportunities for climate action, generating recommendations on stakeholder engagement, climate policy monitoring, resilience planning and the use of data to measure progress towards climate objectives. The work also informed the development of the Cannock Chase District Council Climate Change Strategy, which acknowledged support from Keele University's sustainability economics expertise. Together, these activities helped local government partners develop and implement policies to address climate change and support sustainable development.
| Keele lead | Dr Rosa Fernandez-Martin |
|---|---|
| Partners | Cannock Chase District Council; Stafford Borough Council |
| Reach | Regional |
| Focus | Climate policy implementation, monitoring and resilience planning |
| Outcome | Evidence-informed recommendations and support for local authority climate strategy development |
Find out more:
- Collaborating in Climate Policy Implementation at Local Level
- Cannock Chase District Council Climate Change Strategy
Co-developing the Potteries Pound with #BeKind
In October 2024, Keele and the community benefit society #BeKind launched the Potteries Pound, a community digital currency for North Staffordshire, at Keele. Developed over about six years of joint work as part of #BeKind's Stoke Model regeneration plan, the currency rewards volunteering, caring, health, environmental and cultural activity, with one hour of community work earning one Potteries Pound to spend with local businesses. Keele Business School produced the White Paper "The Potteries Pound: A Community-Driven Digital Currency", presented at the launch to business and community leaders.
| Keele lead | Dr Colin Rigby, Director for Business Engagement, Keele Business School; Yash Gavali, MSc student |
|---|---|
| Partners | #BeKind (community benefit society) |
| Reach | Regional |
| Outcome | White Paper setting out a community-driven digital currency to support volunteering, local spending and a resilient local economy |
Cross-sector dialogue on the SDGs
Cross-Sector Launch of the West Midlands Climate Ambassadors Hub
In September 2024, Keele brought together businesses, volunteer Climate Ambassadors, teachers and education leaders at Keele Hall to launch the West Midlands hub of the Department for Education-funded Climate Ambassadors scheme. Keele experts spoke on embedding sustainability research and practice in classrooms, and each guest pledged a first action on climate in education.
| Keele lead | Professor Zoe Robinson; Emma Baines, Regional Hub Manager |
|---|---|
| Sectors involved | Business, schools and colleges, and higher education; funded by the Department for Education |
| Reach | Regional |
| Focus | Climate action and sustainability in education (SDGs 4 and 13) |
Find out more about the hub launch
Nature in Your Neighbourhood with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
Keele is working with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action and other partners on Nature in Your Neighbourhood, a five-year project funded with £752,415 from the National Lottery Community Fund, which began in 2024. The project helps Staffordshire Moorlands communities improve and monitor local greenspaces for people, nature and climate. By April 2025, residents had put forward more than 60 sites, including grassland, wetland and woodland. Keele researchers and students run surveys and workshops, monitor habitat health and analyse the data.
| Keele lead | Angie Turner (principal investigator); Alana Wheat (postgraduate researcher) |
|---|---|
| NGO partners | Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action, OUTSIDE, Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services; with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council |
| Who benefited | Communities in the Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Reach | Local |
| Focus | Improving and monitoring greenspaces for people, nature and climate |
Find out more about Nature in Your Neighbourhood
Climate Adaptation Support for Artisans
In June 2025, Keele published the Crafted Report, launching the Artisans' Index with the League of Artisans. The Index benchmarks how 50 global fashion and homeware brands disclose the environmental impacts of artisan production. It found major gaps in how brands include artisans, and metrics on energy, water and soil, in their environmental monitoring: only 34% of brands disclose the type of energy used in artisan workshops. The report highlights that artisans need climate adaptation support, as workshops can expose them to heat stress, poor air quality and limited access to clean water.
| Keele lead | Professor Deirdre McKay, Professor of Sustainable Development |
|---|---|
| Partners | League of Artisans; IMPACT+ Innovation Network (funder) |
| Reach | International |
| Outcome | First benchmark of how 50 global brands disclose the environmental impacts of artisan production |
Find out more about the Crafted Report
Co-chairing the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Climate Commission
The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Climate Commission was co-founded by Keele University and brings together organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors to accelerate climate action and nature recovery across the region. Through regular meetings, knowledge exchange and partnership working, the Commission creates opportunities for collaboration between local authorities, businesses, community organisations, education providers and public services. The Commission supports the development of regional responses to climate challenges, helps identify opportunities for joint action, and has contributed to new partnerships, funding opportunities and policy development linked to sustainability, energy, health, skills and land use.
| Keele lead | Professor Zoe Robinson, Co-Chair |
|---|---|
| NGO partners | Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (Co-Chair), Globe Foundation, Support Staffordshire and others |
| Reach | Local and regional |
| Outcome | Funding brought to the area, policy responses, and collaborations on skills, energy, health and land use |
Find out more about the Climate Commission
Climate Expo & Sustainability Conference
In September 2024, Keele University was headline sponsor and participated in the Climate Expo & Sustainability Conference, bringing together businesses, local authorities, community organisations, educators and sustainability practitioners from across the region. The event provided a platform for cross-sector dialogue, knowledge exchange and collaboration on climate action, sustainability and regional decarbonisation. Through chairing panels, sharing expertise and engaging with diverse stakeholders, Keele contributed to regional partnerships that support collective action on environmental and sustainability challenges.
| Keele lead | Professor Zoe Robinson |
|---|---|
| Sectors involved | Business, local authorities, educators, charities, community organisations and sustainability networks |
| Reach | Regional |
| Focus | Climate action, sustainable industry, innovation and growth (SDGs 7, 9, 13 and 17) |
Find out more about the 2024 Climate Expo & Sustainability Conference
Convening Growers, Industry and Policymakers on Crop Disease
In 2024–25, Keele's UKRI-funded E-Prep project brought together growers, academics, businesses, policymakers and industry bodies at a stakeholder meeting, reported in April 2025, to discuss preparedness for crop disease epidemics, where the project's report making 24 recommendations to protect UK agriculture was presented.
| Keele lead | Professor James Bell, Professor of Entomology |
|---|---|
| Sectors involved | Growers, industry bodies, businesses, policymakers and academics |
| Reach | National |
| Focus | Food security and sustainable agriculture (SDG 2) |
International collaboration on SDG data
SDG Accord Annual Progress Reporting
Keele University is a signatory to the SDG Accord, a global commitment by universities and colleges to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through education, research, operations and partnerships. As part of this commitment, Keele submits evidence through the annual SDG Accord Progress Report, sharing examples of institutional activity, measuring progress and contributing to sector-wide learning on sustainable development. Through this collaborative reporting framework, Keele helps demonstrate how higher education can support positive environmental, social and economic impact locally, nationally and globally.
| Keele lead | Professor Mark Ormerod, Deputy Vice-Chancellor |
|---|---|
| Partners | EAUC, HESI, UNEP, SDSN and participating higher education institutions |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Monitoring, reporting and sharing progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals |
Read the 2025 SDG Accord Report
Tracking Record Global Dengue Cases
In June 2025, Keele researchers published an analysis of World Health Organization global surveillance data showing a record 14.1 million dengue cases and 9,508 deaths worldwide in 2024, a two-fold increase on 2023. Published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the study called for dengue to be added to the WHO's Research and Development priority disease list.
| Keele lead | Dr Najmul Haider, Lecturer in Epidemiology |
|---|---|
| Data source | World Health Organization global surveillance data |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Measuring the global burden of dengue (SDG 3) |
Find out more about the dengue analysis
Planetary Health Report Card
Keele took part in the 2025 Planetary Health Report Card, an international, student-led initiative founded at the University of California San Francisco that measures how health schools teach and act on planetary health and sustainability. The 2025 edition involved over 1,500 students at 188 schools in 21 countries. Keele's Medicine, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy programmes each ranked first in their category.
| Keele lead | School of Medicine; School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy |
|---|---|
| Partners | Planetary Health Report Card international network (188 schools, 21 countries) |
| Reach | International |
| Outcome | Ranked first globally in Medicine, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy |
Find out more about the Planetary Health Report Card
Reporting Progress through the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
Keele Business School is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a global initiative that supports business schools in embedding sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals within education, research, partnerships and institutional practice. Through its Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) reporting, published in September 2024, Keele contributes to an international framework for monitoring, sharing and advancing good practice in responsible management education and sustainable development. The report highlights collaboration with businesses, public sector organisations, community partners and international networks to support progress towards the SDGs.
| Keele lead | Keele Business School |
|---|---|
| Partners | UN PRME global network |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Reporting, collaboration and sharing best practice for sustainable development (SDG 17) |
Read the Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) report
The Artisans' Index: Measuring Brand Environmental Data
In June 2025, Keele launched the Artisans' Index with the League of Artisans, the first benchmark of how 50 global fashion and homeware brands disclose environmental data on artisan production, including energy, water and soil. It found that only 34% of brands disclose the type of energy used in artisan workshops.
| Keele lead | Professor Deirdre McKay, Professor of Sustainable Development |
|---|---|
| Partners | League of Artisans; IMPACT+ Innovation Network (funder) |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Measuring environmental disclosure in global supply chains (SDG 12) |
International collaboration on SDG best practice
The Crafted Report: Best Practice for Including Artisans
The Crafted Report, published by Keele in June 2025 with the League of Artisans, reviews how brands worldwide include artisans in environmental monitoring and climate adaptation support, and sets out good practice. It identifies major gaps in how consistently brands include artisans and related environmental metrics, with luxury fashion brands ranking highest.
| Keele lead | Professor Deirdre McKay, Professor of Sustainable Development |
|---|---|
| Partners | League of Artisans; IMPACT+ Innovation Network (funder) |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Responsible production and climate adaptation (SDGs 8, 12 and 13) |
Find out more about the Crafted Report
Keele Business School MBA Ranked Among the World's Most Sustainable Programmes
In November 2024, Keele Business School was ranked 32nd globally in the Corporate Knights Better World MBA Ranking 2024, placing it among the world's top 40 MBA programmes for sustainability. The ranking assesses how effectively business schools embed sustainable development within teaching and prepare graduates to deliver positive social and environmental impact. The recognition highlights Keele's contribution to international learning, benchmarking and the sharing of best practice in sustainability-focused management education.
| Keele lead | Keele Business School |
|---|---|
| Partners | Corporate Knights international ranking network |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Sustainability in management education and leadership development (SDG 4, SDG 17) |
Environmental Assessment for the Chagos Islands with North-West University
In July 2025, Keele and North-West University, South Africa, published a policy brief recommending a purpose-designed environmental and social impact assessment framework for the Chagos Islands and their coral reefs, to guide the Government of Mauritius after the UK agreed to transfer the islands. The brief addresses weaknesses in existing frameworks and sets out how long-term decisions for the islands should be made.
| Keele lead | Dr Adam Moolna, Lecturer in Environment and Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Partners | North-West University, South Africa |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Protecting marine ecosystems (SDG 14) |
Working with NGOs and charities on the SDGs
Free Legal Advice Clinics with Community Partners (CLOCK)
In 2024–25, Keele's Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele (CLOCK) and its free Legal Advice Clinics moved to Keele in Town in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Law students volunteer as Community Legal Companions, helping people who go to court without a lawyer to find legal aid, complete court forms and attend hearings. CLOCK works with charity, legal and public partners and has helped over 7,000 litigants since 2012.
| Type | Student volunteering |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Dr Bleddyn Davies, Head of the School of Law |
| Partners | Citizens Advice, YMCA, Staffordshire Mediation, New Era, Lewis Rodgers, CAFCASS, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council |
| Reach | Local |
| Focus | Access to justice (SDG 16) |
careLeD: Emergency Care Resource with the RCN Foundation
In July 2025, Keele launched careLeD, a digital tool with educational resources that helps people with a learning disability prepare for urgent and emergency care. Funded by the charity the RCN Foundation, it was co-produced by Keele's UCAN team with NHS partners across the UK and people with lived experience of learning disability.
| Type | Development of educational resources |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Dale Nixon, Lecturer in Learning Disability Nursing |
| Partners | RCN Foundation (charity, funder); NHS partners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| Reach | National |
| Focus | Inclusive access to healthcare (SDGs 3 and 10) |
£3m Arthritis Research Consortium with Versus Arthritis
In May 2025, the charity Versus Arthritis awarded £3 million to a research consortium co-led by Keele and the University of Manchester, with the Universities of Oxford, Nottingham and Aberdeen. The consortium was set up to analyse existing data to improve diagnosis, prevention, treatment and policy for arthritis and related conditions, including inequalities in access to care.
| Type | Research programme |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Professor Christian Mallen, Executive Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences |
| Partners | Versus Arthritis (charity, funder); Universities of Manchester, Oxford, Nottingham and Aberdeen |
| Reach | National |
| Focus | Musculoskeletal health and health inequalities (SDGs 3 and 10) |
Find out more about the consortium
Inclusive Plastic Reduction with Everyday Plastic and Disability Rights UK
Keele is working on a National Lottery-funded research project with Everyday Plastic, Disability Rights UK and Global Learning London to make plastic-reduction policies inclusive of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions. The project is developing recommendations for policymakers and communities.
| Type | Research programme |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Dr Abigail Pearson, School of Law |
| Partners | Everyday Plastic, Disability Rights UK, Global Learning London; National Lottery Community Fund (funder) |
| Reach | National |
| Focus | Inclusive environmental policy (SDGs 10 and 12) |
Find out more about the project
Nature in Your Neighbourhood with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
Keele works with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust on Nature in Your Neighbourhood, a five-year, £752,415 National Lottery Community Fund project that began in 2024. Keele researchers and students run surveys and workshops, monitor the health of local greenspaces, analyse the data and produce the project's final report. By April 2025, Staffordshire Moorlands residents had put forward more than 60 sites.
| Type | Research programme |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Angie Turner (principal investigator); Alana Wheat (postgraduate researcher) |
| Partners | Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action, OUTSIDE, Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services |
| Reach | Local |
| Focus | Nature recovery and community greenspaces (SDGs 11, 13 and 15) |
Find out more about Nature in Your Neighbourhood
Cardiac Outreach with Heart Attack Ethiopia
In 2024–25, Keele interventional cardiologist Professor Mamas Mamas joined the charity Heart Attack Ethiopia on its third cardiac mission to Ethiopia, a country of 120 million people with fewer than 10 interventional cardiologists. He helped secure supplies from industry, treated patients at no cost and trained local doctors in up-to-date interventional treatments.
| Type | Staff volunteering |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Professor Mamas Mamas, interventional cardiologist |
| Partners | Heart Attack Ethiopia (charity) |
| Reach | International |
| Focus | Access to cardiac care and training (SDG 3) |
Find out more about the Ethiopia mission
Higher Horizons: Regional Partnership for Educational Opportunity
Keele University hosts and is a partner in the award-winning Higher Horizons network, part of the Government-funded Uni Connect Programme. Working with schools, colleges, charities and community partners across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire, the partnership provides free and impartial outreach to increase participation in higher education among groups traditionally under-represented at university. Since 2017, Higher Horizons has engaged more than 65,000 young people. In 2024, the partnership was recognised as Partner of the Year at the Port Vale Foundation Awards, reflecting successful collaboration with the charity and Port Vale FC to widen access to higher education and improve opportunities for young people from under-represented backgrounds.
| Type | Regional partnership and higher education outreach programme |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Ant Sutcliffe, Associate Director of Higher Horizons |
| Partners | Schools, colleges, universities and community partners across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire through the UK Government-funded Uni Connect programme |
| Reach | Regional |
| Focus | Widening participation and access to higher education (SDGs 4 and 10) |
Find out more:
- Keele Higher Horizons team wins Partner of the Year at the Port Vale Foundation Awards
- Higher Horizons
24-hour CPR Challenge for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
Keele's Paramedic Society organised a 24-hour CPR challenge in the Students' Union on 6–7 March 2025 to raise funds for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, with more than 80 student and staff volunteers signed up. Paramedic Science students also arranged CPR demonstrations for staff, students and the public.
| Type | Student volunteering |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Keele Paramedic Society |
| Partners | Midlands Air Ambulance Charity |
| Reach | Local |
| Focus | Emergency care and life-saving skills (SDG 3) |
Find out more about the CPR challenge
Domestic Abuse Support with EmilyTest
In June 2025, the national charity EmilyTest, which works with UK universities to tackle gender-based violence, visited Keele to learn from its dedicated Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) team, believed to be one of the first of its kind at a UK university. The visit included meeting students who had used the service.
| Type | Collaboration on good practice |
|---|---|
| Keele lead | Alison Felton, Head of Student Wellbeing |
| Partners | EmilyTest (charity) |
| Reach | National |
| Focus | Tackling gender-based violence (SDGs 5 and 16) |
Find out more about the EmilyTest visit
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026
