NTU Sustainability Journey

As a leading research-intensive university, NTU recognises the need to respond and find solutions to the global threats to sustainability and other grand challenges that the world is facing.

NTU has built its strengths in sustainability over the years through a wide range of efforts in education, research and innovation. In 2021, the University launched a 15-year Sustainability Manifesto and was the first university in the world to launch a Sustainability Linked Bond. Our targets and goals in the Sustainability Manifesto are reflected in our Sustainability Framework document.

The unifying theme of the Sustainability Manifesto is NTU’s belief that its efforts towards sustainability begin on campus, and it must walk the talk in sustainability. To that end, the University aims to:

• Achieve carbon neutrality by 2035;
• Achieve 100% Green Mark Platinum certification for all eligible buildings on the main NTU campus;
• Reduce by 50 per cent NTU’s net energy utilisation, and waste generation, by March 2026, compared to the baseline levels of 2011.

In furthering the efforts in Sustainability on campus, in 2023, NTU signed a partnership agreement with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to establish a "Centro Internacional de Formación para Autoridades y Líderes"(CIFAL), Singapore. CIFAL Singapore, is the first such centre in Singapore to be affiliated with the United Nations’ principal training arm and sited at NTU Singapore. The Centre aims to strengthen, through education and training, the ability of individuals, institutions, and societies in the Asia Pacific countries to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives sustainably, thus encouraging sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

In 2023, NTU won the Whole Systems Approach Excellence Award conferred by the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN). The award recognises the university’s sustainable practices in the areas of research, education, community engagement, and infrastructure developments. The pioneering use of mass-engineered timber in constructing two of Asia's largest wooden buildings, Gaia and The Wave, stands as a testament to NTU's innovative approach towards creating a sustainable urban environment.

NTU has also won the Eurocham Sustainability Award 2023 in the Environmental, social and governance (ESG) Investments category. The EuroCham Sustainability Awards by the European Chamber of Commerce, Singapore (EuroCham Singapore), recognize companies of both Singaporean and European origins for their efforts in environmental, social and governance (ESG) communication, investments, sustainable business innovation, social sustainability and sustainable transportation and logistics. NTU Singapore has received the award in the ESG investments category, the only Institute of Higher Learning among the finalists.

Media release