The John Innes Centre has joined more than 25 leading research organisations in signing an environmental sustainability concordat.

The Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, hosted by Wellcome commits signatories and supporters to embedding environmental sustainability into all research and innovation practice.

The aim of the concordat is to ensure research and innovation continues to play a critical part in understanding how our planet is changing, while helping the sector to act responsibly to protect and promote our environment.

Professor Graham Moore FRS, Director of the John Innes Centre signed the concordat on behalf of the institute said, “We recognise the urgency of the climate crisis, and are committed to embedding environmental sustainability into all of our research and innovation practices”.

“Signing this concordat represents an important milestone in ensuring our own research practices are conducted as sustainably as possible, whilst contributing to delivering solutions needed to address global challenges around sustainable agriculture, food, nutrition and health.”

Becoming a signatory of the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice builds on our own Sustainability Strategy, published in 2023. Our strategy embeds sustainability in every aspect of the institute and sets out the roadmap to achieve net zero by 2040.

Ethne Clark, a sustainability specialist at the John Innes Centre said, “We are in a state of climate emergency, and this requires immediate action. Signing the concordat is a great step for the industry, recognising that by working together to share best practice and innovation  in our sector we can find low-carbon ways to do cutting edge bio-science research.”

Scientific research is an energy and resource intensive endeavour, however, now more than ever, it is both environmentally and financially important to review and improve the long-term sustainability of the institute’s facilities and working practices.

This concordat has been produced in collaboration with representatives across the research and innovation sector so that the sector can deliver a shared ambition as part of meeting the global challenge.

The Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice supports the wider ambitions set out by the UK Government to achieve net zero by 2050.

Concordat for Environmental Sustainability – Letter of Commitment 2024