From fishing-net carpets to toilet twinning: are we the most sustainable university in the world?
Posted on: 22 September, 2026
By Linda Serck and Kathy Matthews
Ten years after our Reading office achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating, just how far has the University of the Built Environment gone in making sustainability a part of everyday life?
Look down the next time you walk through our office, Horizons, and there is a good chance you are standing on old fishing nets. Look up when you’re outside, and 72 solar panels are helping to power the building.
Then there are the coffee grounds heading for staff gardens and allotments, rainwater collected for planting, and even a toilet twinned with a school in Malawi.
Ten years ago, the University of the Built Environment took an inefficient 1980s office building in central Reading, UK, and set about giving it a very different future.
Here are 15 interesting sustainability facts that helped us earn a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ rating:
1. Fishing-net carpets
Carpeting used in the refurbishment was made using material recovered from discarded fishing nets, giving waste plastic another use rather than relying solely on virgin material.
2. Nothing from our operational waste goes to landfill
Horizons sends zero operational waste to landfill, with dedicated recycling streams including soft plastics and food waste bins on site.
3. Gas has gone from the building
Gas has been removed from Horizons. The building is powered by electricity backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO), alongside electricity generated by our own 72 solar panels. REGOs are administered by Ofgem and provide evidence that electricity has been generated from renewable sources.
4. There are six electric vehicle charging bays
For colleagues and visitors who need to travel by car, Horizons now has six electric vehicle charging bays on site.
5. Even the plant rooms have LED lighting
All lighting at Horizons is LED and uses passive infrared, or PIR, sensors, including lighting in the car park and the plant rooms that house the mechanical and electrical equipment needed to keep the building running. Lights therefore respond to whether spaces are actually being used rather than remaining on unnecessarily.
6. Our meeting rooms know when we have left
Videoconferencing facilities use room sensors to switch equipment on and off automatically, helping to avoid screens and other technology consuming energy in empty rooms.
7. The printers are designed to waste less
Our multifunction printers use energy-saving modes, cartridge-free technology and long-life components designed to reduce waste and energy consumption.
8. The paint was chosen with indoor air quality in mind
Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals released by some paints and other materials into the air. Water-based, VOC-free paint has been used for internal decoration in our building.
9. Our tea and coffee come with credentials
Hospitality products supplied for Horizons kitchens and coffee points are all Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified.
10. Even the coffee grounds get another outing
The remains of all those staff coffees do not necessarily end their lives in a bin. Grounds from our onsite machines are made available to colleagues to take home and reuse in gardens and allotments.
11. Birds have made Horizons their home
Horizons sits in busy Reading town centre, yet birds continue to nest on site. Wildlife was considered from the building’s earliest days, with sparrow boxes among the features incorporated into the original sustainable refurbishment.
12. Rainwater gets put back to work
Water butts collect rainwater which can then be used for external planting, reducing the need to use mains water for the job.
13. One of our toilets has a twin in Malawi
Through Toilet Twinning, Horizons supports sanitation provision linked to a school in Malawi. It is perhaps one of the building’s least expected sustainability stories and certainly one of its more memorable ones.
14. Old laptops can have new owners
IT equipment that has reached the end of its working life at the University does not automatically become waste. Suitable laptops are offered to schools and charities for reuse, extending their useful life.
15. Our environmental management is independently certified
The University is certified to ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems. It provides organisations with a framework for managing environmental impacts, resources, waste and environmental performance, with continual improvement built into the process.
Ten years of sustainability at Horizons
Kathy Matthews, Head of Facilities at the University of the Built Environment, said:
“Sustainability has been at the heart of the Horizons story since day one, and we’re still finding new ways to reduce our environmental impact. From removing gas from site and achieving zero waste to landfill, to supporting local wildlife and giving equipment a second life in our communities, we remain committed to making a positive difference.”
Horizons achieved a final score of 73.1% under BREEAM’s Refurbishment and Fit Out scheme, earning an Excellent rating in 2016. A year later, the project won a Green Apple Gold Award for its environmental and social benefits.
That feels particularly pertinent for a university devoted to the built environment. Buildings and construction still consume around 32% of global energy and account for 34% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme.
“It’s often the small everyday actions, delivered consistently over time, that have the greatest impact,” Kathy said. “By continually looking for ways to do better for the environment while creating a great place to work and learn, we’re proving that sustainability is not just a goal, but an integral part of who we are.”
Explore the Horizons sustainability case study
Discover how an inefficient 1980s office building was refurbished to achieve BREEAM Excellent status in our free online Horizons sustainability case study.
