EAUC informs Members of investment/divestment FOI requests

18th August 2015

The National Union of Students (NUS) is carrying out Freedom of Information (FOI) requests relating to investments by universities. This will inform a broader campaign that the NUS intends to run next academic year linking divestment to re-investment in renewable technologies and on-campus renewables. If you are not aware of these requests we recommend you get in touch with your FOI team to see who within your institution is responsible for the response.

EAUC supports its Members wherever they are in their ethical investment journey and recognises that this is a very complex area for institutions. EAUC encourages its Members to see this as an opportunity to adopt a wider ethical approach to their investments, rather than focusing solely on a single issue. Taking a broader view of sustainability will enable institutions to balance environmental, social and ethical accountability with their funding needs, providing invaluable learning opportunities and much needed stability and resilience for the future.

The NUS has made more information on their campaign available on the NUS Connect site.

EAUC supports Members by providing relevant resources and these are available here. The EAUC is also a Network Support of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investment initiative. As a partner on the sustainability Exchange you can view relevant resources here. 

We are pleased to announce that the EAUC will be hosting a ‘warts and all’ Member only webinar with Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability at University of Edinburgh, who will share his experiences of the University of Edinburgh's extensive consultation process which has led to a change in its policy on fossil fuel investment. Further details will be available shortly.

We would like to hear from Members so that we know what resources and support you require to help you on your ethical investment journey. Please respond on the Members Network or contact us directly at info@eauc.org.uk.