Our vision of the future is simple; longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
Beating cancer is a long game. That’s why we must make choices now that will give us the platform from which to make progress in the years and decades ahead. We must become a truly sustainable organisation – environmentally, inclusively, financially and operationally – if we are to achieve our mission. This means considering the sustainability of our operations, research, fundraising activities, supply chains, investments, products and partnerships. And it means being a diverse and inclusive organisation, bringing in the best ideas and being reflective of the people and communities we serve.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. We know that environmental sustainability is an important part of how we act as a responsible organisation. To play our part in slowing down climate change, our new environmental sustainability strategy focuses on our carbon emissions – the most direct cause of climate change.
We want to create a diverse charity where everyone feels like they belong and benefits from the work we do. We're committed to funding research into cancer inequalities, diversifying our research community, developing an inclusive culture for all staff and engaging with people in ways that are inclusive, relevant and accessible. This is how we’ll beat cancer for everyone.
Learn more about our EDI commitment
We embed environmental sustainability in our activities, and influence our partners to do the same. We're committed to reducing our direct and indirect carbon emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3) by 50% by 2030, and reaching net zero by 2050. This is both our direct and indirect carbon emissions including our supply chain, events, shops and our research.
Read our environmental impact update 2023/2024 (PDF)(PDF, 2.56 MB)
Read our environmental impact update 2022/2023 (PDF)(PDF, 4.68 MB)
Read our environmental impact update 2021/2022 (PDF)(PDF, 1.46 MB)
We welcome the opportunity to share our pay gaps and the actions we are taking to reduce them and improve inclusion at Cancer Research UK.
We expect the research teams we fund to consider, manage, and where possible reduce the environmental impact of their work.
Read our policy on environmental sustainability in research
Our list of equivalent institutional lab sustainability certifications and schemes(PDF, 76.5 KB)
Read our 2022 position statement (PDF)(PDF, 6.27 MB)
Read the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of R&I Practice – Letter of Commitment 2024(PDF, 48.3 KB)
View the analysis of our survey on environmental sustainability in cancer research(PDF, 689 KB)
We’re striving to identify, prevent and mitigate modern slavery in our operations and supply chains.
Read our modern slavery statement 2023/2024 (PDF)(PDF, 1.24 MB)
Read our modern slavery statement 2022/2023 (PDF)(PDF, 2.15 MB)
Read our modern slavery statement 2021/2022 (PDF)(PDF, 3.38 MB)
Read our modern slavery statement 2020/2021 (PDF)(PDF, 175 KB)
Read our modern slavery statement 2019/2020 (PDF)(PDF, 543 KB)
We have developed a clear set of standards for the responsible, sustainable and ethical sourcing of all goods and services. We expect all our suppliers to adhere to these standards.
Read our supplier code of conduct (PDF)(PDF, 89.6 KB)
Join a great place to work for and one that our people are proud to be part of. Find a purposeful career that will empower you to grow and collaborate with like-minded experts.
Help us bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. Donate, in a way that suits you, to beating cancer responsibly.
Every sale of your donated pre-loved items in our shops or on our online marketplace helps to raise much needed funds for our life-saving work. This also extends the life of your donated item, making more use of the energy and resources used to make them.
For more information about Cancer Research UK being a responsible organisation, alternative document formats of our reports or answers to any questions you may have, you can speak to our friendly Sustainability and Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) Reporting team or our Inclusion and Wellbeing team.
