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Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union has voted to boycott fossil fuel recruiters as part of a student-led campaign to cut ties between the university and the fossil fuel industry.
Following a student vote, the Union will no longer allow fossil fuel companies to attend events in its venues or to receive any endorsement from the Union. This comes as part of the Fossil Free Careers campaign, coordinated by student-led campaigning charity People & Planet, which demands UK universities end fossil fuel industry recruitment on campus. The campaign has already seen student unions around the UK pass similar motions, with 4 universities also publicly committing to end oil, gas and mining industry recruitment on campus.
With the Students’ Union now committed to boycotting the fossil fuel industry, students at the University of Exeter are turning their attention to their university careers department, and are calling for an Ethical Careers Policy that excludes fossil fuel industry recruitment on campus. Back in February 2022 the University of Exeter announced that it would fully divest from fossil fuels, removing its investments from the industry. Students are now urging the university to build upon this commitment to sustainability, by ending fossil fuel industry recruitment through the university’s careers department and committing to Fossil Free Careers.
Fergus Green, Climate Justice Officer at People & Planet, said:
Exeter students have spoken, loud and clear: they want the careers service to stop supporting the fossil fuel industry. It’s time for the University to end fossil fuel recruitment on campus and live up to its promises as a sustainable institution.
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