Today, the University of East London (UEL) has publicly announced its commitment to exclude both fossil fuel and border industry companies from its investment portfolio. This victory comes as part of the Fossil Free and Divest Borders campaigns coordinated by student-led campaigning charity People & Planet and makes UEL the 5th UK university to commit to both campaigns simultaneously.
Building on work begun by students in 2021, UEL People & Planet re-launched the campaign earlier this year, using a range of tactics from building petition signatures and postering on campus, to making links with wider student activist movements. Their victory was uncovered through People & Planet’s University League research which discovered that UEL had since added exclusions for both the fossil fuel and border industries to their Ethical Investment Policy. The People & Planet University League is the only comprehensive and independent league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance, with the 2026-27 edition due to be launched in December.
Both the Divest Borders and Fossil Free campaigns are led by student campaigning charity People & Planet, which has been supporting students to campaign for social and environmental justice on their campuses since 1969. Since then students have played a key role in shining a light on the links between the systems that allow the fossil fuel industry to appropriate land, resources and labour and the use of the border industry to maintain an exploitative relationship with the global south.
To date 118 UK Universities have committed to exclude the fossil fuel industry from their investments, and 14 now committed to exclude border industry investments. The Fossil Free campaign demands fossil fuel industry exclusions in recognition of the industry’s role in the climate crisis, and in solidarity with the frontline and Indigenous communities directly experiencing the climate impacts and injustices wrought by fossil fuel operations. The Divest Borders campaign demands that UK universities exclude the companies complicit in maintaining the UK’s violent border industry as an act of solidarity with those impacted by its operations, which includes harms such as detention, deportation and the disproportionate surveillance of racialised communities.
Colin Haye, President of University of East London People & Planet Society, said: “I’m incredibly excited to be celebrating UEL committing to divest for justice! Simultaneously excluding fossil fuel and border industry companies shows the university has heard our message: you cannot have climate justice without migrant justice.
This is because the countries most historically responsible for, but least impacted by the unfolding climate crisis, are prioritising building walls and weapons to exclude people moving in response to its effects. Instead of taking the urgent action needed to tackle it. And those countries least historically responsible for, but most impacted, struggle to adapt to the fast-changing climate. Meaning their peoples are often refused the choice to stay in their homes and are forced to move. This asymmetry is grounded in an unjust global order which for centuries has facilitated the flow of wealth and resources from impacted countries, straight into the pockets of the world’s richest economies.
Refusing complicity in these injustices, UEL's commitment reflects the values of our student community. We look forward to keeping building the collective organising power of students and ensuring that UEL remains a university we can all be proud of - just as we are today!"
André Dallas, Co-Director: Migrant Justice at People & Planet, said: “The systems that enable the exploitation of people are deeply connected to those driving the destruction of our planet. Both are sustained by structures that privilege profit over principle. Students have long recognised these connections and have called on universities to address these injustices collectively, using their institutional power to act with integrity and accountability.
The University of East London’s decision to divest from both the border industry and fossil fuel extraction marks an important rejection of these harmful systems. It shows that universities can put their values into practice by ensuring their investments do not contribute to exploitation, displacement, or climate destruction. This is a significant step towards a more just and sustainable future, and a clear example of the responsibility higher education institutions can take. We now call on other universities to demonstrate the same courage and commitment by taking concrete action to align their policies with their stated principles.”
Dean Curtis, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UEL, said: "At UEL, our commitment to sustainability and social justice extends across everything we do—from our classrooms to our financial decisions. The publication of our Ethical Investment Policy formalises our dedication to responsible stewardship, ensuring any investments actively align with our strategic ethos. By embedding environmental and social governance at the core of our financial decision-making, we are delivering on our promise to build a fairer, more sustainable future for our students, our partners, and the global community."