Discover our equitable sustainability research
The Centre for Equitable Sustainability at the University of Portsmouth aims to achieve world-class standing in the field of sustainability, focusing on engendering action and innovation to address the challenges that hinder our journey toward an equitable and sustainable society.
At the heart of our centre’s objectives is the proposal of scalable solutions for sustainable development challenges. We aim to provide agile and evidence-based response to sustainability police needs and wicked sustainability problems. We will prioritize areas such as sustainable consumption and production, global equity, justice and inclusion, sustainable infrastructure, energy, climate change governance, as well as biodiversity and wildlife protection.
Overall, the Centre will develop and facilitate inter-disciplinary research activities to create opportunities for impactful research that not only drives knowledge exchange but also engages communities and establishes key partnerships with local organisations and beyond.
Our five themes
Theme 1: Building responsible, equitable, sustainable production and consumption
Sub-topics include:
- SDG 12 implementation
- Circular economy
- Ethical consumption
- Corporate Social Responsibility
Theme 2: Building global justice and sustainable and inclusive communities
Sub-topics include:
- SDG 5, SDG10, SDG 11 implementation
- Economic justice
- Social inclusion
- Climate change and economic inequality,
- South-South Collaboration
Theme 3: Responsible innovation, technology and project management for equitable sustainability
Sub-topics include:
- SDG 9 implementation
- Collaboration with women-led and minority-led businesses
- Pro-social behaviour through innovation
- Technology for equitable sustainability
- Responsible Project Management
Theme 4: Action for climate change and clean and affordable energy
Sub-topics include:
- SDG 7, SDG 13 implementation
- Energy poverty and justice
- Renewable energy
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Theme 5: Scaling environmental stewardship and wildlife protection
Sub-topics include:
- SDG 15 implementation
- Biodiversity protection
- Ecosystem regeneration
- Equitable co-existence of human and non-human species
- Criminal justice
Publication highlights
2026
Communicating social sustainability through social media to mobilise citizenship in rural places
Can, A. S., Alphun, C., Kesgin, M., Waqas, M., Ozcan, S.
22 Jul 2026, In: Journal of Rural Studies. 127, 13p., 104325
Research output: Article
Filling or widening ‘circular’ voids? On institutional imaginaries and barriers to circular economy transitions in artisanal and small-scale mining
Arthur-Holmes, F., Amankwaa, G.
8 Jul 2026, In: Geoforum. 175, 12p., 104757
Research output: Article
Burdens, Bonds, and Biases: The Sociocultural Role of Donkeys in Pastoralist Communities
Oduori, D. O., Haddy, E., Zeryehun, T., Brown, J., Proops, L.
24 Jun 2026, In: Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals
Research output: Article
Work-family conflict, sociodemographic characteristics, role demands and health-seeking behaviour of working mothers in urban Ghana
Arthur-Holmes, F., Abrefa Busia, K.
17 Mar 2026, In: Applied Research in Quality of Life, 22p.
Research output: Article
Leveraging Cittaslow promotion on social media to enhance tourists’ behavioural responses toward small urban tourism destinations
Ozer, M., Can, A. S., Ekinci, Y., Özer, A.
1 Mar 2026, In: Journal of Travel Research. 65, 3, p. 812-832
Research output: Article
Active Research Projects
KTP Revolutionising Data Capture and Machine Learning for ReThink
University of Portsmouth, ReThink Productivity Consulting Ltd
30/04/2025 to 30/10/2027
KTP with Portsmouth City Council
Cinar, E., Fairchild, N., Hadleigh-Dunn, S., Simms, C., Tait, A., Williams, N.
01/12/2024 to 30/11/2027
Valuing digital culture and heritage
Alberti, F., Bailey-Ross, C., Cox, J., McBride, K.
04/09/2023 to 04/09/2026
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PlastiCity
The PlastiCity project aimed to increase commercial and industrial plastic recycling rates in the 2 Seas Region (United-Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Belgium) from 20-30% to 50%. It developed new solutions and strategies for localising, collecting, recycling, and reusing “lost plastics” in urban environments.
Related courses
Staff members
Dr Karen Middleton
Dr Sepehr Abrishami
Professor Diego Vazquez-Brust
Dr Selcuk Can
Dr Rui Yang
Dr Myropi Garri
Professor Yuksel Ekinci
Dr Jana Ries
Media ready expert
Professor Victor Becerra
Dr Mahsa Ghaffari
Dr Matthew Anderson
Media ready expert
Professor Chris Simms
Media ready expert
Dr Roza Sagitova
Dr Tarek Teba
Professor Leila Choukroune
Media ready expert
Professor Karen McBride
Media ready expert
Professor Pierre Failler
Professor Barry Smart
Dr Guido Robazza
Professor Nigel Williams
Dr Nick Pamment
Professor Lester Hunt
Media ready expert
Professor Cressida Bowyer
Contact us
For research-related enquiries, please contact: [email protected]
For postgraduate research enquiries, please contact: [email protected]