Reaching the

tipping point for

globally responsible
engineering
Our 2021-2030 strategy
Our 2021-2030 strategy

We urgently need to balance the

needs of all people with the needs
of our planet. Together, we will put
global responsibility at the heart of
engineering, ensuring a safe and
just future for all.

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 Our 2021-2030 strategy

Our planet We are draining natural resources, destroying

is in a
ecosystems, and to avoid further climate crisis,
emissions must drop drastically in the next decade.
Meanwhile, there continues to be vast inequality

perilous across the world, with millions of people still without

their basic human rights met.

position. Engineering has played a significant role – both good and bad – in getting
humankind and the planet to where we are today. Typically, the engineering
community still relies on unsustainable practices and materials, with limited
consideration of the broader impact. The building and construction sector
alone is responsible for 38% of global emissions*. Engineering education
and practice used to evolve with the needs of society. Evidence shows that
this has stagnated, with a recent survey finding that 93% of UK engineering
companies with a sustainability strategy do not have staff with the skills to
fulfil it**. This has to change. We need to move away from outdated working
methods and prioritising profit over people and planet.

*United Nation Environment Programme, “Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction”, Globalabc.Org, December 16, 2020,
https://globalabc.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2020%20Buildings%20GSR_FULL%20REPORT.pdf
**The Institute of Engineering Technology, “IET skills for net zero and a green recovery 2020 survey”, www.theiet.org, February 2, 2021,
https://www.theiet.org/media/7605/iet-skills-for-net-zero-and-a-green-recovery.pdf

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Our 2021-2030 strategy

Our 2021-2030 strategy provides a strong, persuasive plan to

enable this to happen.
When developing our strategy we took an open, honest look at our past

With a and considered where we should direct our efforts. This has led us away
from local projects with positive-but-limited impact, towards systemic change.
We are now focusing on reaching the tipping point where global responsibility

different
becomes integral to the way all engineering is taught and practiced.

approach By 2030 we will build a

the engineering community has
the power to rapidly transform movement of over half a
our world for the better.
million people, powerful
enough to radically transform
the culture of engineering.

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 Our 2021-2030 strategy

As society moves towards This is an ambitious strategy

the deadline to meet the UN’s but the scale of the challenge
Sustainable Development demands this. By bringing

Vision
Goals (SDGs), we will inspire the together thousands of people and
engineering community to commit organisations, we will develop
to global responsibility. We will unstoppable momentum towards
drive change, collaborating with achieving social and environmental
Society balances the needs of all
companies, universities and a justice through engineering.
people with the needs of our planet.
wide variety of organisations to
Whether you are an engineer,
mainstream globally responsible
academic, university student,

Mission
engineering.
or involved with engineering in
any way, we want and need you
to be a part of this movement
for change. To put global responsibility at
the heart of engineering.

Strategic goals
Inspire – Upskill – Drive change.

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Our 2021-2030 strategy

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Globally Responsible

responsible To meet the needs of all people within the limits of our planet. This
should be at the heart of engineering.

engineering
2 Purposeful
To consider all the impacts of engineering, from a project or product’s
inception to the end of its life. This should be at a global and local scale,

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Our strategy sets out four key for people and planet.

principles for globally responsible

engineering. These will be critical in Inclusive
ensuring a safe and just future for all. To ensure that diverse viewpoints and knowledge are included and

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respected in the engineering process.
We want these principles to be
adopted across the engineering Regenerative
community and embedded in the To actively restore and regenerate ecological systems,
culture of how all engineering is rather than just reducing impact.

taught and practiced.

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 Our 2021-2030 strategy

Society balances the needs of all people with the needs of our planet

Global responsibility is at the heart of engineering

Our
Social and environmental injusticies are actively redressed

Long term
outcomes
Societal/public involvement in Engineering practice is more inclusive
Engineering solutions are available
deciding and defining engineering and focused on delivering sustainable
that are sustainable and equitable

theory
projects is commonplace and equitable engineering

Ceiling of attribution

outcomes
The engineering community is

of change Mid term

The engineering community has the Engineering actors and organisations
challenged, aware and driven
knowhow to deliver sustainable and exist who are driven by social and
by its social and environmental
equitable engineering environmental justice goals
responsibility

Drive change: Collaborate with

Strategic

Inspire: Encourage lifelong, Upskill: Equip the engineering

goals

organisations to enable globally

meaningful commitment to globally community with the skills and
responsible engineering to
responsible engineering expertise to be globally responsible
become mainstream

Individual commitment to globally Organisational commitment to

Competency frameworks
responsible engineering globally responsible engineering
activities

Chapter activities and professional Design challenges and project-based

Priority

Advocacy
outreach learning courses

Peer support and action learning

Share knowledge and
Professional development programmes for entrepreneurs,
increase awareness
innovators and organisations

Note that the strategic goals will likely contribute for to more than one change outcome. For simplicity this diagram
shows the change outcome the strategic goal will have the greatest impact on.

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Our 2021-2030 strategy

Encourage lifelong, meaningful commitment

Goal 1

Inspire
to globally responsible engineering.

We have three major goals for the to globally responsible engineering.

strategy. The first is to encourage
We will build on our successes. To
the engineering community to
date, we have sparked over 50,000
look at their practice differently.
students to consider the social
We want to help students, and environmental impact of their
academics, engineers and all work through our in-curriculum
in and around engineering to design challenges. We will grow the
recognise the crucial role they play scale and impact of these so that
in challenging current practice and even more individuals develop this
creating positive change. Our target essential mindset from the start of
is to inspire at least 500,000 people their career.
to adopt the principles of globally
We’ll expand the number and reach
responsible engineering.
of our activities and resources
Through our thought pieces, outside of curriculum so that more
presentations, workshops and people can learn about global
campaigns, we will increase the responsibility, including students,
number of people introduced to a early-mid career professionals,
broader understanding of the role senior leaders, entrepreneurs,
of engineering and raise awareness innovative thinkers and experts.
about the pressing need to commit

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 Our 2021-2030 strategy

Equip the engineering community with the

Goal 2 skills and expertise to be globally responsible.

It’s our mission to provide people with resources, including training programmes,
the tools to put global responsibility at workshops and talks. They’ll expand
the heart of their engineering practice. their knowledge of the likes of the UN
SDGs, evidence-based and innovative
Our strategy sets a target to upskill 250,000
technologies and approaches, and the
people in the engineering community,
impact of engineering on different habitats
deepening their competency and
and community collaboration. Our networks
confidence in creating sustainable and
will provide access to expert advice
equitable outcomes.
from company leaders and innovative
 e will continue to develop competency
W entrepreneurs.
frameworks that build on the principles
Through our ever-growing design
of global responsibility, providing specific
challenges, Chapters and project-based
competencies required in engineering
learning courses, we’ll upskill tens of
practice. These will be designed with
thousands of university students to be well-
the potential to integrate with existing
rounded, responsible professionals who
frameworks. Transparent progression
are able to tackle social and environmental
pathways will provide a clear roadmap
injustice through engineering.
from basic to advanced ability.
I n the first few years alone, we’ll engage

Upskill
thousands of engineering professionals
through one or more of our learning

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Our 2021-2030 strategy

Collaborate with organisations to enable globally

Goal 3 responsible engineering to become mainstream.

Our strategy isn’t just about entrepreneurs and innovators are everything from mentoring and
educating individuals, but incorporating global responsibility facilitating peer-to-peer advice to
companies and organisations, into day to day practice. Over the collaborating on specific initiatives.
too. They, after all, are the ones next decade, we want to significantly
There’ll be a renewed emphasis
who make the critical decisions expand our influence, persuading
on working with universities and
and shape industry cultures and numerous organisations to commit to
standards bodies to update courses
standards. global responsibility.
and qualifications so that they
We are already a prominent voice By collaborating with value-aligned align with current and future
within the sector, working with organisations, we will accelerate global challenges.
the likes of the Royal Academy of progress towards the UN SDGs and
 e’ll use the strength of our
W
Engineering and the Engineering ensure global responsibility is a
movement and collective voice to
Council to influence their approach, strong cultural feature in engineering.
advocate that this fresh approach
policy and their interactions with
 e’ll support entrepreneurs,
W will benefit us all.
government. We have strategic
innovators and organisations
partnerships with major companies
that have a focus on social and
and universities. Our Change Makers
environmental justice, exploring
campaign has demonstrated how

Drive change
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 Our 2021-2030 strategy

Our A movement for change

We believe that a diverse group of people
Learn, collaborate
and act

approach
brought together by a common goal is key to We want everyone in the engineering
driving change. We are a movement that equips community to not just learn about the
and mobilises the engineering community from ways they can make a positive impact,
within to meet current and future challenges. but to take urgent action.
Partnership We seek diverse values and ideas and
We are calling for a radical We know we cannot achieve our goals alone will always try to build consensus behind
various positions and initiatives. We will
change in the culture of and see great value in collaborating with
strategically aligned organisations. often challenge preconceptions and the
engineering. It is imperative “normal” way of doing things to move
that the Engineers Without Better and best engineering practice forward. We accept
We recognise that the challenges of overcoming that total agreement on some issues may
Borders UK movement not be possible.
social and environmental injustice are complex
leads by example - how we and difficult. So, while remaining ambitious, we
approach what we do is just celebrate progress towards being better, rather
than just recognising the best.
as important as what we do.

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Join the movement
Reaching the tipping point where global responsibility
becomes integral to the way all engineering is taught
and practiced will not be easy.
But together we are a powerful force that can and will
achieve a safe and just future for all.

ewb-uk.org/join

Engineers Without Borders UK is a registered charity in England & Wales (No. 1101849)
and Scotland (No. SC043537) and is a company limited by guarantee (No. 4856607).