Across Mapletree’s student housing portfolio, students are empowered to adopt sustainable practices through targeted engagement programmes.

In the UK, Mapletree expanded its efforts to encourage environmentally responsible daily habits among residents. A key initiative was SOS-UK’s Green Impact programme, a structured, team-based initiative enabling on-site staff and students to take practical action. Utilising an online toolkit spanning impact areas such as energy, water, waste, food, procurement, travel and biodiversity, participating teams of on-site staff implemented actions, uploaded evidence and tracked progress, which was verified by trained student auditors. In the academic year ending June 2025, 30 teams participated across Mapletree’s student housing properties, completing over 1,000 sustainability actions and reaching more than 3,200 people. Examples included clothing swap and repair shops, refill campaigns, food banks, cycle promotion initiatives and heating audits, alongside resident engagement activities such as litter picks and biodiversity programmes.

“One of the clearest changes has been how sustainability has become part of daily conversations. People now regularly remind one another to switch off lights, cut down on waste, and streamline student check-out processes. There’s also been a strong focus on encouraging students to use the recycling points around the building, especially during move-out times. These actions are gradually becoming second nature to the team.”

– Green Impact team member

Onsite staff and Student Sustainability Influencers also implemented behaviour-led initiatives, including the portfolio-wide Laundry Settings Campaign, which promotes lower-temperature washing to reduce energy use. Property-level initiatives included a rooftop microhabitat at Brighton providing fresh produce and showcasing small-scale urban greening. A Sustainable Travel Board at Central Quay also raised awareness of public transport, cycling and walking routes. Supporting these efforts, 40 onsite staff completed Carbon Literacy Training by SOS UK, covering climate science, carbon impacts and practical actions to reduce emissions.

The effectiveness of these programmes is reflected in independent feedback. In the latest Global Student Living (GSL) Index, Student Castle, Mapletree’s operating platform, outperformed the national private halls benchmark, supported by more than 2,200 responses and strong scores across Environmental Impact, Care and Support and Value for Money. Mapletree Global Student Accommodation Private Trust (MGSA) properties delivered similarly positive results in the Investor in Students survey, with high ratings for safety, staff friendliness and day-to-day living needs, highlighting the close link between sustainability, well-being and the overall resident experience.

Student Castle’s commitment to delivering high quality, sustainable accommodation has also been recognised through several awards. It achieved the Investor in Students Gold Certification from WAU Agency and Best Booking Experience (UK and Ireland) accolade at the 2025 GSL Awards. In addition, it maintained GSL’s Platinum Certified Operator status for the third consecutive year. Together, these achievements underscore the role of sustainability, operational excellence and student engagement in creating a positive university living experience.