Meet the sustainability manager shaping Swansea University’s climate future

We talk to Teifion Maddocks ahead of the Journey to a net zero Wales event

For Teifion Maddocks, sustainability has always been personal. Growing up in the Swansea valleys in Wales, surrounded by nature, he developed a deep respect for the environment and a determination to protect it. 

That early connection has shaped a career spanning more than 20 years, from industrial environmental management to spearheading Swansea University’s sector-leading climate action strategy.

Teifion said: “I’ve always had a passion for the environment, having grown up in the Swansea valleys, being close to nature and enjoying the outdoors. I understood early on the need to protect it, for health, wellbeing, biodiversity and resources.”

Today, as sustainability manager at Swansea University, Teifion plays a central role in the institution’s 2035 Path to Net Zero strategy. His work has helped reduce the university’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 39% since 2015. Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that an organisation owns or controls, such as fuel combustion in university heating systems or fleet vehicles. 

Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the organisation. This work has contributed to Swansea placing 8th in the 2023 People & Planet University Sustainability League, a major leap in recognition for its environmental leadership.

From industry to impact

Teifion’s journey into environmental management began in the private sector, working with some of the UK’s largest industrial players.

He said: “I started as an environmental health and safety coordinator in industry at General Electric (GE). At the GE gas and steam turbine manufacturer in the Midlands; I managed health, safety and environmental risk, preventing harm, minimising waste, and managed emissions.”

He later moved to Tata Steel in Port Talbot, one of the UK’s largest integrated steelworks which has faced significant changes over the last few years

“I worked in an environmental officer role at the steelworks and then as an environmental and process safety engineer within the central team at Tata,” Teifion said. “I managed the permitted requirements, including the only hazardous waste landfill in Wales.”

He played an integral role in several high-impact projects. He said: “It was interesting back then to be involved in multimillion-pound projects like the Blast Furnace Four rebuild project, securing the environmental permit requirements to operate that supported reduction in environmental impacts such as emissions to air,” Teifion said. 

He added: “Throughout my time, it was all about working with the local community to reduce environmental impacts; identifying opportunities within Steel making process to prevent pollution and improve the health and wellbeing of colleagues and that within the local community, working with site managers and engineers to implement solutions.”

His work also extended into European policy frameworks. This is a market-based mechanism aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by setting a cap on emissions and allowing companies to trade allowances for emissions.

“I also managed elements of Steelworks obligations under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) managing, reporting, and recording carbon emissions,” “Towards the end of my time within the steel industry I qualified and took up a role as a process safety engineer, completing hazard operability studies reducing health and safety risk under the COMAH regulations. But decided to pursue my passions in environmental management.”

That return came through academia and a new opportunity to combine his technical expertise with long-term environmental strategy.

Building a sustainable university

Teifion joined Swansea University ten years ago, where he now leads on strategic sustainability within estates and campus services.

“I’ve been the sustainability manager for three years, but I’ve worked at the university for a decade,” Teifion said. “My role focuses on climate and ecological emergency strategy: working with the university community, improving understanding and creating a path to environmental excellence, from declaring a climate emergency in 2019, to becoming carbon and nature literate, whilst all the time monitoring and measuring our performance, and implementing action plans to achieve our goals and contribute to the wellbeing of current and future generations

Under his leadership, sustainability has become a cross-cutting priority across the university.

He said: “We’ve achieved zero waste to landfill certification from The Carbon Trust and are educating staff and students, so people understand the challenges and have the tools to take forward.”

In 2019, a surge in staff and student activism led to a turning point in the university’s approach.

“Through a groundswell of support from students and staff, and during the campus climate strikes, we channelled that momentum towards organisational action,” Teifion said. “We declared a climate emergency and joined the worldwide Race to Zero.”

That declaration shaped the university’s five-year sustainability strategy. “We published a new strategy covering the climate emergency, the net zero goal, nature-positive ambition, procurement, travel, and engagement,” Teifion said.

Delivering decarbonisation

He says achieving a 39% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2015 is indicative of the university’s dedication to technical innovation, strategic planning and the impact of investment.

“We’ve carried out a full decarbonisation action plan,” Teifion said. “We worked with The Carbon Trust and Welsh Government Energy Services to outline what needs to happen and the associated cost. We presented that to the strategic sustainability committee and senior leadership, and they agreed to pursue the 2035 net zero plan.”

One of the flagship projects has been solar power. Teifion said: “We’ve been working on Salix Welsh Government funding schemes, and the biggest piece is solar; 2,000 panels have been installed, generating up to 10% of our electricity through roof-mounted solar.

“We’ve implemented a rolling programme of installing smart LED lighting, not only more efficient but also harvesting external light. Each unit adjusts based on light outside, occupancy, and can be set remotely. We started in lecture theatres and are now moving across the whole campus.”

Recently a major step forward came with a successful £11.4 million bid to decarbonise the university’s Singleton Campus.

“We worked hard over the last twelve months with support from technical experts to do a more detailed study. Singleton is over 100 years old with an aging gas-boiler heated network underground,” Teifion said. “We’re switching to air source heat, which will significantly reduce Scope 1 emissions and help decarbonise the campus heating by approximately 60%.”

The work will also include linking buildings currently on independent gas boilers, implementing building fabric improvements, and building management systems upgrades. The university Estates and campus services teams are currently working on something called the smart building standard to make sure buildings operate efficiently. A smart building standard refers to guidelines and frameworks that help ensure smart buildings are designed, built, and operated efficiently and effectively.

Engagement, data, and living labs

For Teifion, sustainability must go beyond infrastructure and reach every part of the university community.

“We’re sharing challenges and messaging with academic colleagues through committees, and we’re planning to get students involved in the design and monitoring of data,” Teifion said. “We’re trying to share and visualise carbon data so it can be used in teaching and research and to drive behaviour change.”

The university is also exploring how operational sustainable development challenges can inform policy, research and learning. As an example, Teifion sighted recent work the university was involved in to create the 'Accelerating the UK tertiary education sector towards net zero' report.

“There’s been a call from Environment Platform Wales to bridge the gap between operational challenges and academic research,” Teifion said. “It’s about how we take advantage the university as a living lab to test, learn and inform.”

A vision for 2035 and beyond

Looking ahead, Teifion remains clear-eyed about the scale of the challenge and the importance of staying the course.

“Success would look like recognising that we’re still in a climate emergency — that doesn’t go away,” Teifion said. “If we want to operate, we have environmental obligations. We need to take care of our environment, and it’s important the university sustains its commitments and continues to prioritise environmental excellence.”

His advice to young professionals in the field is grounded in both experience and optimism.

“My advice would be to make sure that everyone is aware, carbon and nature literacy is essential,” Teifion said. “People need to understand the challenges, the implications, and the opportunities like the desire of our communities and customers for more sustainable outcomes.”

He added: “I’ve benefited from getting exposure in industry and it provides a great grounding. Have variety in your experience and use that as a springboard into your passion for improving the environment for current and future generations.”

Teifion will be sharing his insights and experiences at the Journey to a net zero Wales event, taking place at Swansea University’s Bay Campus on 18 June 2025. 

He will join a group of experts from across Wales to explore how organisations can take meaningful climate action and accelerate their path to net zero. 

The event is open to anyone interested in sustainability, public sector decarbonisation, and environmental innovation. You can register to attend the Journey to Net Zero event in Swansea.