Responsible consumption

Sustainable Labs project 

Laboratories are often energy and resource-intensive and produce waste that may be contaminated and unsuitable for recycling. As such, this new project aims to harness enthusiasm from technical and research colleagues to address the negative environmental impacts associated with running laboratories. Potential actions include reviewing cold storage practices and switching to plant-based consumables.

Sector action research project – Net Zero Carbon Supplier tool

The University has joined a 12-month action research project as part of the sector-wide launch of a tool to calculate and reduce carbon emissions in University supply chains. The project will enable University suppliers to create a bespoke carbon reduction plan for their organisation whilst also allowing us to calculate University-specific carbon emissions for elements of the suppliers’ carbon footprint (giving more accurate data than has been available to date).

Map catering footprint

Colleagues in Estates and Campus Services and LSP are working together to better understand the granular detail and environmental impacts (including electricity, water consumption, waste generation etc.) associated with the University’s catering operations and supply chain.

Increase sustainable purchasing options

We will continue to regularly review our purchasing catalogue to ensure sustainable products are maximised. We are currently working with our e-catalogue provider to facilitate flagging and filtering of sustainable products, encouraging suppliers to play their part in enabling buyers to make informed purchasing decisions.

Review food waste infrastructure

At the start of the 2023/24 academic year, the student-led SEED project of introducing food waste caddies into University of Leicester accommodation was rolled out across all halls in The Village. We are looking to expand this to include The City accommodation from September 2024.

Engage suppliers to increase their social impact

In addition to using the Social Value Portal to gain, track and report social value commitments as part of procurement contracts over £100,000, we will work with suppliers to help them understand their environmental impact. We plan to identify at least one supplier per academic year for students and staff to collaborate with on a Living Lab project, researching real life sustainability problems that will enable the supplier to take practical steps to reduce their negative environmental impacts.

Revised Waste Management Plan

We buy in all the waste we produce. We have committed to ensuring tighter management controls are in place, and that we raise awareness of the importance of purchasing controls, procurement, servicing and maintenance of equipment, waste segregation to maximise material recovery, and the circular economy (sharing, re-using, repairing, refurbishing and recycling materials and products). A delivery group will be established with a cross section of University stakeholders to review our current policies and procedures to ensure that the topic is owned by those who produce and dispose of waste so that we are in a better position to manage the holistic theme.

Sustainable events guidance

As a major institution, the University is responsible for organising and hosting many events throughout the year, including Open Days, Graduation ceremonies and Offer Holder Days. We have worked with various teams across the University to develop a Sustainable Events Guide, which is designed to help users plan and run events on campus more sustainably. This guidance is categorised according to the five LEAP themes, with a view to influence a Sustainable Events Policy at the University.

Develop Water Management Policy

We have detailed Water Safety Management protocols, procedures and logbooks. We also have a Water Safety Group who meet three times a year with senior stakeholders across the University. The current approach is based around ensuring water at University outlets is compliant with Health and Safety Guidance note L8 and that we are controlling the risk of legionella. It does not cover the reduction of water consumption and holding building users to account for doing so. A water management policy for buildings and building users will be developed in 2024/25, and we will work with colleges to ensure it is adopted and embedded.

Procurement based on whole life costing

Given that carbon emissions associated with purchasing goods and services account for half of the University’s carbon footprint, taking a lifecycle approach to purchasing is important. Considering the total cost of ownership encourages long-term thinking and ensures that energy, maintenance and disposal costs are factored into decision making. Consideration of whole life costing is embedded into governance processes, particularly for major purchases and energy-intensive equipment.