Green Gown Awards 2018 - Northumbria University - Finalist

Northumbria University has long believed that we need to identify and work with partners who can deliver services sustainably and share our vision, our values and directly support us in true partnership working to deliver against our ambition. We have partnered with Sodexo & Chartwells to deliver our Student Accommodation and Retail & Catering services respectively. Both have been outstanding strategic partners that continue to innovate in how they put sustainability at the heart of their operations and how they work with us to improve waste management through driving cultural change for our students and staff.

Whether this is from making Northumbria University the first in the UK to introduce new mobile applications to reduce food waste, or whether it is taking global sustainability strategies and aligning it with Northumbria's own sustainability strategy. These partnerships are delivering real, quantifiable positive change and continual improvement which ensures that Northumbria University leads the way in delivering long-term sustainable reductions in waste.

Key to all of this, is how these innovations prioritise engaging with our student body to educate and facilitate a change in attitudes and help make students ambassadors for change.

Top 3 learnings:

1. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas, it’s been key to our success.
2. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to students and the value shouldn’t be underestimated.
3. Reduced waste volumes benefit us all financially through reduced waste disposal costs.

CO2t savings 2017/2018: 4.73  (Actual to April 2018)  12.61 (estimated September 2017 – August 2018)

CO2t savings 2018/2019: 11.64 (Estimated)

CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 60 (estimated to August 2022, based on 2017 conversion factors)

Videos

• Green Gown Awards 2018 – Student Engagement – Northumbria University – Finalist (click to hide)