Responsible consumption and production
As a large organisation, how we procure goods and services and invest our funds can significantly impact the world around us.
We want to make sure that we use sustainably minded sources and that we consume resources in a sustainable way. We're building strong relationships with our suppliers, so that we can reduce our environmental impact together.
Key achievements
Food for Life
12 catering outlets have received Bronze certificates from the Soil Association for serving meals that use less, better meat, responsibly sourced fish and locally sourced ingredients.
Supplier engagement
University-led tenders now mandate that suppliers implement a real living wage. We are including the Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct in all future standard University-led tenders for contractors to comply with.
Investment
The University has implemented a Responsible Investment Statement expanding on its consideration of sustainability factors in its investment activities.
Water Usage
In 2023/23 our water usage was a 26% reduction on our baseline.
Our strategic goals
As outlined in our Sustainability Plan 2021 - 2030, we are committed to advancing sustainability by making positive impact investments, engaging and challenging suppliers, and drastically reducing our own environmental impact through minimised resource consumption and waste.
Positive investments
Ensure that our University investments generate a positive sustainability impact.
Supplier relationships
Proactive monitoring of sustainability for all key suppliers, and working with them to improve their sustainability.
Resource efficient
Become a natural resource efficient University, minimising the amount we consume while reducing the impact of our waste creation.
The NETPositive supplier tool
In partnership with NETPositive Futures, we've launched a free, user-friendly tool that helps our suppliers create their own customised Sustainability Action Plan.
This tool enables organisations to easily assess their business impacts, develop sustainability plans aligned with their goals, access relevant information, track progress, and clearly communicate their actual actions, not just their policy commitments.
Food procurement
With a wide range of Eat, Shop, and Drink food outlets, we are committed to providing food responsibly and managing waste sustainably.
- Our outlets feature products made from ethically sourced, sustainable raw materials.
- All our fresh eggs are free-range and 'Lion Branded.'
- We source most of our raw materials, including meat, from regional suppliers who uphold the highest animal welfare standards.
- Our fish is supplied by those who adhere to the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and we do not purchase endangered species.
- We are collaborating with local suppliers to reduce food packaging and we offer discounted prices on food that would otherwise go to waste.
Spotlight: Choosing a renewable for our high performance compute facility Viking
In October 2023 we moved our research computer cluster Viking to EcoDataCenter in Sweden. Viking is used to complete high performance computing tasks and supports research and teaching at the University however it also uses a lot of energy.
We chose to move our clusters to EcoDataCenter as it is the first data centre to be made from wood and runs on 100% renewable energy; 75% from hydropower and 25% from wind power. The centre also uses the excess heat created by computer clusters to dry wood and create pellets which are a renewable energy source.
Examples of sustainable procurement
Take a look at some examples of how we're practising sustainable procurement across different departments at the University.
Our Design and Print team use FSC certified paper and water-based inks for their printed materials.
Our York Print Plus project replaced personal printers with multi-functional devices shared by offices to reduce paper, consumables and power usage.
We partner with Converge to supply us with high-quality laptops and PCs. When these devices are no longer usable, they are recycled through Stone’s Reuse Recycling and Disposal framework, ensuring no IT equipment ends up in landfill. So far, this partnership has allowed the University to save 44.1 metric tonnes of IT equipment by recycling or refurbishing over 4,500 devices. By using the Stone 360 app to book collections, we also support their tree planting program and earn cash rebates, many of which we donate to charity.
Our business travel service SLA encourages the use of a single supplier to enable us to accurately measure our carbon footprint from business travel.
Our e-purchasing system is reducing paper transactions and building up a chosen supplier base with known sustainability credentials.
The YORCUP scheme combines the convenience of a disposable cup with the environmental benefits of a reusable one. The cups are made in the UK from a supplier based in Doncaster, ensuring our support of the local economy.
The University is a member of the North Eastern Universities' Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC) who, together with the Sustainable Procurement Centre of Excellence, produced a NEUPC SPCE Sustainable Procurement Policy. We subscribe to the principles included in this document.
Our slavery and human trafficking statement sets out the steps that the University is taking to prevent slavery and human trafficking taking place in our supply chains or in any part of our core activities.