Sustainable events
We have developed a sustainability policy and key members of our team work closely with the University's Sustainability Team, a dedicated group of environmental impact experts, who guide us in reviewing and improving our processes. Across all our operations our teams recycle all the waste oil, cardboard, cans, paper, glass, batteries and plastics used on a daily basis. In addition, recycling points have been installed in communal areas such as kitchens, and staff segregate waste into different bins in order to maximise the amount that is recycled.
Sustainable catering
We are committed to food sustainability and reducing food miles. Our catering team purchase over £40,000 of organic veg annually from Manchester Veg People, a local cooperative of growers based in Manchester, and we also purchase free range milk from family run Stephensons Dairy in Lancashire.
Our tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, orange and apple juice is Fairtrade and 2021 sees us celebrating 16 years of being a Fairtrade University. You can view our latest Fairtrade statement here. We purchase One Water, an ethical bottled water that donates all of its profits to fund PlayPump® water systems in Africa. Our eggs are free range and our fish appears on the Marine Conservation Society approved list, meaning that any fish deemed at most risk of extinction are not caught.
Our catering teams have achieved a number of awards for sustainability, including our residences catering team winning the prestigious Sustainable Restaurant Association's Food Made Good Awards in the category of of Best Food Waste Strategy. Competition was stiff with Pizza Express and London caterer Vacherin also shortlisted for this category. Previous catering-related environmental awards include one of our cafes winning the community vote in the 2014 Footprint Awards where customers voted for their local restaurant, eatery, pub, café that demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and reducing negative impact on the environment.
Sustainable AV support
Our Audio Visual (AV) team are based in-house reducing the environmental impact of transporting AV equipment and staff for each event. Our AV team have reduced their carbon footprint by purchasing energy efficient LED screens and using 'smart' technologies in break out rooms along with technology to monitor and switch off lighting and AV equipment when not in use. Laser projectors are purchased which have reduced overall power consumption compared with conventional bulb projectors along with a reduction of toxic metals in their manufacture making them a more environmentally friendly choice. All packaging and batteries for our equipment are recycled.
