University of Liverpool

A ‘picnic’ of sustainable food and drink initiatives at the University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool catering and events department have made huge strides in overhauling their services, starting with creating a Sustainable Food Policy placing health & nutrition, social responsibility, value for money and knowledge at the heart of their offering.

The team have implemented a package of initiatives varying from using local and seasonal produce as standard to minimise energy used in production, transport, and storage to introducing food waste recycling in catering outlets.

In a bid to further reduce waste we have partnered with the student food pantry to donate end of date food products, set up an in house ‘2good2go’ operation and introduced Bottle Up water bottles to reduce plastic waste. Contributing towards a circular economy, reusable cups and plates have been introduced for internal catering, and a keep cup campaign was launched.

All this impressive work contributes to reducing our carbon footprint with 37.9 kgCO2e saved through sending 3.06 tonnes of food waste for anaerobic digestion alone since September 2023!

Top 3 Learnings

1. Fuel change by using leftovers to make energy, a little waste can go a long way.
2. Ensure to offer staff, students & visitors the right products in the right places at the right time.
3. Make it as easy as possible for people to make the greener choice.