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.
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.
With a wide range of Eat, Shop, and Drink food outlets, we are committed to providing food responsibly and managing waste sustainably.
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.