The United Nations estimates that farming and food production cause around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Here at Sussex, we are passionate about providing sustainable food on campus and helping everyone to make sustainable food choices every day.

As well as making commitments to reduce demand for meat on campus, piloting net zero cafes and supporting the redistribution of surplus food to food banks and other community destinations, we have made a plastic-free pledge and put plans and policies in place to minimise all forms of waste.

Sustainable catering

Our new catering contract also has sustainability at its heart, putting people and planet ahead of profit.

We know that this is something that matters deeply to our campus community: almost two-thirds of you told us you were very concerned (22%) or concerned (40%) about the environmental impact of the catering industry and nearly 70% said it was very important or important that our catering partners share our vision to become one of the most sustainable and inclusive universities in the world.

Our catering partners have listened closely to that feedback and proposed an exciting vision for our catering services that is deeply rooted in sustainability, ethics, and value for money. 

Here are just some of the sustainable steps being taken:

• Hiring a Sustainability Manager dedicated to ensuring goals are met
• Switching to 100% reusable, recyclable or fibre-based compostable packaging by the end of this year
• Charging a 20p premium for single-use cups for hot drinks to encourage people to bring reusable cups
• Working with local suppliers Blakes Meats, Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales, and Munneries for fresh produce
• Ensuring more than 80% of suppliers are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and more than 80% of the supply chain is made up of British products
• Banning all air-freighted fruit and vegetables from menus, and shifting to focus on seasonal British produce
• Partnering with redistribution partners including Fareshare, Olio and Too Good To Go
• Following seasonal updates to the MSC Good Fish Guide
• Serving Red Tractor-certified fresh milk.

The new contract also includes a £25,000 Sustainability Fund to help reach our Net Zero goals; this will be spent in agreement with the University each year to make the service at each outlet more sustainable and reduce the carbon impact of catering across campus as a whole.

More reasons to get excited about sustainability and food at Sussex

We are the only university in the country with an onsite aerobic digester, which converts any food and compostable container waste produced on-site into fertiliser.

Earlier this year, our University catering team took home the Sustainability Award at the U Dine awards for their commitment to reducing waste, source sustainable, ethical produce locally and seasonally, and increasing education around food sustainability.

A recent impact report from food sharing app Olio found that more than a tonne (1,121kg) of edible food has been donated to date, providing 2,650 meals for 317 households and saving 4,801kg of CO2 emissions (the equivalent of planting 220 trees).

Sign up to join our foodie forum and have your say in how to make the catering at Sussex even greener.