ENSURE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS
Reducing and managing waste while promoting sustainable consumption and production is the focus of SDG 12. This includes thinking about resource use as part of a circular economy, where extraction and processing is limited, and the embodied resources find new applications at the end of a product’s life. Waste reduction and sustainable procurement are priorities at the University of Waterloo.
Resources
In 2017, the University committed to becoming a zero waste campus by 2035. The Shift: Zero campaign focuses on five key areas to support the transition and make behavioural change convenient and impactful: engagement and training, reducing and eliminating waste, maximizing recycling, capturing organics, and expanding reuse programs. Examples include major expansion of standardized waste receptacles, an improved sorting guide, and regular waste-related events and campaigns.
In Fall 2023, the Sustainability Office launched the Free Store with support from the Sustainability Action Fund. The goal of the Free Store is to re-home items that are still in usable condition to those that want and need them, free of charge, such as home goods, kitchenware, school supplies and more. Since its launch, the Sustainability Office has held more than 15 Free Store pop-ups in the SLC and has diverted over 600kg of usable goods from going to the landfill. The Free Store is currently located in CPH 2383 and will be open for drop-in hours and donations throughout Fall 2024 and Winter 2025.
WUSA Thrift is a space where students can purchase or obtain clothing that’s better for the planet and their wallets. The WUSA Sustainability Project aims to address the fast fashion crisis, reduce waste, and improve access to affordable clothing through a student-run thrift store.
Institute for Polymer Research
The University of Waterloo's Institute for Polymer Research has earned an international reputation for making research initiatives pay off for a wide variety of companies. More recent initiatives include the development of sustainable solutions to generate polymers from renewable sources such as starch, cellulose nanocrystals, and cellulose-based materials (cardboard, sawdust). These polymers have the potential to either replace existing plastics obtained from petroleum or create new products for new applications.
The University has a Sustainable Procurement Guide, which provides key information and resources to build awareness of sustainable procurement, to inform about the sustainable options available, and to empower staff and faculty to take sustainable actions in their own departments. The guide includes specific information on a growing list of common items purchased at Waterloo, and covers disclosure, lifecycle costing, commodity targets and other dimensions of sustainable procurement for each.
The UW Repair Hub is a workspace located in E7-1401 that provides the tools and tech support for student repair projects. It is also the University location for Repair Cafés, an event hosted by 4RepairKW where students can bring broken items and learn how to repair them with the help from volunteers.