Waste, recycling and sustainable food

Waste and recycling

We have a 2 stream waste and recycling scheme (PNG 145KB).

We don't send any waste to landfill. In 2020/21 we produced 47 tonnes of waste, recycled 41% and sent 14.5 tonnes of food waste to an anaerobic digester.

Our waste management is compliant according to all current statutory legislation and audited through the ISO14001 management system. In 2021/22 we reported zero environmental incidents.

Recirculating materials and minimising waste is embedded across our operations and within our teaching and learning. For example:

we encourage students to use sustainable materials in their projects
we champion the use of recycled materials and degree shows should design according to the principle of 'building for deconstruction’ so the materials can be reused
we have been piloting an environmental assessment framework in our technical workshops which includes the recirculation of waste within our workshop spaces
students have access to re-use units to encourage waste reduction and material reuse
materials can be re-used, re-purposed or repaired at the Central Saint Martins SWAP SHOP
Camberwell College of Arts have launched a Repair Café to foster a culture of repair
sustainability has also been at the heart of our Grayson's Robes competitions.

Sustainable food

Our goals to reduce the environmental and ethical impact of the food we serve are set out in our Sustainable Food Policy (PDF 676KB).

We make sure our external contractors and agencies are compliant by making sustainability a key part of our tender process. In 2019, following a competitive tender process (tender ref. number CC-UK1.FID23448287 as published in the Delta procurement portal), we appointed BaxterStorey to manage and deliver the services set out in the contract.

In 2014, we were the first university to achieve Gold Standard under the Soil Association's Food for Life rating (PDF 369KB). We’re proud that 100% of our catering outlets meet the food for life accreditation scheme to Gold Standard.

All food served at UAL is assessed to high environmental and ethical standards. This includes fish and seafood which is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (certified through BaxterStorey). We work with BaxterStorey to reduce the environmental impact of food. Local produce is used, with 70% of the fruit and vegetables coming from the South East of England. A major supplier is Chegworth Valley farm, less than 35 miles from London. All meat comes from Rother Valley near Petersfield, Hampshire. All sites have free drinking water in catering outlets and across the sites in dispensers.

Plus:

local food is regularly used in our menus and across our sites like the vegan café at London College of Communication and the canteen at Camberwell - example of a Previous Menu (PDF 192KB)
Central Saint Martins (CSM) have removed red meat from their canteen menu
students have also collaborated with BaxterStory on regenerative vegan recipes as part of our Earth Day celebrations.

UAL was a case study in an academic paper which explains our use of local and sustainable food.

Read more about the vision and mission of canteen services at UAL.

Growing food at UAL

There are several food growing and gardening initiatives taking place across UAL:

On the roof terrace at Central Saint Martins and at Wimbledon College of Arts, staff and students created a green growing space where food like strawberries and herbs are grown. This is maintained by the Green Roof Society and the Wimbledon Garden Club, respectively.
Students at Chelsea College of Arts also grow edible plants such as herbs and wild garlic with GREENHaus.
Camberwell College of Arts is currently in the process of building a garden space at Wilson Road.
We also grow plant-based textiles dyes in our dye gardens at Stave Hill Ecological Park and London College of Fashion and on our roof terrace at Central Saint Martins.