How Universities Are Successful In Reducing Their Environmental Footprint

We work with foodservice businesses of all shapes and sizes across the world, from fine dining restaurants to cosy neighbourhood pubs, casual QSRs, workplace caterers, global hotel chains — even airport lounges and train networks! In evaluating Food Made Good submissions for this incredible range of businesses, one thing consistently stands out: university catering tends to do an exceptional job at reducing its environmental footprint.  

We asked some of our FMG-certified universities to share what they’ve learned through their sustainability work, how the Standard supports their progress and what lessons other types of hospitality business could take from their success in this section of the FMG Framework. 

Why do universities excel at reducing their footprint? 

Cardiff Metropolitan University in Cardiff, Wales, has been working with The SRA since 2016 and has completed six Food Made Good evaluations, maintaining a three-star rating since their second submission. Head of Catering Services, Andrew Phelps, points to the inherently measurable nature of environmental metrics as one reason for this success. "Universities are likely making strong progress on the Environment pillar because this is an area where they have clear control and can see results quickly,” he says. “Energy use, water and food waste are all things universities can measure, manage and improve within their own campuses, and many, including Cardiff Met, have strong sustainability policies and targets that support this work and deliver real improvements.” 

As Andrew also observes, food itself provides plenty of practical opportunities to act. “Small changes in kitchens, menus and waste systems make a big difference, and those changes are visible to thousands of students and staff every day. Visibility matters; it helps make sustainability feel normal and every-day, rather than abstract or unobtainable.” 

Universities have a wide sphere of influence, giving them a particularly important role to play in driving wider change, says Andrew. “At Cardiff Met, we are not just interested in reducing our own impact; we are acutely aware of the influence we have to shape habits, expectations and values. By embedding environmental responsibility into everyday food choices, universities are showing what sustainable practice looks like in action, and helping to educate future leaders about our expectations.” 

This sense of responsibility is particularly resonant for centres of learning, says Ray O’Brien, Head of Sustainability at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. “The fundamental purpose of universities is creating knowledge for a better future — so we need to be demonstrating that we use that knowledge ourselves, or there is simply a massive contradiction. Students have a great radar for that, and they tell us when they see it. Listening to the students about how our actions affect their future is a key part of what drives our progress.” 

The University of Otago signed up for the Food Made Good Standard in 2025, marking our first university outside the UK and earning an impressive two stars in their first evaluation (missing a three-star grade by just one point!) with their highest score under the Environment pillar. 

The Tī pit: Guardians of the natural environment 

At the University of Otago, they’ve completed their carbon footprint analysis and are working with a Net Zero 2030 strategy in place. In working towards this goal, they’ve implemented an energy efficiency analytics platform, used to drive reductions at large/complex facilities. Their new residence hall, Te Rangihīroa, gained a 6 Green Star Design and As Built NZ v1.0 rating (used to assess a project’s sustainability through several key performance and environmental categories) from the New Zealand Green Building Council, and has only induction hobs installed. They also provide charging stations for departmental electric vehicles and end-of-trip facilities for cyclists. 

The university is deliberate and conscious in bringing an Indigenous lens to their sustainability strategy; their official Sustainability Strategic Framework is titled “Tī Kōuka”, the name of a native cabbage tree. “Māori knowledge and stories that surround this plant guide how we think about sustainability,” Ray explains. “For example, when we think about sustainable operations, we talk about the Tī pit.” This was a traditional pit used to store food from the Tī tree. As explained in the University’s Framework, a full pit signified a tribe’s ability to sustain themselves and others through lean times, but it also demonstrated their commitment as guardians of the natural environment in which they lived. "Everyone would work together to ensure this was full of food so that the values around hospitality could be maintained,” says Ray. “This part of our strategy informs our food services and residential experiences on campus.” 

A great example of what this mindset looks like in practice is the university’s sustainability neighbourhood, with vegetable gardens, fruit trees and beehives. Students and staff alike can join the Garden Club and can harvest any of the food from the gardens. “Beehives in the gardens supply honey to the kitchens in the residential colleges; if you’re a first year student putting some honey on your toast at breakfast, it probably came from the beehives in your garden,” says Ray. “Any leftovers are processed in our food waste digestor, added to compost, and brought back to feed the veggie beds and produce more food.” 

Similarly, the Central Campus landscaping project cleverly worked with nature, not against it. Not only did this work enhance the University’s aesthetic appeal, but it was careful to minimise the alteration of aquatic ecosystems by developing several small rain gardens. These are planted with native grasses that help filter and disperse surface water, reducing the run-off into the Water of Leith stream.  

Empowering students, reducing waste 

At Cardiff Metropolitan University, two of their most impactful environmental initiatives have focused on reducing waste — both food and otherwise — through creative engagement, both of which have delivered tangible results so far. “Since 2018, we’ve sold over 5,000 Chilly’s bottles, with 343 sold in 2025 alone,” says Andrew. “Each bottle represents a long-term behaviour change: choosing to refill time and time again instead of purchasing single-use plastic bottles. The success of this initiative comes from more than just the environmental benefit because the bottles offer a personalised, identity-driven and practical solution that students genuinely want to use. Building on this success, we introduced our own range of reusable lunch boxes for salads and hot food, which have also seen strong uptake.” 

Another impactful piece of work has been the university’s focus on food waste reduction, particularly among the student population. “At the end of 2024, we took part in the national Be Mighty Recycle Wales campaign, using it as an opportunity to engage students in a creative and practical way,” Andrew explains. 

“One highlight was a student-led supper club event where participants cooked meals using leftover ingredients typically found in the fridge, alongside Cardiff Met alumnus, celebrity chef and vegan influencer Matt Pritchard.” This supper event was televised by the BBC, extending its reach beyond the university and helping amplify key messages around food waste to a wider audience. “This initiative helped to normalise low-waste cooking and empower students with practical skills they can carry beyond university,” says Andrew. 

How does Food Made Good support sustainability in universities? 

Both Ray and Andrew note that using the Food Made Good Framework and working through the certification has made a big difference. “Receiving our Food Made Good report and final score helped us focus our efforts on where we can have the greatest impact; it’s provided an independent perspective that complements our own sustainability priorities and helps turn strategy into action,” says Andrew.

“The findings directly informed the refresh of our Sustainability Strategy, as well as our Sustainable Food and Sustainable Seafood Policies, which are all cross-referenced to ensure food, environment, procurement and engagement are aligned rather than working in silos. This integrated approach has helped us prioritise areas such as waste reduction, energy and water efficiency in catering, and to develop clearer standards around sourcing and disposables. Overall, the Standard has helped us confirm what works and to focus on our next steps, reinforcing food as a practical and visible part of a joined-up sustainability strategy rather than a standalone activity.” 

By giving catering staff a clear sense of how everyday decisions connect to university-wide sustainability goals, the Standard has strengthened team engagement and motivation, says Andrew. "Food Made Good helps turn sustainability into something practical and motivating. It gives teams a shared language, highlights quick wins as well as longer-term goals, and makes progress visible, both internally and externally. For example, our Climate Action team is developing stories around the Food Made Good Standard to help highlight to students and staff that their expectations on sustainability in their food are being met. For universities, that combination of structure, credibility and encouragement can be a powerful catalyst for building a joined-up, confident sustainability journey from the outset.” 

“It’s easy for sustainability to be a hard place to work and get stuck in the negatives,” Ray adds. “Food Made Good celebrates the good stuff and, importantly, celebrates those who are doing good things. This is a huge motivator — not just for those who were already fully behind more sustainable food, but for those on the periphery who now want to be part of the success.” 

How can universities get started on sustainability? 

“Start with the students and what they care about, and work it out from there,” Ray advises. “Food Made Good can give a structure and a credibility to that work.” 

“When universities are starting their sustainability journey, the most important first step is to focus on the basics they can control and measure,” says Andrew. “That usually means energy, water, waste and food: areas where action can be taken quickly, progress can be tracked, and benefits are visible across campus. Starting here helps build momentum and credibility, rather than trying to tackle everything at once. It also helps university leadership see the financial benefits, which can be rapid and significant — in the case of Cardiff Met, this has enabled us to recycle more than £1m of utility savings annually into other priorities. You can find out more about our Halve the Half initiative and its outcomes here.” 

“Equally important is putting the right foundations in place,” he continues. “Clear policies, shared goals, and strong links among estates, catering, procurement and engagement teams make sustainability part of how the institution operates, not something that is bolted on to satisfy compliance. Embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making early on makes long-term progress much easier. This is where a third-party certification like Food Made Good can be especially helpful. It provides a clear, structured framework that helps universities understand where they are starting from, what good practice looks like, and where to focus next. Because it’s independently assessed, it also brings confidence and consistency, helping teams prioritise actions based on impact rather than assumptions.” 

What lessons can restaurants learn from universities?

With this level of success in reducing environmental impact, are there lessons that other hospitality businesses can learn from university initiatives? 

At the University of Otago, they encouraged a student to lead the Food Made Good submission and to be responsible for gathering all of the data, which Ray says was a great development opportunity for them. "I wonder if this is transferable to restaurants — could Food Made Good present a learning and development opportunity for an up-and-coming manager?" he suggests. "Completing the submission would help this person understand areas of the business that they might not normally interact with. It also takes it off the desk of the owner/senior management."

“One of the biggest lessons hospitality businesses can take is the value of treating sustainability as a system, rather than a series of one-off actions,” says Andrew. “Universities manage complex, high-volume food operations, and progress tends to happen fastest when environmental impact is built into everyday processes, from procurement and menu design to energy use and waste handling, rather than relying on individual champions or ad-hoc initiatives. Universities also show the power of measurement and feedback; regularly tracking things like food waste, energy use and water consumption makes impacts visible, helps teams spot quick wins and builds confidence that changes are actually working. That evidence makes it easier to engage staff and justify further improvements.” 

“If we could share one piece of advice for other foodservice operations, it would be this: start with what happens every day, and make sustainability part of the routine,” Andrew wraps up. “Focus first on the areas you interact with most often — such as waste, portioning, menu planning and energy use — and build simple habits and systems around them. With the support of a framework like the Food Made Good Standard, those everyday changes add up quickly, creating environmental benefits without adding unnecessary complexity.” 

“Don’t underestimate the ripple effect of telling your sustainability story,” adds Ray. “When you consider the behaviour changes that ripple out because students learn something through the food experience, it’s clear that what we do on-site is only a small part of our impact.”  

Lead image courtesy of Cardiff Metropolitan University.

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