Our objectives
Our goals for the coming years:
- Gain an insight into the chain of our products. Our products are locally sourced, seasonal and natural, with minimal emissions from farm to fork.
- Eliminate food waste on the Radboud University campus.
- At least 80% of all products and meals sold are vegetarian and at least 25% of these are vegan.
- Minimise waste from packaging and disposables. The remaining packaging is made of bio-based or reusable materials.
- Encourage our guests to help us achieve our goals by choosing our sustainable options and behaving in a sustainable way.
Where we are now
Vegetarian and vegan options
- In our on-campus outlets, vegetarian or vegan options are increasingly becoming the standard. We encourage our guests to make sustainable choices by focusing on sustainable options.
- Catering guides are fully vegetarian or vegan as standard.
- We offer plant-based milk at all coffee corners and in an increasing number of coffee machines.
A healthy and inclusive working environment
- We actively participate in initiatives that contribute to the health of our guests and our environment. Examples include National Week without Meat (Nationale Week Zonder Vlees), Dry January (Ik Pas) and the Radboud Impact Festival.
- We are committed to inclusivity and a safe working environment for all. That is why we have been working with people with a disadvantage on the job market for many years. We do this by training and employing people. We train people in our Hospitality team through a two-year apprenticeship programme and employ people with a disadvantage on the job market in several departments.
- For the vending machines on campus we use the Health Food Wall. This is where users can buy a fresh, healthy and plant-based meal or snack 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are currently eight Health Food Walls across campus.
- Several Join the Pipe water taps have been installed around campus. A matching bottle can be purchased from the campus shop. The money raised from the purchase of these points goes towards water projects around the world.
- We use local and/or sustainable suppliers.
Recycling and reducing food waste
- We have introduced the BillieCup as a sustainable alternative to disposable cups.
- We combat food waste by producing and delivering to order. Any leftovers are sold via the ‘Too Good To Go’ app.
- Waste is separated at all catering locations and we encourage our guests to do the same. We collect bottles and cans that are part of the deposit system for charity (the Radboud Fund).
- Coffee grounds are collected and reused as a raw material.
- The Netherlands has very good tap water, and packaging and transporting mineral water is not sustainable. Therefore, the department uses filtered tap water in reusable bottles wherever possible.
This is what we are going to do
- When tendering for the new coffee machines on campus, we will look for the most sustainable supplier.
- We will continue to develop our vegetarian and vegan ranges.
- We will work to further reduce food waste based on a baseline measurement of our food waste.
- From 1 January 2024 onwards, no single-use plastics will be used by the Food & Beverage department.
What can you do to help?
When it comes to food and drink, you can contribute to sustainability by making your own sustainable choices when buying products. For example, you can choose vegan or vegetarian meals more often, and also try to avoid using single-use packaging.