Did you know that we are playing our part in tackling the climate emergency? The university is building on existing research and education programmes and connections to industry and society, focusing on The Way to Sustainable – the real-life implications of creating a sustainable future and the practical challenges of getting there.

We are so pleased to share with you how our students have raised £46,928 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in 2021 and helped cut waste on campus by donating unwanted clothes and personal items last academic year. This money will help fund research into heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes. At the end of the summer term last year, students had given 3,352 bags, adding up to over 26.8 tonnes of material, saving 272,906 kg of CO₂ emissions.

Amanda Purkiss from the British Heart Foundation said:

“Students at the University of Warwick have been so generous with their donations when they leave campus. Our clothes banks on campus are well used and allow us to fill our shops over the summer, at a time when we normally see a dip in donations.”

Wendy Roberts, Director of Accommodation and Campus Cleaning Services at the University of Warwick said:

“We are thrilled that student donations in 2021 amounted to over £46,000 for this very important cause. It’s a simple thing to do but it has so many benefits. Not only does it provide clothes for the British Heart Foundation to sell in charity shops, but it gives new life to items and saves tonnes of material from going to waste.”

The university has been involved in BHF's 'Pack for Good' campaign since 2013, encouraging students to leave unwanted items in designated clothes banks when they are packing. In total, we have donated 422.2 tonnes of material, saving 4,297,218 kilos of CO₂ emissions by preventing the material from going to landfill and raising a total of £738,934 for BHF.

We have a waste target to double the volume of all donations from campus by 2025 and to get to Net Zero carbon emissions (direct and indirect) by 2050? This is one of five pathways in our soon to be published ‘Way to Sustainable’ strategy to help improve university resilience, renewable energy networks, sustainable transport, innovative materials and supply chain and services.

Professor Christine Ennew, Provost at the University of Warwick said:

“This BHF initiative and these positive results demonstrate that students on campus can make a huge collective impact on reducing waste and carbon emissions by taking individual action.

“At Warwick we have a waste target to double the volume of donations from campus by 2025 and to get to Net Zero carbon emissions (direct and indirect) by 2050. In order to get there, we recognise that behavioural change needs to happen if we’re all to make a positive impact. Warwick’s focus is on developing more sustainable operations, and using simple but innovative ways to inspire, enable and encourage our staff, students, visitors and our wider communities to embrace the changes needed to tackle climate change.”