Climate Change Data

High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE)

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2015-03 to 2018-05, 2019-2021, 2020)

Reporting Period: 2015-03 to 2018-05

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:500 tonnes CO2 reduction per year
Waste Generated:163 tonnes of food waste collected (August 2017-March 2019), 60% from UCS cafes

ESG Focus Areas

  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Social Responsibility
  • Resource Efficiency

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced carbon footprint by 33% per kilogram of food purchased.
  • Reduced land use by 28% per kilogram of food purchased.
  • Reduced overall carbon emissions by 10.5% despite increased food volume.
  • Saved over 30,000 plastic bottles from landfill per year.
  • Prevented over 2.5 million pieces of single-use plastic from landfill through compostable disposables.

Social Achievements

  • Increased sales and profit despite increased food costs.
  • Provided vegan cookery classes and market trips for chefs.
  • Provided training on sustainability marketing for café managers.
  • Widely supported by customers without requiring behavioral changes.

Governance Achievements

  • Developed a Sustainable Food Policy with four key aims.
  • Secured support from catering staff through briefings and training.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Sharing learning with other universities and institutions.
  • Monitoring the impact of the Sustainable Food Policy annually.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Improving communication of environmental benefits to customers.
  • Encouraging greater uptake of initiatives by Cambridge Colleges.
Short-term Goals:
  • Reducing the use of plastics and disposables.

Environmental Challenges

  • Limited time and resources for sustainability initiatives.
  • Reducing plastic and disposable use.
  • Encouraging wider adoption of sustainable practices across Cambridge Colleges.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Focused on high-impact areas with advice from researchers.
  • Implemented a 25p charge for disposable cups.
  • Collaborating with researchers on innovative methods to reduce disposables.
  • Sharing learning with other universities and institutions.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Sustainable fish sourcing
  • Use of compostable disposables

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Awards & Recognition

  • Sustainability Award from The Universities Caterers Organisation (TUCO) in 2018
  • Food and Drink Green Gown Award in 2017

Reporting Period: 2019-2021

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:Not disclosed
Total Energy Consumption:Not disclosed
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change

Environmental Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Social Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Medium-term Goals:
  • Zero CO2 emissions from buildings by 2035
  • Match UK electricity grid emissions intensity at all outdoor shows from 2025 onwards
  • Zero emissions from organisational travel by 2035
  • Limit total sector air miles to a maximum of 80% of 2019 levels
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce emissions from buildings by 50% from 2015 levels by 2025
  • Reduce emissions from surface travel by 20% from 2015 levels by 2025
  • Adopt measures that promote significant uptake of low carbon travel options by 2025

Environmental Challenges

  • High carbon emissions from live music events due to energy use in buildings and outdoor events, surface travel, air travel (for people and equipment), and audience travel.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Developed a roadmap with targets for emissions reduction across different areas of activity, focusing on reducing demand where low-carbon options are unavailable. Recommended actions and approaches across various emission sources, emphasizing the integration of super-low carbon practices from the inception of a tour.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement
  • Evaluate whole life costs on financial, environmental and social grounds

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Not disclosed
Transition Risks
  • Not disclosed
Opportunities
  • Not disclosed

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Null

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Not disclosed

Awards & Recognition

  • Not disclosed

Reporting Period: 2020

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 2 Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 3 Emissions:Not disclosed
Renewable Energy Share:Not disclosed
Total Energy Consumption:Not disclosed
Water Consumption:Not disclosed
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed

ESG Focus Areas

  • Food security and nutrition
  • Sustainable food systems
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Social equity and inclusion

Environmental Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Social Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Governance Achievements

  • Not disclosed

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Medium-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Short-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed

Environmental Challenges

  • Increasing hunger
  • Expanding malnutrition (overweight, obesity, micronutrient deficiencies)
  • Uneven quality of food environments
  • Ongoing food safety concerns
  • Precarious food system livelihoods
  • Extensive external costs of food systems
  • Climate change impacts on food systems
  • Natural resource degradation
  • Food hazards and emerging diseases
  • Surging pests
  • Weaknesses in post-harvest handling and storage infrastructure
  • Growing concentration in agri-food supply chains
  • Financialization in the food system
  • Fragile global economic situation
  • Changing demand balance between food/feed/fuel
  • Limited access to land, resources, and markets for small-scale producers
  • Weak and fragmented food security governance
  • Declining public sector investment in agriculture
  • Civil strife and conflict
  • Persistent inequalities
  • Slow progress on women’s empowerment
  • Population change and urbanization
  • Declining youth interest in agriculture
Mitigation Strategies
  • Support for a radical transformation of food systems
  • Recognition of the complex interplay between food systems and other sectors
  • Focus on hunger and all forms of malnutrition
  • Development of context-specific solutions
  • Strengthening governance mechanisms
  • Robust research agenda

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Not disclosed

Responsible Procurement
  • Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (RAI)

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
  • Droughts
  • Water scarcity
Transition Risks
  • Changes in agricultural practices
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of climate-resilient crops
  • Agroecological practices

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Certifications: Null

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)
  • SDG 1 (No Poverty)
  • SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)
  • SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
  • SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
  • SDG 13 (Climate Action)
  • SDG 15 (Life on Land)

The report explains how initiatives contribute to these goals through sustainable food systems.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Agroecological practices
  • Climate-smart agriculture

Awards & Recognition

  • Not disclosed