Skip to main content

Performance

We are working towards auditing and increasing our efficiencies of water and energy usage, recycling, green procurement, campus maintenance, and biodiversity.

Energy consumption

Energy consumption fell by 2.5% in 2019-20, compared to 2018-19, to 113,636,891kWh.

Carbon emissions, calculated against average grid and network emissions, continued to fall during academic year 2019-20 (now 27% below 2005/06) following grid decarbonisation.

Energy enquiries

Environmental enquiries

Responsible procurement

Procurement Services are committed to assisting Cardiff University in building an inclusive, responsible, and resilient future for our community and bringing ESG benefits to Cardiff, Wales, and the wider World. We endeavour to conduct every procurement responsibly, with emission reduction targets and social value in mind.

Companies wishing to provide goods, services or works to the University must therefore demonstrate a commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG).

Our Responsible Procurement Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct recognises procurement as a key driver in securing broader ESG benefits for the city, region, and nation, such as decarbonisation, fair trade and labour practices and support for local businesses and communities. This is reflected in our aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions, enhance fair labour practices in our supply chain, and adhere to best practices where possible and regulatory and policy compliance.

Both the Responsible Procurement Policy and the Supplier Code of Conduct are aligned to the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 Well-being Goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University is also certified and committed to upholding International Standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. These are designed to ensure ethical considerations when purchasing goods, services or works.

The Responsible Procurement Policy was released in July 2024, and the Supplier Code of Conduct was released in January 2025. Both are reviewed annually and tracked regularly to ensure that our aims are deliverable and aspirational. They can both be viewed in the Related Documents section of this page.

Roadmap to Responsible Procurement

Below are key dates of our journey to becoming responsible in our procurement activities:

  • July 2024: Responsible Procurement Policy
  • January 2027: Accreditations
  • January 2025: Supplier Code of Conduct
  • March 2025: Strategic Supplier Scope 3 evaluation
  • July 2025: Further training - to include clients and suppliers
  • April 2026: Potential recruitment

Accolades

Award/nominationDateDetails
European IT and Software Excellence Awards, 2017March 2017Awarded to the Redwood ARCCA Supercomputer Datacentre, through our solution provider Schneider Electric, working in partnership with Schneider Electric (APC), Comtec Power, CoolTherm and Cardiff University staff (ARCCA, Estates and University IT) - for work in optimising the operational and energy efficiency of the datacentre.
Guardian University Awards - SustainabilityMarch 2017Our bee-friendly project won the sustainability project category. We are engaging with local schools and science projects across south Wales to provide a better environment for bees while seeking to develop new honey-based antibiotics.
Innovation in Sustainability awardJune 2015Experts from the Welsh School of Architecture have designed a smart house that produces more energy than it uses. This project has been honoured at the 2015 Cardiff Innovation and Impact Awards
Soil Association Food for Life Catering MarkOctober 2012We became the first University within Wales to be recognised by the Soil Association for its commitment to providing food that is freshly prepared, free from controversial additives and better for animal welfare.
BREEAM Awards Wales 2012July 2012The new Hadyn Ellis Building being constructed at Maindy Park, has won a major award for its sustainability.
ISO 14001 Environmental Management System We became the first University within Wales to have received both ISO 14001 - an internationally accepted standard that signifies an organisation’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact - and BS OHSAS 18001 which recognises the promotion of a safe and healthy working environment.
Green gown Award NominationAugust 2011An innovative social marketing initiative aimed at reducing the incidence of deliberate grassfires was shortlisted in the Social Responsibility category. 
Queen's Award for Voluntary ServiceJuly 2010The Cardiff Conservation Volunteers (CCV), a group co-founded by John Newton, previously an Assistant Director in the University's Finance Division, was awarded outstanding work in the local community. 
Green Gown AwardJune 2010A Cardiff University student-run enterprise, which promotes the consumption of locally-sourced, affordable fruit and vegetables was given the award for Student Initiatives and Campaigns.
Carbon Trust StandardMay 2010We became the first University within Wales to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, a national mark of excellence. This was in recognition of its work and results and ongoing commitment to reduce its carbon emissions.