Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
SDG12 focuses on issues relating to sustainable consumption and production, including sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, reducing food waste, increasing recycling and reuse, and more. At Lynn University, these issues take on a variety of forms – from becoming a Fair Trade University and engaging in responsible partnerships across several institutional processes, to reducing the amount of plastic the institution consumes and engaging in education and awareness regarding sustainable consumption and production.
This report is organized into three sections:
Institutional Initiatives: Refers to ongoing initiatives at the institution that are currently active, occur every year, and relate to SDG12. Wherever possible, statistics are provided to show the impact of this work.
Events/News: Refers to single events or news that occurred during the reporting year of AY21-22 relating to SDG12. These are not recurring, and as such are not part of the long-term initiatives.
Courses: Refers to all the courses in the university’s academic catalogue for the reporting year of AY21-22 that deal with issues related to SDG12.
Goal 12
Institutional Initiatives
Fair-Trade University
In 2018, Lynn University became the 48th Fair-Trade University in the United States. It has since continued to retain its certification, with a student-led Fair-Trade Taskforce that works on awareness campaigns to promote fair-trade products on campus.
Water bottle restrictions
Lynn University eliminated water bottle distributions to campus offices in 2020 and has retained this policy to help reduce plastic consumption. This initiative eliminates approximately 70,000 water bottles per year at the institution and replaces the plastic waste with water dispensing stations that can be found across campus. Employees and visitors are encouraged to use reusable water containers. This policy is part of the institution’s sustainability strategy, which aligns with its green building policies, sustainable and ecological landscaping, and other green initiatives.
By restricting the number of plastic bottles on campus, Lynn University helps further target 12.5 of SDG12, which focuses on substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
Responsible partnerships
Lynn University partners with Sodexo for the catering and food services needs of the institution. Sodexo is well-known for its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), including its commitment to sustainable resource usage, environmental responsibility, and sustainable business practices. At Lynn University, Sodexo has also committed to working with local farms using seasonal products; recycling cans, glass, cardboard, and other products; and using water and energy effective dishwashing technology to minimize its impact on the environment.
By engaging in responsible partnerships with organizations that have a proven record of sustainability through responsible sourcing, production, and consumption, Lynn University helps further target 12.3 of SDG12, which focuses on halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses in the production and supply chains.
Plastic bottles saved since 2020
210,000
Plastic bottles saved since 2020
210,000