University of Sunderland
‘Recover, Re-use, Repair and Produce’ to reduce waste in Healthcare Technical Support
Winner, Creating Impact
About
Healthcare Technicians for Technical Support Services have achieved significant environmental and financial savings for the university by adopting a recover, repair, produce approach to consumable items used by healthcare students from pharmacy, medicine, nursing, paramedics – all of whom use single-use items in the practice of clinical skills and laboratory sessions.
This initiative was completely driven and led by Healthcare Technicians who employed their innovative and creative thinking and a resource saving mindset brought from other industries like the armed services and the NHS, to deliver fantastic results for the University and the environment. With the purchase of goods and services accounting for almost 60% of our carbon footprint, we are extremely proud of this initiative which helps bring down this environmental impact through reducing consumption, and moves us towards the adoption of circular economy principles more broadly.
Top 3 learnings
1. Participative Management: One of the keys to the success of this initiative is that the team have been empowered to use their initiative to solve problems. Even if it means something doesn’t work first time, they are trusted to keep trying until they find the solution.
2. Collaboration and Teamwork: working on the projects required effective communication and cooperation among interested team members. Being able to share ideas, dividing tasks, and supporting each other to complete a common goal.
3. Problem-Solving and Adaptability: The project helped develop problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to unexpected challenges and situations.
What is means to win
“Receiving a Green Gown Award at the University of Sunderland would highlight aspects of our continued work and good practice in embedding sustainability perspectives in our curriculum. We hope that this will inspire others to follow this approach, both inside and beyond our university”.
Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive
Sustainable Development Goals
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Award sponsor
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| 2026 | |
| Creating Impact | |
| Winner, UK and Ireland Finalist, International | |
