Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing

Watch: Sustainability

Auxiliary Services is proud to partner with vendors who prioritize sustainability and ethical sourcing as part of their mission.

Chartwells Higher Education

Chartwells Higher Education, UNC Charlotte’s dining and catering partner, is committed to sourcing environmentally-friendly products and food, reducing food waste and cutting down on single-use plastics.

Fair Trade and Green Star certified

Both Crown Commons and SoVi dining halls serve Fair Trade Certified coffee and serve locally-based S&D Tea. Thoughtful Cup, located in the ground floor of Fretwell Building, serves locally-roasted Jags Head Coffee, and Aurum Cafe in the Science Building offers Change Please Coffee. All profits from Change Please Coffee are donated to provide people experiencing homelessness opportunities to thrive.

Market on Craver and SoVi Market and Bakery both feature Fair Trade products from Ben and Jerry’s and Bark Thins. Dining Services has increased its locally-sourced produce year over year. More local and Fair Trade-certified products are added to retail and dining hall locations throughout the year.

Dining halls use exclusively cage-free eggs and source produce from local farmers whenever possible. Read more about Chartwells sustainability measures.

Waste reduction

Crown Commons and SoVi dining halls are both three-star Green Certified restaurants. In fall 2022, Dining Services will introduce climate labeling to help students make more informed dining decisions and understand the environmental and social impact of their food.

Reusable Ozzi containers for takeout are available for a refundable $6 fee from both dining halls. The containers help to deter landfill waste from styrofoam containers and single-use plastics.

A number of dining locations participate in waste reduction programs, including:

  • using Fresh2U recyclable packaging containers for to-go items;
  • implementing a Zero-waste initiative at the football stadium;
  • using back-of-house composting in both dining halls, catering, commissary kitchen, football stadium and a number of retail dining venues;
  • Skip-the-Straw and Skip-the-Lid Campaigns; 
  • donating to the Food Recovery Network and the Jamily Niner Student Pantry;
  • hosting Stop Food Waste Day annually;
  • recycling 100% of our fryer oil into biodiesel; and
  • serving Imperfectly Delicious produce.

Teaching Kitchens

Dining Services sponsors teaching kitchens at the UREC demo kitchen to educate students about preparing food at home, budgeting and preventing food waste. Teaching kitchens are hosted by certified professional chefs, providing hands-on opportunities for students to learn important life skills from culinary experts. 

Honey bees

An active, productive beehive on the south side of campus near South Village Deck serves as both a teaching tool and a source of delicious raw honey. 

Hydroponic grow towers

Leafy greens and lettuces are grown in-house and harvested for consumption at the dining halls, just steps away from where they are cultivated.

BARNES & NOBLE CHARLOTTE PARTNERSHIPS

Barnes & Noble Charlotte is our official campus bookstore committed to providing high-quality collegiate merchandise, spirit gear and textbooks at an excellent value. 

Barnes & Noble Charlotte partners with brands that support great causes like Operation Hat Trick, a non-profit organization committed to supporting wounded service members. The organization has donated over $3 million to veterans’ organizations that provide specialized services, care and equipment.  

In addition to supporting worthwhile social causes, Barnes & Noble Charlotte is proud to carry League Legacy merchandise using REPREVE® sustainable fabric. REPREVE® uses fibers made from recycled bottles to make quality products that have a positive impact on the environment.

WASTE-FREE PRINTING

Papercut, Charlotte’s printing software, helps to ensure waste-free printing on campus. 

Papercut has the ability to default to duplex printing. The software only releases a print job once the user requests it at the device, cutting down on waste from the 12% of print jobs that are never retrieved. The report dashboard shows exactly how many trees users have printed to raise awareness about print waste.

Ricoh multifunction devices deployed across campus meet or exceed Energy Star standards. 

49ER MOBILE ID

The 49er Card Office is in the process of reducing microchip and plastic waste by phasing in the use of 49er Mobile ID Cards over a four-year period. By the end of the project’s implementation, 49er ID Cards will be available exclusively on mobile devices, eliminating the need to print nearly 7,000 RFID-enabled cards annually.   

REFRESHING AND RECYCLABLE VENDING

Our vending contracts with PepsiCo, Canteen and Coca-Cola Consolidated provide convenient and delicious on-the-go options for campus. 

PepsiCo has a multi-pronged approach to sustainability focused on agriculture, reducing climate impacts, water security, reduced-sugar offerings, improving recycling infrastructure and supporting local communities.  

Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Refresh Recycle Renew program invests in recapturing recyclable packaging and creating closed-loop economies.

Canteen actively reduces food waste through its Waste Not tracking program and funds clean water projects globally with sales from its RightWater product.