ENVIRONMENT
Our school environment – and the activities that happen within it – have a significant impact on people and the planet. Which is why we’re striving to decarbonise our buildings, prioritise sustainable consumption – and use energy more efficiently.
To minimise our environmental footprint, we’re:
- Reducing our energy consumption and carbon emissions
- Improving our waste management and recycling
- Promoting sustainable consumption in our operations
Resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
Staff travel
Most of our colleagues travel regularly. We travel to and from work and we visit different campuses and clients.
- 47% of colleagues receive a bike allowance
- 40% of colleagues receive a public transport allowance
Our flexible, annual transport budget helps us to choose lower impact options. Since the introduction of the budget, expense claims for parking tickets have halved.
The percentage of colleagues using electric and hybrid vehicles is gradually increasing – with 14% of colleagues now driving them.
Water
We have a number of initiatives that aim to reduce water use, including:
- Reprogramming the toilet flush system
- Optimising the cistern
- Switching to cleaning with bio-organisms
Current on-campus energy use
We want to reduce our emissions. As part of this, we engaged an independent, accredited organisation to assess our energy efficiency.
This organisation measured our electricity, gas and sanitation use to calculate our CO₂ footprint. They took into account initiatives already in place across our campuses – and provided a rating for our buildings.
They also suggested how we could further decarbonise our buildings.
These were our results in early 2023:
“
The energy and water audit was carried out from November 2022 through to May 2023 on our three campuses in Brussels, Ghent and Leuven. An independent and accredited organisation measured our carbon footprint and suggested actions to reduce our footprint.”
— Steven Clemminck, Facilities Manager Vlerick Business School
Reducing energy consumption
Raising awareness
Colleagues stay up-to-date with our environmental objectives – and what they can do to support them – via staff meetings.
However, the Vlerick community is made up of 7,000 students and participants who may only spend occasional days on campus. It’s therefore important that sustainability is embedded in our infrastructure, rather than being the responsibility of individuals.
Reducing energy consumption on campus
We use the following frameworks to improve our carbon footprint:
- EU Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (EU CRREM)
- Flemish Energy Label for non-residential buildings
The EU CRREM aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. We have chosen the most ambitious goal of 1.5°C.
The Flemish Energy Label shows the percentage of renewable energy that non-residential buildings use. The aim of the label is to get all non-residential buildings using 100% renewable energy by 2050. To achieve this, we have taken the following actions:
In the future, we will take additional measures on our campuses.
On our Ghent campus, we’ll retrofit the building to meet energy efficiency standards. This will significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We will:
- Replace single-glazed windows with high-efficiency glass
- Install solar panels
- Partially replace our HVAC system
- Review lighting
This will reduce carbon emissions by 50% before 2027. After this, our Ghent buildings will emit 21kg per m².
On our Leuven campus, we will:
- Install solar panels
This will reduce carbon emissions by 33% before 2027. After this, our buildings will emit 25kg per m².
On our Brussels campus, we will:
- Switch to carbon-efficient lighting
Future use of campuses
Many of our colleagues have embraced hybrid working. So we’re now investigating the sustainability impact of our buildings being less used.
Carbon footprint measurement
End 2023, Vlerick engaged in a full carbon footprint measurement. The results have been published in this report. We set 2030 as target year to be net zero and work on a carbon reduction plan for the largest emission factors, such as a sustainable travel policy and further energy efficiency measures. To date, Vlerick has not purchased verified carbon offset credits. Instead, we’ve focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through investment.
Waste management and recycling
We reduce waste on campus by:
- Buying sustainable products from local suppliers, wherever possible.
- Providing decentralised water filling stations to reduce use of single plastics.
- We’re also considering bottling our own still and sparkling water.
- And we want to reduce the number of biodegradable cups that end up in mixed waste.
We also reduce waste by intensive recycling. We use recycled paper for printing, collect and recycle waste paper – and find ways to re-use and repurpose materials.
For example:
Sustainable consumption
We’re passionate about using products and services that minimise ecological impact.
Catering
In partnership with Sodexo, we serve food that’s as seasonable as possible. Our tea and coffee is fairtrade. We also source supplies from small, local producers – and are building partnerships with local producer cooperatives.
We‘ve set a goal of reducing our food waste by 50% before 2025.
Cleaning
Our Ghent campus is cleaned using micro-organisms – without water or chemical agents. These organisms “eat” visible and invisible dirt – and are dispersed in rooms by atomisers and air conditioning. Stubborn dirt is removed using microfibre cloths or mops.
This approach to cleaning ensures a healthier working climate, as allergens and germs are removed – and people are not exposed to irritating cleaning chemicals.
Paper consumption
Due to hybrid working – and increased delivery of online programmes – we’ve significantly reduced our consumption of paper. Our teaching materials are increasingly digital.
For decades, we’ve only used 100% eco-friendly paper in our printing services. And our partially recycled paper complies with the EU ecolabel. This means it doesn’t use chlorines, optical whitening or chemical additives. We also participate in the Ricoh Smart Return Programme for empty toner cartridges and waste toners.