This policy establishes the framework for the reduction, management, and eventual elimination of single-use plastic waste across all University of Thessaly campuses and operations. It aims to minimize the environmental impact of plastic consumption, promote sustainable alternatives, and integrate plastic reduction measures into all procurement, catering, and operational practices.<\/p>\n
This policy applies to:
\n– All University departments, faculties, administrative units, and research centers.
\n– All University-managed facilities, including cafeterias, dormitories, laboratories, and event spaces.
\n– Contractors, vendors, and partners providing goods or services to the University.
\n– University-sponsored events and public outreach activities.<\/p>\n
It covers the entire lifecycle of plastic products \u2014 from procurement and use to disposal and recycling.<\/p>\n
– Plastic waste: Any discarded plastic product, material, or packaging that cannot be reused or recycled within University operations.
\n– Single-use plastics: Disposable plastic products intended for one-time use (e.g., bottles, straws, cutlery, food containers, packaging).
\n– Recycling: The process of converting waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials.
\n– Sustainable alternative: Non-plastic or reusable products that minimize environmental impact.
\n– Extended producer responsibility (EPR): The obligation of suppliers to manage post-consumer waste from their products.<\/p>\n
The University of Thessaly recognizes its responsibility to reduce plastic pollution and commits to sustainable practices that contribute to a circular economy. To this end, the University shall:
\n1. Discourages the procurement and use of single-use plastic products where feasible.
\n2. Encourages the Replacement of plastic materials with sustainable or biodegradable alternatives.
\n3. Promote refill and reuse systems for beverages, catering, and laboratory use.
\n4. Encourages the Establishment of designated plastic collection and recycling points on all campuses.
\n5. Integrate plastic waste reduction criteria into all procurement contracts.
\n6. Organize educational campaigns to raise awareness on plastic pollution.
\n7. Collaborate with local municipalities and recycling organizations for waste management.
\n8. Monitor, report, and continually improve performance on plastic waste reduction.<\/p>\n
The Procurement Office, and the departments of a) Biochemistry and Biotechnology, b) Medicine, c) Veterinary Medicine and d) School of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with the Sustainability Committee and Directorate of Technical Services, is responsible for implementing this policy. Specific responsibilities include:
\n– Developing guidelines on sustainable purchasing and plastic-free procurement.
\n– Conducting audits to assess plastic \u00a0types and quantities \u00a0used.
\n– Installing appropriate waste segregation and recycling infrastructure.
\n– Coordinating staff and student engagement programmes.
\n– Monitoring progress through measurable indicators (e.g., reduction rates, recycling volumes).
\n– Including plastic waste reduction clauses in supplier contracts.
\n– Reporting annually to the University Senate and integrating results in the Sustainability Report.<\/p>\n
The University shall maintain a Plastic Waste \u00a0Register documenting:
\n– Data on Procurement and discart \u00a0of plastic products.
\n– Waste Recycling rates and \u00a0diversion from goals .
\n– Awareness and training initiatives conducted.
\n– Annual targets and achievements in plastic waste reduction.<\/p>\n
The Sustainability Committee will review data annually and include the outcomes in the University\u2019s Sustainability and Impact Ranking reports (SDG 12 & 14).<\/p>\n
This policy will be reviewed every three (3) years or earlier if new legislation, technological advancements, or sustainability strategies arise. Revisions will be proposed by the Sustainability Committee and approved by the Governing Council.<\/p>\n
– Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) \u2013 ESG Environmental Standards
\n– UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 14)
\n– EU Directive 2019\/904 on the Reduction of the Impact of Certain Plastic Products
\n– Greek Law 4736\/2020 on Single-Use Plastics
\n– EU Circular Economy Action Plan (2020)
\n– ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Plastic Waste Reduction Policy 1. Purpose This policy establishes the framework for the reduction, management, and eventual elimination of single-use plastic waste across all University of Thessaly campuses and operations. It aims to minimize the environmental impact of plastic consumption, promote sustainable alternatives, and integrate plastic reduction measures into all procurement, catering, and operational practices. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1166","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2062,"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1166\/revisions\/2062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdg.uth.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}