Brock University promotes ethical sourcing through its procurement framework and supplier requirements. The University expects suppliers and subcontractors to conduct business in an ethical, legally compliant, environmentally responsible, and socially responsible manner.

Examples of Brock’s ethical sourcing requirements include:

• Sustainable and Ethical Procurement: Brock’s Procurement Policy, amended in May of 2026, explicitly commits the University to integrating sustainability, accessibility, and social responsibility into procurement decisions, considering environmental impacts, life-cycle costs, and community impacts where practicable.
• Supplier Code of Conduct: Brock establishes minimum standards for suppliers and subcontractors relating to ethical business conduct, human rights, labour practices, workplace health and safety, and environmental responsibility. The Code also addresses the prohibition of child labour.
• Fair Trade Food Sourcing: Brock has maintained its Fair-Trade Campus designation since 2013. Fair Trade products, including coffee, tea, and chocolate, are available at campus locations. This commitment supports more responsible supply chains and greater consideration of the working conditions and livelihoods of producers.
• Sustainable Dining and Food Procurement: Brock Dining Services commits to responsible sourcing practices, including purchasing local ingredients whenever possible, offering Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified products, sourcing humanely raised animal products, and serving seafood certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council or Marine Stewardship Council.
• Sustainability Policy: Brock’s Sustainability Policy, amended in June of 2026, establishes sustainability as a core University value and recognizes the importance of balancing human, financial, and environmental considerations in university activities and decision-making.

Through its procurement policies and supplier standards, Brock University works to ensure that social, environmental, ethical, and human rights considerations are integrated into purchasing and supplier relationships.

Brock University maintains formal procedures and management systems for safe handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste. The University’s hazardous waste management framework is designed to protect human health, ensure regulatory compliance, and minimize environmental impacts associated with hazardous materials.

Examples include:

• Hazardous Waste Management System (HWMS): Brock operates a Hazardous Waste Management System developed jointly by Health, Safety and Wellness and Science Stores. The system includes guidelines for biohazardous, chemical and other hazardous waste materials segregation, identification, packaging, transportation, and regulatory record-keeping requirements.
• Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal Procedures: Chemical hazardous and biohazardous waste generated in laboratories is managed through formal collection, storage, transportation, and disposal procedures that comply with applicable environmental regulations and waste management requirements. Brock’s procedures are aligned with O. Reg 347 General Waste Management and the C-4: The management of biomedical waste in Ontario.
• Environmental Health and Safety Oversight: Health, Safety and Wellness provides environmental health and safety support, guidance, and oversight related to all hazardous materials and waste management activities across campus.
• Laboratory Chemical Hazardous Waste Procedures: Brock requires hazardous chemical waste to be segregated, labelled, stored, and removed through approved processes. Hazardous materials are prohibited from entering standard waste streams or being disposed of through sinks and drains.
• Science Stores Coordination: Science Stores coordinates hazardous waste collection and works with licensed contractors to ensure the proper transportation and disposal of hazardous materials.
• Sustainability Policy: Brock’s Sustainability Policy establishes the University’s commitment to reducing waste, promoting responsible consumption, and integrating sustainability into campus operations and decision-making.

Through institutional waste management systems, environmental health and safety oversight, and formal hazardous waste disposal procedures, Brock University works to ensure hazardous materials are managed safely and responsibly.

Brock University monitors the amount of waste sent to landfill and the amount diverted through recycling, composting, reuse, and other waste-management practices. The University conducts annual waste audits to measure waste generation, assess waste composition, calculate diversion rates, and identify opportunities to reduce landfill disposal. Brock makes its annual waste audits and related sustainability information publicly available through its Plans, Policies, and Audits page.

Examples of Brock’s waste measurement and landfill-diversion practices include:

• Annual Waste Audits: Brock works with a third-party waste auditor to conduct annual audits of solid, non-hazardous waste. These audits measure the amounts of waste generated, recycled, composted, reused, reduced, and sent to landfill, providing evidence to guide waste-reduction efforts.
• Sustainability Policy: Brock’s Sustainability Policy establishes the University’s commitment to reducing waste, promoting responsible consumption, and integrating sustainability into campus operations and decision-making.
• Waste Measurement and Results: Brock’s 2025 waste audit recorded approximately 1,334 metric tonnes of total waste. Of this, approximately 758 tonnes were sent to landfill, 298 tonnes were recycled, and 254 tonnes were composted. The audit reported an overall waste diversion rate of approximately 43.1%. These results demonstrate the University’s measurement of landfill disposal and diverted materials. The provides the detailed results. Brock’s 2026 annual waste audit is being conducted during the autumn of 2026, and the report will be available early 2027.
• Recycling and Cardboard Diversion: Brock provides recycling infrastructure across campus and operates a cardboard collection and baling program. The University estimates that it generates approximately 357,000 kilograms of cardboard annually, making cardboard recovery an important component of its waste-diversion efforts.
• Organic Waste Collection and Composting: Organic food waste is collected at campus dining locations and designated staff and faculty lunch areas. The collected material is processed through anaerobic digestion, producing nutrient-rich material for agricultural use and renewable energy.
• EcoStation and Coffee-Cup Diversion: The EcoStation in Market Eatery provides separate streams for organics, recycling, and garbage as well as a container washing station. Brock has also introduced dedicated coffee-cup collection stations to divert cups from landfill and send them through its organic-waste processing system.

Through annual waste audits, publicly available waste data, and campus-wide diversion programs, Brock University tracks its waste-management performance and identifies opportunities to reduce the quantity of material sent to landfill.

Brock University supports the reduction of single-use plastics through reusable alternatives, campus infrastructure, sustainable consumption initiatives, and waste-management practices. The University’s Sustainability Policy establishes a broader commitment to integrating sustainable practices into its operations, while campus initiatives encourage students, faculty, staff, and visitors to reduce their reliance on disposable products.

Examples of Brock’s initiatives to minimize plastic use include:

• Water Bottle Refill Stations: Brock has installed 44 water-bottle refill stations across its campuses, encouraging the use of reusable bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles. The stations display usage information and have recorded more than 6.6 million bottle fills cumulatively through the 2023–24 academic year, demonstrating the scale of this alternative to single-use bottles.
• Reusable Dining Ware: Brock’s all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities use reusable dishware, reducing the need for disposable plates and utensils in these settings.
• Sustainable Consumption and Reuse: Brock Sustainability encourages the campus community to bring reusable mugs, food containers, shopping bags, and other alternatives to disposable products. These practices help prevent single-use plastics from being consumed and discarded.
• Campus Recycling Infrastructure: Brock’s mixed recycling program, introduced in 2024, accepts plastic bottles and containers alongside other recyclable materials. Updated bins and signage make it easier for the campus community to sort recyclable materials correctly. Although recycling does not eliminate plastic use, it supports responsible management of plastic products that are still consumed.
• Sustainability Policy: Brock’s publicly available Sustainability Policy commits the University to integrating sustainable practices into its operations and being accountable for its environmental impacts. This provides a broader institutional foundation for resource conservation and waste reduction.

Through refill stations, reusable dining ware, sustainable consumption practices, and recycling infrastructure, Brock University encourages alternatives to single-use plastics and supports more responsible resource use across campus.

Brock University works to minimize the use of disposable items through sustainable procurement practices, reusable-container programs, refill infrastructure, and dining services initiatives that prioritize reuse over single-use products. These measures reduce waste generation, support campus waste-diversion efforts, and encourage more sustainable consumption behaviours among students, employees, and visitors.

Examples include:

• Elimination of Styrofoam: Brock Dining Services has eliminated Styrofoam products from its operations, reducing reliance on single-use materials that are difficult to recycle and commonly sent to landfill.
• Sustainability Policy: Brock’s Sustainability Policy establishes the University’s commitment to reducing waste, promoting responsible consumption, and integrating sustainability into campus operations and decision-making.
• Green 2 Go Reusable Container Program: Brock Dining Services offers reusable takeout containers through its Green 2 Go program, providing an alternative to disposable food-service packaging and encouraging students and employees to participate in a circular reuse system.
• Reusable Mug and Container Incentives: Campus food-service locations provide discounts and incentives for customers who bring reusable mugs and containers, reducing the demand for single-use cups and beverage containers while promoting sustainable consumption habits.
• Water Bottle Refill Stations: Brock maintains 44 water-bottle refill stations across campus, making it convenient for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to use reusable bottles instead of purchasing bottled beverages or relying on disposable plastic containers.
• Waste-Diversion and Reuse Infrastructure: Facilities such as the Eco Station in Market Eatery support waste reduction and sustainable consumption by providing clearly designated collection streams and encouraging the use of reusable containers and cups whenever possible.

Through the elimination of single-use products, reusable-container programs, refill infrastructure, and incentive-based initiatives, Brock University works to reduce disposable-item consumption and promote a campus culture centred on reuse, waste prevention, and sustainable resource use.

Brock University extends its sustainability and waste-reduction expectations to external vendors, contractors, and service providers through its procurement framework and Supplier Code of Conduct. Suppliers providing goods and services to the University are expected to operate in an ethical, socially responsible, and environmentally responsible manner, including minimizing waste, managing resources responsibly, and supporting Brock’s sustainability objectives.

Brock University extends its sustainability and responsible consumption expectations to suppliers, vendors, contractors, and subcontractors through its procurement framework and Supplier Code of Conduct. Organizations providing goods and services to the University are expected to support environmental stewardship, resource efficiency, waste minimization, ethical business practices, and responsible supply-chain management.

Examples include:

• Supplier Code of Conduct: Brock’s Supplier Code of Conduct applies to suppliers and subcontractors providing goods and services to the University. The Code establishes expectations relating to environmental responsibility, resource conservation, waste reduction, biodiversity protection, human rights, labour practices, health and safety, and ethical business conduct.
• Waste Reduction and Resource Management Requirements: Brock’s Supplier Code of Conduct requires suppliers to establish and maintain systems for managing, reducing, reusing, and responsibly disposing of waste, wastewater, and emissions. Suppliers are expected to minimize environmental impacts and continuously improve resource-use efficiency throughout their operations.
• Environmental Responsibility Throughout the Supply Chain: Suppliers are encouraged to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, conserve natural resources, limit unnecessary material consumption, and promote sustainable environmental practices within their own operations and supply chains. These expectations help extend Brock’s sustainability objectives beyond campus boundaries.
• Responsible Procurement Policy: Brock’s Procurement Policy governs the acquisition of goods and services and requires procurement activities to be conducted in a fair, transparent, accountable, equitable, and responsible manner. The policy supports the integration of sustainability considerations into purchasing decisions and supplier relationships.
• Supplier Accountability and Compliance: Vendor information, procurement resources, and supplier requirements communicate Brock’s expectations regarding environmental performance, accessibility, ethical sourcing, labour standards, and social responsibility. Suppliers are expected to comply with these standards while conducting business with the University.

Through its Supplier Code of Conduct, Procurement Policy, and supplier accountability framework, Brock University extends waste-minimization and responsible consumption expectations beyond its direct operations and into its supply chain. This approach encourages suppliers and service providers to reduce resource consumption, minimize waste generation, and support Brock’s broader sustainability objectives.

Brock University systematically measures waste generation and recycling across the entire university through comprehensive annual waste audits. These audits capture data from all campus buildings and operations over a 24-hour collection period, followed by detailed composition analysis. This process provides an accurate measure of total waste produced, diversion rates by stream, and trends over time.

In 2024, Brock generated 1,510 MT of waste and achieved a 59% waste diversion rate, with the remainder directed to landfill, reflecting significant progress toward its long-term sustainability goals and its commitment to responsible consumption and production. Waste tracking is coordinated by Facilities Management and the Office of Sustainability, ensuring a consistent and evidence-based approach to monitoring campus-wide material flows.

Brock University publishes comprehensive sustainability reports that demonstrate the institution’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and accountability. The university’s approach to sustainability reporting reflects a dedication to transparency and continuous improvement in environmental performance.

Brock’s sustainability progress is formally reported annually to the Board of Trustees through the Capital & Infrastructure Committee, where members of the Brock community engage in meaningful dialogue about sustainability initiatives, review supporting documentation, and provide strategic direction for future environmental efforts. This institutional governance structure ensures that sustainability remains a priority at the highest levels of university decision-making.

Brock University also engages in external sustainability initiatives, such as its voluntarily participation in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). The university submitted its inaugural STARS report in 2020, earning a Silver rating that recognized its substantial sustainability achievements. Brock maintained its Silver rating in 2024 while achieving improved scores across several performance areas, reflecting the university’s evolving sustainability practices and enhanced environmental initiatives.