Although the impact of food is relatively limited (0.5% of the university's total carbon footprint), we view the catering policy as an important theme within the climate action plan. The university has already achieved a lot in this area: komida has introduced sustainable packaging and cutlery, the share of vegetarian and vegan options has been expanded by 50%, beef has been removed from the menu, and food waste is actively counteracted. For catering at meetings and conferences, konventa serves 50% vegetarian options as standard, uses only tap water and reusable tableware, and takes sustainability criteria into account when selecting suppliers.
Breakthrough actions 2025-2026:
- a pilot project where faculties and research groups can opt in to have sandwich catering by konventa standardly 50% vegetarian and 50% plant-based.
- a strategy to make plant-based meals more attractive, tastier, and more affordable than meat and fish alternatives.
The university also continues to monitor the ecological impact of the food served, test and improve sustainable recipes, and raise awareness about healthy and sustainable food.
The ambitious goals for 2030 are that 80% of the meals served are vegetarian or plant-based, and the amount of discarded food is reduced by 80% compared to 2018.
Get involved!
- Are you in favor of more plant-based options at meetings or events in your own faculty or research group? Join us in advocating our charter for a new half-and-half standard for internally ordered catering. Drop us a line at climate@uantwerpen.be
- Do you have your own idea to make food choices at UAntwerpen more sustainable, and would you like to develop it further under the wings of the climate team? Pitch your project in a text or video at climate@uantwerpen.be.