- About
- Sustainable Development Goals
- The Goals
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 3: Good health and well-being
- SDG 4: Quality education
- SDG 5: Gender equality
- SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
- SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy
- SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
- SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
- SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
- SDG 13: Climate action
- SDG 14: Life below water
- SDG 15: Life on land
- SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
- About
- The Goals
- Sustainability and Climate Plan
- News
- Reports
- Get involved
- Contact
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Engagement
SFU FairTrade is leading the charge for ethical campus consumption
FairTrade is an organization that ensures products are produced ethically and sustainably by supporting farmers and producers in the developing countries through a set of FairTrade standards which guarantee fair wages and equitable revenue for products, despite global market fluctuations. SFU is Canada’s first and only Gold certified FairTrade campus. This certification signifies an active FairTrade Ambassador program for students, participation in international FairTrade conferences, and the availability of numerous FairTrade products on campus.
SFU’s FairTrade program “has made [them] a leader for fair trade on campus and in the entire FairTrade movement in Canada,” says SFU FairTrade ambassador program coordinator, Kylee Pocrnich. The program’s purpose is to educate and raise awareness about fair trade, and participating students can choose how to achieve this through participating in one or multiple teams including events, research/survey, education, and social media.
Research, Teaching and Learning
BC Centre for Agritech Innovation Success
The B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation is the province’s access point for farmers, producers, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and other sector partners seeking to grow B.C.’s diverse and dynamic agriculture and agrifood sector for greater productivity, profitability and sustainability. BCCAI supports farmers, producers, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs)in meeting their innovation needs. The centre works with partners to develop and advance technology solutions and training opportunities to solve industry challenges, build resilient supply chains and generate global solutions for food insecurity and climate change. The Centre has supported many partners in success around sustainable and productive agriculture solutions.
Towards a cohesive circular food economy
SFU Associate Professor Tammara Soma (School of Resource and Environmental Management) co-authored a 2025 study examining practitioners working toward a circular food economy in Metro Vancouver. The research explores the motivations, opportunities and abilities shaping their work, contributing evidence on how to support practices that prevent food waste and retain value within food systems. The study connects local experience with broader efforts to make food production and consumption more resource-efficient.
Facts and Figures
- 159 research publications relating to SDG 13, 2020-2024 (source: SciVal)
- 68 active research projects related to SDG 13 funded from 2020-2024
- 10 courses relating to SDG 12, representing 1,166 students, offered between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 academic year
Operations
Revaluing Chopstick Waste at SFU with ChopValue
SFU partners with ChopValue to not only recycle but upcycle the used chopsticks from our dining locations—Mackenzie Café, Maggie Benston Food Court, Dining Commons, and the Student Union Building. ChopValue provides chopstick recycling bins, collects the recycling regularly and then transforms the once wasted materials into homeware, decor and office furniture.
Re-use for Good
In early 2021, SFU phased out single-use plastic beverage bottles in vending and dining areas. This was advocated for and supported by the work of the student club, Ban the Bottle SFU. Re-use for Good and Ban the Bottle SFU collaborated with Facilities Services to expand water bottle refill stations access. SFU is proud to now have 168 stations across all three campuses which makes SFU one of the top universities in British Columbia for water refill station access.
Mugshare launches at Renaissance Café
Mugshare is a social impact program that provides a safe, reusable alternative to single-use cups through a convenient deposit-return system. This local business was created by a group of students in 2016 in an effort to shift the norm on single-use waste, without putting the burden of responsibility on individuals. Their initial six-month pilot diverted more than 10,000 single-use cups from the landfill.
Furniture recycling @ SFU
Facilities Services picks up, sorts, organizes, repairs and stores reusable furnishings. Typical items include filing cabinets, office chairs, desks and bookshelves. Furnishings that cannot be reused are taken apart and sorted into bins for recycling. The used furnishings are available to university departments for reuse on campus at no cost, except for moving charges.
Science Technical Centre
SFU’s Science Technical Centre is a champion of sustainability and the circular economy—giving equipment a second life by re-using, refurbishing and repurposing technology.
With experts across three units, the machine shop, electronic shop and glass shop, the center is a resource available to researchers, teachers, laboratories and staff for technological support in repairing, designing and building electromechanical devices.