Sustainability Award team
U Market Services Sustainability Award ULSCA

About

The U Market Services team received a sustainability award with the process of improvement surrounding the custodial Periodic Auto Replenishment (PAR) system! This was a national award given by University Logistics and Supply Chain Association (ULSCA)!

The 2022 ULSCA Sustainability Award is presented to a member organization for a project or initiative that demonstrates a sincere commitment to applied sustainability best practices on campus or in the community. The U Market Services Package Waste Reduction project received this award!

In 2020, U Market Services (UMS) hired an intern, Hope, from the University’s Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP). MnTAP is aimed at “Strengthening MN businesses by improving efficiency while saving money, through energy, water, and waste reduction”. Hope recognized an opportunity to reduce cardboard box use by using reusable plastic totes for their “Par Level” deliveries. For Par Level orders, UMS staff use hundreds of custodial closets on campus and systematically place orders to bring the items up to set par levels. After the order is filled and packaged at the UMS Warehouse, drivers deliver them to the end locations, stock the shelves, and leave the cardboard boxes for custodians to dispose of. Hope saw that UMS staff had 100% start to finish control over this process and could easily make changes. She suggested a better process would be to package these orders in reusable totes to be easily stacked (“nested”) in the trucks and reused for the next orders, reducing the reliance on cardboard boxes.  

Impact 

Using reusable totes for the Par Level program reduces about 13,000 lbs of campus waste annually, maximizes the use of salvaged boxes, and reduces the flow of single-use packaging into the waste stream! Full implementation of this new process only cost $2,307 in materials and saved around $15,000 annually in packaging costs and materials!

Hope also identified opportunities for the implementation of recyclable labels and packing slips, and replacing stamps with stickers where applicable. These changes reduce another 1,740 lbs of materials into the waste stream annually, with the greatest reduction in using labels with liners that get disposed of. The total project is estimated to reduce approximately 15,000 lbs of waste every year!

Creativity 

This new process redesigns how the order filling team views orders and packages. Prior to the new solution, the order filling team saw an order as an order, regardless of whether it was being delivered to a customer or placed in a Par Level closet. Now, UMN has recognized and utilized the control they have over the packaging and what happens with it, with the unique Par Level service they provide. They now have control over packaging post-delivery, which is where they lost control of the package prior to the new process.  

Importance 

This project, which is focused on reducing packaging waste, aligns more closely with the supply chain in inventory management, order fulfillment, and packaging process components. With the help of area supervisors, Hope conducted trials of the project and made adjustments to incorporate staff feedback prior to full implementation. 

The project required input from the logistics operations team because any changes in packaging directly affects the staff who complete the deliveries. These ‘consequences’ in logistics meant engaging the logistics team, resulting in modifications and improvements to incorporate their feedback. 

However, with the cooperation and engagement of Hope, the supervisors, frontline staff, and the support of management, UMN was able to implement these improvements for both cost saving and more sustainable operations! 

All Sustainability News

April is Earth Month! Check out our frequently updated list of events to get involved. Check it out.

We're hiring sustainability data and project manager graphic

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is hiring a Sustainability Data and Project Manager! Search Job ID # 360205 at hr.umn.edu/Jobs/Find-Job for more information and to apply.

Join us Friday, March 22nd from 10-11am for a chat from sustainable aviation fuel experts!

We'll be hearing from three speakers, Pat Gruber, CEO of Gevo, Shiri Ramaswamy, professor in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at UMN, and William Northrop, professor in Mechanical Engineering at UMN.

Register now!

Maroon graphic showing "we're hiring" student position sustainability communications assistant. Job ID is 360089

Apply today for the Student Sustainability Communications Assistant position! Learn more

CAP Town Hall Sustainability Committee 2022

Join the Twin Cities Sustainability Committee (TCSC)! The committee was launched in the fall of 2021 with a charge of guiding the MPact 2025 goal to “Build a fully sustainable future” as stated in the Systemwide Strategic Plan. Moving forward, the committee’s work will advise the Twin Cities Office of Sustainability on all activities, inclusive of operations, teaching, research, and outreach. This committee is open to staff, faculty, undergraduate & graduate students. Apply by 4/1.

Learn MoreInterest Form

University of Minnesota Twin Cities has won the 2023 GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge in the Food Organics Per Capita category! 

This achievement underscores our commitment to waste reduction, putting sustainability at the forefront of our athletic spaces.

Building a Fully Sustainable Future 2023-2024 with a backdrop of fall colors and plants

The 2023-2024 Systemwide Sustainability Report for the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is now available!
 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is aiming to make public buildings like hospitals and schools more resilient against future disasters by paying to install solar panels when they are rebuilt. Read more

Resilience and Adaptation Open House promo banner

Join us for the Climate Resilience & Adaptation Open House! 
Wednesday, February 21st, 2024, 3-5pm
1425 University Ave, room 175
 
Your opinion matters! Join the Office of Sustainability on Wednesday, February 21st from 3pm to 5pm at 1425 University Ave to review and provide insights on the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan objectives and strategies. We want to hear what you think - tell us what we missed or what resonates with you. Open house format - come and go as you please. Light refreshments provided.

 

Fall 2023 Sustainability Advocates from SUST3480 conducted a recent Campus Engagement Project at the University of Minnesota aimed to improve the satisfaction and sustainability of the campus transportation system (Gopher Trip). They distributed a Sustainable Transportation Survey, gathering responses from 57 students to assess current challenges and future possibilities.