The sustainability impacts of what, where, and how frequently we purchase different goods and services are important to the College. As a relatively small institution, we do not always have the ‘purchasing power’ of some larger establishments; however, we consider sustainability impacts in many of our purchasing decisions and are continuing to develop more formalised internal systems for assessing these effects.

Some examples of where the College aims to make a positive contribution through our purchasing are set out below.

Supporting Local Suppliers Through Our Catering Purchases

We aim, where feasible and sustainable, to support local suppliers and producers through our catering purchases. As well as reducing food miles this improves traceability. We buy a wide range of different foodstuffs, for both our day-to-day catering and our hospitality enterprises. Because we serve large numbers of people, one of the key considerations in our catering purchases is often whether sufficient quantities of food are available when required, so our local purchasing is often guided by availability. Some examples of what we buy locally are set out below:

• When sufficient quantities are available, pork is purchased from a producer on the Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire border
• We serve soft drinks produced in Gloucestershire and also promote local sparkling wines as part of our hospitality range
• Local trout is regularly served
• The bread and bakery goods served come from local bakeries
• Local speciality cheeses are offered

Muddy Wellies

The College also has its own ale – Muddy Wellies Original Ale - which is sold within the College and, also at local outlets. It is brewed at a Cotswold micro-brewery.

Muddy Wellies is a social enterprise established and run by the students at the College. It is designed to provide an opportunity for students to access the world of real business, and the revenues generated through Muddy Wellies’ commercial operations are re-invested in the student body to support entrepreneurs and explore new products & services.

For more information on Muddy Wellies, please visit our student enterprise section.

Fairtrade

The College uses a number of Fairtrade products. For example, all coffee and tea served in the main College refectory is Fairtrade. The College’s retail outlets also offer a variety of Fairtrade products in their ranges, including chocolate, wine and biscuits.