Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
By promoting sustainable and efficient use of resources, reduction of waste generation and encouraging responsible consumption patterns, Wilfrid Laurier University is contributing to a more sustainable and responsible society.
The work that Laurier completed in 2025 to advance SDG 12.
Thrifted Threads, a new student-led pop-up thrift shop at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus, is giving pre-loved Laurier clothing new life at budget-friendly prices. Founded by Maia Flinton, a third-year Business Administration student, Thrifted Threads aims to promote sustainable shopping habits and reduce the university’s carbon footprint by selling low-cost, second-hand Laurier apparel.
hile visiting the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market as a student, Wilfrid Laurier University alum Cole Jones (BA ’16) learned about a significant pain point for market vendors: even though direct-to-customer sales offered higher margins than wholesale, few were making a profit selling at the market because of the time and logistical costs involved. This realization sparked an idea, leading Jones to create Local Line – an e-commerce platform for farmers that recently won a Canadian Food Innovation Network Foodtech Frontier award.
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Sustainable Hawk Fund. Since 2015, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Sustainability Office has awarded funding to 67 projects that contribute to sustainability and equity efforts on campus and in the community. Open to all Laurier students, staff and faculty, the student-funded $30,000 annual Sustainable Hawk Fund leverages Laurier’s entrepreneurship and community spirit to make a positive impact. Past recipients have included the My Green Labs initiative, Thrifted Threads and the Brantford Apiary.
Laurier research centres advancing SDG 12.
The Co-operators Centre for Business and Sustainability facilitates and coordinates research related to business and environmental sustainability. The centre ensures regular communication between researchers and practitioners, including strategic decision-makers in the local sustainability community. Located in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier, the centre hosts seminars, conferences and roundtables to discuss relevant topics aligned with practitioner needs and assists in disseminating research findings in a timely fashion to those who can use them.
The Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) is an interdisciplinary and community-engaged research centre striving to be a catalyst and nexus for the transition toward strong cultures of sustainability. The centre understands cultures of sustainability “as characterized by shared values, symbols, rituals and practices grounded in sustainability principles leading to individual and societal choices that promote environmental protection, social justice and well-being, and a supportive economy." A culture of sustainability may exist within an organization, a building with multiple organizations or a community.
Laurier initiatives in 2024 that advanced SDG 12.
Laurier’s Sustainability Office works hard to implement waste reduction programs to help the Laurier community practice sustainability. Programs include reusable products at the Laurier Bookstore; food and drink discounts by Food Services, including a $0.40 discount for bringing your own mug to any food vendor location; and a Waste Management initiative to provide organics and commingled recycling waste streams to allow proper waste disposal.
Laurier’s Sustainability Office created its Action Plan to correspond with the SDGs. Through teaching and research, Laurier plays a critical role in preparing the next generation of leaders who can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. Universities also play a vital part in finding solutions to increasingly complex global problems and pioneering technological innovations through their own operations to set an example for others.
Discover how Laurier is contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal targets.
