The Finance Department supports the University’s environmental sustainability commitments through direct service provision and a number of policies, as detailed below.
Sustainable procurement
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The University is a member of APUC , the procurement centre of expertise for education in Scotland. As part of our tender process for local contracts at GCU and through procuring from framework agreements implemented by APUC, procurement helps deliver the University’s environmental and sustainability commitments by identifying suppliers and sub-contractors that share the University’s aspirations and values and sign-up to APUC’s Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct .
Working with APUC enables the University to maximise its collaborative buying power along with other University members, as it strives to bring about positive impacts on supply chain sustainability.
Ethical investments
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GCU’s commitment to ethical and sustainable investments is set out in the Treasury and Ethical Investment Policy and is consistent with the University’s mission and values (as expressed in the University’s strategy). The University’s commitment is to invest in companies with a positive social impact and ban investments in fossil fuels, alcohol, tobacco and armaments.
The University’s Annual Financial Statements splits investments into:
Non-current investments – held as treasury-linked stocks Endowment reserves – held as stocks and bonds in publicly listed companies Compliance with the Treasury and Ethical Investment Policy is reviewed annually by the Finance and General Purposes Committee (Terms of Reference and Membership ).
Sustainable travel
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As part of the University’s efforts to promote more sustainable travel, the University's Climate Conscious Travel and Expenses Policy offers an opportunity to take action through the following climate-conscious principles when traveling:
When traveling by your personal bike for business trips,you can claim 20p/mile. The policy encourages switching from flying to rail travel for any destination that could be reached by train in six hours. You can also adopt a Climate Conscious Travel approach and help reduce our carbon footprint by signing up to the #myclimatepledge . Private cars should not be used for journeys greater than 60 miles.
