In terms of resources, the ZHAW generated around 1,120 tonnes of CO₂-eq in 2024, of which 188 tonnes of CO₂-eq came from waste. When people see the waste figures in the ZHAW’s carbon accounting for the first time, they instinctively look for ways to improve waste management: better separation, more recycling, less waste in general. The real lever, however, lies at the beginning of the chain, long before anything reaches a waste container.
What actually ends up in the waste container
In 2024, the ZHAW generated around 255 tonnes of combustible operational waste, the largest single category by weight. The same picture emerges from the emissions data: around 133 tonnes of CO₂-eq come from this single waste stream. The rest is distributed across more than half a dozen smaller categories, ranging from electronics and paper to green and hazardous waste. These waste streams arise from both teaching and research as well as from day-to-day operations.
Weight and emissions by waste fraction
Aaron Ehrat
Operational Sustainability Manager, ZHAW sustainable
“When discussing waste, many people first think of waste disposal. The greater lever, however, lies in procurement: if quantities, specifications and timing are aligned with actual demand in the long term, less material is created in the first place that later has to be discarded.”
The lever lies before the waste container
What is ultimately thrown away is usually determined at the time of purchase: was the right quantity procured, with the right specification, and at the right time? A blanket reduction in procurement volumes does not go far enough. A procurement culture that is more closely aligned with actual needs in operations, teaching and research is more effective.
Public procurement has its own logic
The ZHAW is not entirely free in this regard: as a cantonal university, it is bound by public procurement law. Framework agreements, minimum quantities and multi-year tendering processes are designed for predictability rather than day-to-day precision. The extent to which these rules allow for more demand-driven procurement varies from case to case. Further information can be found in the ZHAW’s procurement policy (in German only).
