Responsible Consumption and Production

UNESA commits to cutting paper, plastic and other disposable items

Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) seeks to reduce repeated consumption of disposable materials through its procurement policy, digital administration and teaching, reusable drinking bottles, and campus waste-reduction programmes. The approach provides practical alternatives to single-use paper and beverage packaging while encouraging reuse in university activities.

Policy basis and scope

The Rector’s Sustainable Procurement Circular No. B/60705/UN38/HK.01.01/2023, signed on 31 July 2023, directs the university community to reduce paper and printer-ink use, request environmentally responsible packaging and increase purchases of recycled goods. These provisions link the items purchased with the amount of disposable material consumed in campus operations.

UNESA’s published Policy for Minimisation of Disposable Items account brings these measures together with the Ketintang Environmental Evaluation Document and Rector’s Regulation No. 12/2026. The environmental document addresses paper and plastic reduction, reusable shopping bags and the campus food-court setting, which includes 30 tenants. Article 9 of Regulation No. 12/2026 supports waste reduction, sorting, recycling, composting, waste-bank activities and environmental awareness.

English translation of the circular’s action points

1. Purchase goods and products from suppliers that have sustainability policies and certification.

2. Cooperate with industry to protect the environment through sustainable procurement.

3. Ask suppliers to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging.

4. Support local traders and suppliers of local and seasonal food.

5. Reduce the use of paper, printer ink and other consumables.

6. Increase the use of recycled goods.

7. Purchase sustainable goods, particularly from micro, small and medium enterprises.

Digital alternatives to disposable paper

The Programme to Reduce the Use of Paper and Plastic on Campus describes electronic office administration, correspondence, attendance and academic records, including payroll information sent electronically. The Rector’s 2025 circular encouraged digital learning and assessment through SIDIA, reducing demand for printed examination papers and related academic materials. These measures replace recurring paper transactions with digital services.

The March 2026 coordination report identified uneven use of paperless mid-term and final examinations across units and the need to strengthen implementation. Continued coordination allows the university to extend existing digital practices while addressing differences in adoption.

Reusable items and supporting facilities

UNESA’s 2026 institutional reporting describes free drinking-water dispensers and campaigns encouraging students, lecturers and staff to bring personal tumblers. The September 2026 IPPI account describes tumbler use as a campus habit. The reverse-osmosis installation recorded in the 2025 impact report, in cooperation with CV Niaga Kemasan Indonesia, adds to the drinking-water infrastructure that supports reduced reliance on disposable packaged water.

Faculty participation reinforces these measures. The Mathematics Education study programme’s annual National Waste Awareness Day campaign encourages personal tumblers and reduced plastic-straw use. The Eco-Initiator programme displays environmental messages at several campus locations, including the Faculty of Medicine, and encourages tree seedlings as an alternative to ceremonial flower boards. These activities address disposable materials in both routine and ceremonial settings.

Together, the procurement provisions, digital services, refill arrangements and reuse campaigns provide the institutional basis described in UNESA’s Policy for Minimisation of Disposable Items. Their implementation supports responsible consumption by reducing avoidable purchases and extending the use of materials already available.

The SDGs Center timeline also identifies Beezpack, a UNESA student innovation reported in December 2025 that turns fabric scraps into food-wrapping material. This example connects the university’s material-reduction approach with student experimentation in alternatives to disposable packaging.

Further information

For further information on UNESA’s sustainability initiatives and supporting evidence, please visit the UNESA SDGs Center.

SDG 12 evidence and related institutional information: Indicator 12.2.6.