Quality and Sustainability
Sustainability at Studierendenwerk Würzburg
While the roots of Studierendenwerk Würzburg reach back 100 years, we always have the future in mind. We are committed to social, ecological and economic responsibility and aim to contribute to ensuring that the resources available to us are also preserved for future generations by acting responsibly. Our actions are guided by the core principles of the sustainability guidelines of Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW) and the 12 guiding principles of KLIMAWIN, the successor to the WIN Charter.
Thinking and acting with the future in mind – we see sustainability as an ongoing task, a task on which we have been working day after day for many years now.
We aim to make our processes more sustainable while at the same time ensuring that we meet the demand of our guests for ecological and affordable products and services. To ensure that we accomplish this central task, we regularly review our processes in areas such as catering and housing to ensure that they are efficient and up to date. If necessary, we adapt these processes in order to continuously increase our sustainability here at Studierendenwerk Würzburg.
Read on to find out what steps we have taken so far on the way to becoming more sustainable.
Sustainable energy practices and efficient use of resources
In our student residences, we are placing increasing emphasis on sustainable energy practices and an efficient use of resources. For example, all new buildings are equipped with energy saving lamps, and in older buildings, old lamps are replaced with more energy-efficient ones when they reach the end of their life, a measure that helps us to reduce our energy consumption.
Electricity from renewable sources
For more than ten years now, we have been using 100% clean electricity from renewable sources. And since 2025, we have also been producing our own electricity.
Since 2024, we have been purchasing clean electricity for our student residences at all locations from the Stadtwerke Augsburg provider that comes from 100% renewable sources, including water, solar and wind. This sustainable energy practice underlines the long-term commitment of Studierendenwerk Würzburg to environmentally-friendly measures and is evidence of our focus on building sustainable partnerships with businesses that make an active contribution to the protection of the environment.
In addition, newly-installed photovoltaic systems have been producing electricity for the Studierendenhaus building in Würzburg since the spring of 2025.
Vehicle fleet
Our 13 cars on average emit 198 g CO²e per kilometre. Since 2022, we have had an electric cargo bike and an e-bike that our workshop staff and caretakers can use to travel short distances and make short-distance transports between our different student residences in Würzburg in an environmentally-friendly and carbon-neutral manner.
Energy-efficient newbuilds
Our student residence on Zürnstraße, which was constructed in 2008, received the 2010 Deutscher Bauherrenpreis award and the Petrini Award of the city of Würzburg – not least in recognition of the emphasis that was placed on sustainability when the building was planned.
Our student residence on Peter-Schneider-Straße was selected as a project to be presented at the 2014 Architektouren event of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects. The heat for the building is produced by two heat pumps, and the radiators in the rooms are heated by geothermal probes. A solar heat system has been installed on the roof for hot water and heating. Two cisterns and well water are used for the toilets.
Photovoltaic systems installed on the Studentenhaus building
In the spring of 2025, photovoltaic modules were installed in all available spaces on the Studentenhaus building in Würzburg, which houses the Studierendenwerk Würzburg head office plus a canteen and cafeteria, to supply the building with self-generated solar power.
Resources and recycling
Until 2020, we handed out 86,000 disposable cups, 17,450 straws and 139,000 sandwich bags made of plastic – now it’s time to do things differently!
Looks like plastic, but it’s not!
Rules and regulations do not allow us to sell unpackaged baked goods at our cafeterias. To become more sustainable in this area nonetheless, Studierendenwerk Würzburg has been using biodegradable single-use tableware and packaging materials made of PLA since 2020.
PLA stands for polylactic acid. This is a type of bioplastic that is made from fermented lactic acid, usually from plant starch like corn. The bags made of this material that we use at our cafeterias for our baked goods look like plastic – some of them are even transparent – but they are compostable without residue in certain industrial composting conditions and are 100% recyclable. This environmentally-friendly measure reduces the waste that we produce and encourages environmental awareness and responsibility in students.
In addition, we are gradually switching to glass bottles and try to avoid using disposable ones.
Reusable is the way to go!
We have restructured our offer of reusable food containers and have been offering new reusable containers made by Crafting Future in all of our canteens and cafeterias since May 2024. They are made of polypropylene (PP), a plastic that is safe for food contact, extremely durable and easily recyclable.
We have our own deposit return scheme that allows our guests to buy and return the containers in all canteens operated by Studierendenwerk Würzburg. This return system helps us to reduce our use of disposable containers and thus the waste we produce, which minimises our consumption of resources. At the same time, this takeaway option gives our guests more flexibility.
Together against food waste
We take active measures to avoid food waste at our canteens and cafeterias. Most of our food is prepared just in time according to demand. Where meals are concerned that require more preparation, we use an efficient planning system to ensure that we ideally sell all the food on the day on which it is prepared. This system is based on our internal inventory management system, which allows demand-based planning. By tracking sales figures and analysing the eating habits of students, we can ensure that we prepare the right quantity of meals and minimise food waste and over-preparation.
Meals that we have started to prepare but have not made it to the serving area will be finished the next day.
Waste and waste separation
Food waste generated in our canteens and cafeterias, any leftovers left by our guests and prepared meals that are returned from the serving area are recycled into energy, i.e. are passed on to service providers that convert them into biogas or similar. This holistic strategy helps to ensure sustainability and resource efficiency at our canteens and cafeterias and to raise awareness about food waste.
Ensuring that waste is separated correctly at our student residences remains a challenge which we face by putting up posters and releasing videos about correct waste separation.
Saving resources
To save water in our student residences, rain water is used for the toilets in some of the residences.
By making our processes more digital, we save paper every day. All of our canteens have introduced electronic receipts, allowing our guests to scan a QR code at the screens at our checkout counters and have their receipts sent to their phones.
In addition to trying to print less and reduce paper waste at our offices, we only use printing paper that is EU Ecolabel certified. In addition to recycled paper, we preferably choose materials that come from a sustainable production cycle when we have materials printed by external printing companies: Our roll-ups for fairs, for example, are made of 100% recycled ocean plastic. We attempt to extend the lifecycle of printed products used for media and public relations purposes through forward-looking planning and using up old materials. When we design new posters and leaflets, we make sure that they remain valid for a long time and can be reused for recurring events. Our social media channels and screens that have been installed in various locations allow us to replace some of our printed materials with digital versions and in some cases even eliminate the need for printed materials altogether.
„Umweltfreundliches Wohnheim“ competition
When Studierendenwerk Würzburg celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2020, several student residences participated in the competition for the title of „most environmentally-friendly student residence“ („umweltfreundlichstes Wohnheim“) with projects relating to environmental protection.
Teams of students living at the student residences prepared portfolios or videos presenting their creative and innovative projects, which included, for example, making an insect hotel, building a compost maker and raised bed in the garden of the student residence or organising swap shops for clothing or household articles. The winning teams from Bamberg, Schweinfurt and Würzburg were announced and awarded their prizes in the 2020 summer semester.
We want it to taste good – that’s why it’s important to us to use good ingredients!
The quality and standard of our meals are important to us and to our guests. Through constant tastings of the products we use and the careful selection of the individual ingredients, we aim to guarantee and improve the quality of our food. And this starts with the smallest grain of salt: At Studierendenwerk Würzburg, we only use iodised table salt.
Not using palm oil for frying is another point that is good for both sustainability and the health of our guests. The high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in palm oil and fat has been proven to have a negative effect on our health. In addition, the conditions in which it is produced and the emissions generated when it is transported make palm oil unecological. The high-performance frying oil that we use instead keeps better thanks to mechanical filter systems.
Wherever possible, we avoid buying and using food containing additives that are subject to labelling requirements. All additives contained in the food we serve are indicated on the display screens and the stand-up signs found in our canteens.
Sustainable food procurement
Studierendenwerk Würzburg believes that the core task of providing meals is closely linked to the principles of sustainable food procurement. Our collaboration with regional suppliers (e.g. Transgourmet Deutschland GmbH, Viktor Nußbaumer GmbH, Sagasser, Konrad Böhnlein GmbH, Schraud und Baunach GmbH, Frischedienst Walther GmbH) not only strengthens the local economy but also reduces the impact on the environment.
- Seasonality is a key factor when we plan our menus and procure our food that ensures that we only use fresh and quality ingredients. We only buy seasonal fresh fruit to avoid long transport routes and reduce transport-related CO2 emissions. For example, we have long since stopped offering strawberries in December or asparagus in February.
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It is our aim to buy regionally-produced food wherever possible. Of course, the quantities we need, tendering requirements and local environmental conditions sometimes make it impossible to find regionally-produced alternatives to products. However, as soon as products are in season regionally and available from suppliers based here, we buy regionally wherever possible. For example, we buy salad, Franconian asparagus and apples directly from regional farmers when they are in season here.
This conscious selection of products does not only benefit regional farmers but also allows us to offer a variety of fresh and regionally-produced food and adapt our menus to the seasons. This not only helps us to reduce the impact on the environment but also allows us to provide balanced and healthy meals to students.
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Organic and fairly-traded quality food
When selecting the ingredients for our meals, we place great emphasis on buying organic and fairly-traded products. More information can be found in the section on human rights and supply chains below.
Vegan and vegetarian meals
We adapt our menu to the needs of our guests: As demand increases, we are offering more vegan and vegetarian meals. Currently, about 60% of the meals we are offering are vegan or vegetarian. Our canteens offer at least one vegan or vegetarian dish each day. Currently, we have more than 250 vegan and vegetarian recipes in use.
To respond to the demand of our guests for meals without animal products, the Alte Weberei cafeteria in Bamberg, for example, offers vegan bowls on days when there is no warm vegan meal on the menu. In addition, we have introduced the „Frei(Tag)“ in the canteen on Austraße in Bamberg in response to a vote among students: On Fridays, the canteen only serves vegan and sometimes vegetarian meals.
Vegan baked goods, such as sandwiches and muffins, are standard in our cafeterias. What we have on offer depends on the size of the cafeteria. All of our cafeterias provide vegan milk alternatives at least separately. When a cafeteria has more two or more coffee vending machines, one of them will be filled with a vegan alternative. In response to many requests, the machines in two Bamberg cafeterias are only filled with oat milk. At these cafeterias, cartons of cow’s milk can be obtained on request.
When selecting the ingredients for our meals, we place great emphasis on buying organic and fairly-traded products.
Wherever possible, we prefer to buy from and cooperate with regional suppliers to keep our supply chains short and the impact on the environment low.
Whether you prefer coffee or hot chocolate for break time – you can be sure that it has been traded fairly and produced according to certain social, ecological and economic standards. All drinks sold by our vending machines are organic and Fairtrade-certified.
Coffee
Since 2017, we have been buying Fairtrade Café Intención beans from J.J. Darboven for our cafeterias.
Drinking chocolate and cocoa
Where drinking chocolate and cocoa are concerned, we are currently switching to fairly-traded high-quality COCAYA Premium Vegan chocolate by J.J. Darboven.
We also offer organic and fairly-traded options in our range of other beverages:
We sell fairly-traded and organic cold drinks, such as Fairtrade coke or a range of BIONADE drinks, e.g. unfiltered blood orange lemonade or peach ice tea. All the teas we sell have been produced sustainably.
Oranic and fairly-traded food
We buy (products bought vary according to location):
- Different organic pasta varieties
- Organic/fairly-traded basmati rice (at least organic quality)
- Honey portions (Fairtrade)
- Sugar sticks
- Fruit (e.g. bananas)
Benefits for our employees
- Opportunity to use the sports facilities of the University of Würzburg
- Reduced prices at our canteens and cafeterias
- Opportunity to lease a job bike
- Employee discounts through Corporate Benefits
Employee surveys
We regularly conduct voluntary and anonymous surveys among all of our employees to gather valuable feedback that helps us to create and further develop a working environment in which all of our employees feel comfortable and can give their best. The results are then communicated internally.
Employee representation
We have a staff council to represent the interests of our employees. In 2023, the council comprised four women and three men.
In addition, we have an equal opportunities representative for our staff members.
Employee health and wellbeing team
The employee health and wellbeing team was reestablished this year in May to actively foster the health of Studierendenwerk employees.
The team’s objective is to raise health awareness and offer concrete measures to make the workplaces all across our organisation healthier and happier.
The team, which comprises members from almost all areas of activity within our organisation (workshop, kitchen, cafeteria, administrative and counselling staff are represented on the team) is currently receiving support from the SBK health insurance fund.
Long-term prospects for our employees
It is important to us to offer long-term prospects for our employees. If possible, we conclude open-ended employment contracts. So far, we have been able to offer all of our trainees who completed their training successfully a position, and we will continue to do so in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreements in order to foster young employees at our organisation.
Vocational training at Studierendenwerk Würzburg
Studierendenwerk Würzburg currently offers vocational training opportunities in the following occupations:
- Office manager
- Computer science expert, subject area: system integration
Studierendenwerk Würzburg is currently employing one trainee in each of these occupations. At the beginning of each training year, we regularly look for trainees together with the Würzburg-Schweinfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce and provide expert guidance and support to our trainees.
Regional suppliers
Wherever possible under competition law, we give preferential consideration to regional handicraft businesses and suppliers. This not only strengthens the local economy but also reduces the impact on the environment.
Thanks to our cooperation with the local public transport associations at our locations, we are able to provide the Semesterticket public transport pass to our students.
Questions and answers, not rumours
Introduced at the beginning of 2025, our new „Open Table“ format provides the opportunity for students to speak directly and openly with the head chefs of our canteens. On pre-announced dates, students can make suggestions, ask questions and get transparent answers directly from the kitchen staff.
Publications
Our current annual report and the annual reports from previous years can be found on our website (in the future, these will also include sustainability reports).
In addition, we present our sustainability strategy on our website and update it regularly to allow our target groups to keep track of the progress we have made on the path towards sustainability.
Employees for sustainability
Since May 2024, we have had a sustainability officer. In addition, we offer our employees the opportunity to lease a job bike in order to encourage them to travel more sustainably.
Students for more sustainability
While Studierendenwerk Würzburg has laid the groundwork for more energy efficiency in its daily operations through its choice of where it gets its electricity from and what lamps it installs in its buildings, it also regularly involves students in the important joint task of becoming more sustainable.
- The „Umweltfreundliches Wohnheim“ competition: When Studierendenwerk Würzburg celebrated its 100-year anniversary, teams of students living at the student residences prepared portfolios or videos presenting their creative and innovative projects relating to environmental protection. The projects included, for example, making an insect hotel, building a compost maker and raised bed in the garden of the student residence or organising swap shops for clothing or household articles.
- Energy saving campaign: Studierendenwerk Würzburg has been a regular participant in the „Flip the Switch“ energy saving campaign, which was launched by the alliance of the Studierendenwerk organisations in Germany together with Deutsches Studierendenwerk. The objective of this campaign is to reduce the energy consumption at the student residences together with the tenants and to take effective measures to reduce the carbon footprint. In a series of social media posts, students were provided with easy-to-implement tips for a more sustainable lifestyle, e.g. printing less, heating their rooms efficiently or unplugging electronic appliances that are not in use overnight.
Open exchange
We engage in regular exchange with our students to stay up-to-date on the issues they are facing, the ideas they have and the feedback they have to offer. For example, we
- Meet with student representatives
- Conduct (online) surveys on the services we provide
- Offer the opportunity to contact us on social media or through our feedback form
- Host „Open Table“ meetings between students and our kitchen staff
This allows us to integrate inspiration from external sources into our ongoing efforts to progress on the path towards more sustainability and transformation.