Projects
At UM we strongly believe that working together makes us stronger. When we join forces, we learn from each other and come to a more multifaceted solution. Solutions that benefit the world around us. Sustainable UM2030 has worked on several projects. Below you will find some examples.
3 main ambitions:
Sustainability grows strongest in a connected community, where people feel inspired, supported, and empowered to make a difference together.
Fighting climate change starts with rethinking how we live, move, and work — creating spaces and habits that help protect our planet and build resilience for the future.
Shaping a circular world means using what we have wisely, designing systems that waste less, reuse more, and turn old ideas into new opportunities.
Sustainability Survey - Engaging Our Community in the Sustainability Transition
Our university is made up of its students and staff and we cannot achieve a sustainable future without their involvement. Understanding what matters to our community is essential for making meaningful progress.
That’s why we are launching a Sustainability Survey to gather insights from students and employees. The results will help guide our sustainability efforts, ensuring that the actions we take reflect the values and priorities of those who study and work here.
Measuring UM’s Impact: Emission Accounting and Material Flow Analysis
The UM Sustainability Roadmap 2030 outlines the ambitious goals we aim to achieve. But to chart a path toward these goals, we first need to understand where we currently stand.
That’s why one of the first priorities of the Sustainability Office is to collect and analyse data on UM’s current sustainability performance.
Student Sustainability Challenge
Maastricht University invites students from all faculties to take part in a university-wide challenge to drive sustainability forward. Whether you already have a concrete idea or simply feel inspired to make a difference, this is your opportunity to turn vision into impact.
Make UM—and the world—more sustainable with your idea!
Community Garden
The UM Community Garden has become a thriving green space on campus, now managed by a collective of over 60 active student members. More than just a place to grow vegetables and herbs, the garden serves as a learning environment where students exchange knowledge about self-sufficiency, permaculture, and biodiversity. Workshops, harvest days and seasonal events bring students together around themes of food, health and sustainability. The garden also promotes mental wellbeing, by offering students a peaceful and hands-on escape from academic life. It’s a living example of sustainability in action, rooted in community.
Swap Room
Located in the Sustainability Hub, the Swap Room offers students a place to exchange clothing and accessories—completely free of charge. With more than 1,000 clothing items swapped so far, the room brings the principles of circularity to life in a fun and accessible way. It encourages conscious consumption and helps reduce textile waste, one of the most polluting industries globally. The Swap Room is run by student volunteers and regularly hosts themed events and has become a vibrant part of UM’s campus sustainability culture.
Bike Repair Shop
UM’s student-led bike repair shop supports sustainable mobility by keeping bikes on the road and out of the waste stream. Over 100 bikes have already been repaired, often for free or at very low cost. Students learn hands-on repair skills, promoting a DIY ethos and increasing access to sustainable transport. The initiative contributes to a cycling-friendly campus and reduces reliance on car or public transport. It also fosters community-building and student empowerment through skill-sharing and peer support. The shop is integrated into the wider goals of promoting low-carbon living at UM.
Sustainable Catering Tender
UM is currently preparing a new university-wide catering tender with sustainability at its heart. The aim is to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of campus food services while promoting health and customer satisfaction. This includes lowering the consumption of animal -based foods, reducing food waste, sourcing responsibly, and improving transparency. The tender process involves input from students, staff and sustainability experts to ensure alignment with UM’s climate and circularity ambitions. The new contract is planned to start mid-2026.
Sustainable Events Initiative
UM is working to make all university events more sustainable by developing clear guidelines and support for event organisers. This includes criteria for catering, waste management, travel, materials and inclusivity. The goal is to ensure that sustainability is considered from the earliest planning stages, without compromising the quality or accessibility of events. By embedding sustainability into events, UM not only will reduce its footprint but also raises visibility and awareness in a highly practical way. We want to focus on big events first and therefore, we will first inventory the number of events with more than 100 participants taking place at the UM. This inventory should be completed by the end of 2025, after which we can determine guidelines and measures to make those events more sustainable.
Sustainable Mobility
UM is committed to making mobility to, from, and within the university more sustainable. This includes encouraging cycling, walking, and the use of public transport, as well as reducing emissions from business and student travel. New policies are being developed in consultation with faculties and service centres to align mobility behaviour with climate goals. The new policy for staff commuting will be developed in the En Route project, which is planned to be implemented at the beginning of 2027. Carbon reporting, incentive structures, and infrastructure improvements (like secure bike parking and e-bike support) are part of the approach. The aim is to foster a culture of low-impact mobility that fits the needs of a modern, international university.
Euregional Centre of Expertise on Circularity
UM is taking the lead in setting up an Expertise Centre for Regional Circular Economy (ERCE) to accelerate the transition to circular systems in Limburg and beyond. To drive the circular transition, ERCE brings together multi-level stakeholders from industry, government, and civil society to co-create practical solutions. ERCE connects UM’s expertise from all academic fields to regional initiatives, building a knowledge base that tackles the unique challenges and opportunities of circular transitions in Limburg. By linking local efforts to national and international dynamics, ERCE enhances the impact of circular economy innovations. It builds on UM’s strengths in interdisciplinary research and regional engagement. By fostering cross-border collaboration and applied knowledge exchange, ERCE aims to support systemic change and strengthen circularity as a driver of regional innovation and resilience. ERCE was launched in September 2025.
UM Transition Platform
The UM Transition Platform connects researchers, educators, students and external partners who are working on transformative sustainability challenges. It serves as a space to share ideas, develop joint initiatives, and collaborate on complex transitions such as the shift to a circular economy, climate neutrality and social equity. The platform also plays a key role in the Euregional rollout, linking UM expertise with regional actors to accelerate change beyond the university. By bringing people and perspectives together, the platform fosters innovation and systemic thinking.
Library of Things
Reducing excess and keeping resources in circulation is key to circularity, that is why we created the Library of Things. Located in the sustainability hub, this space is filled with a wide variety of items that can be borrowed and returned, just like books in a library. The shelves are stocked with everything from chairs to tennis rackets to a keyboard. By making these resources available to students and student organisations, the Library of Things, helps reduce unnecessary purchases and fosters a community of sharing.
