About Walter Sisulu
Get in touch
Email Address:
Contact Numbers:
Mthatha: 047 502 2100
Butterworth: 047 401 6000
East London: 043 702 9200
Potsdam: 043 708 5200
Chiselhurst: 043 709 4000
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
At iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, embedding responsible consumption, circular waste management, resource efficiency, and public sustainability reporting is integral to its identity as an impactful, technology-infused African university. Operating across multiple campuses in the Eastern Cape, Walter Sisulu connects campus environmental stewardship with community-level waste-to-resource innovations, paperless digital transformation, and ethical procurement.
Circular Food Systems, Waste-to-Resource & GreenGrow Initiative
- The GreenGrow Urban Farming Movement. Read the story. Launched by the Faculty of Natural Sciences under Executive Dean Prof Albert Modi and SRC Faculty Coordinator Indiphile Mgaba, the GreenGrow Project is an interdisciplinary urban agriculture initiative explicitly structured around SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Born from the World Food Day #StretchMyRand campaign, GreenGrow equips students with practical skills in sustainable food cultivation, resource management, and budgeting across student residences and campus sites. Integrates classroom Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) theory with real-world circular farming solutions, training students to become active agents in sustainable production and consumption.
- Organic Waste Recycling into Eco-Friendly Aquaculture Feed. The Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Resource Management and Economic Development (SMAFED) research niche area at Walter Sisulu partnered with the OR Tambo Cooperative Development Centre (OTCDC) and Food Energy Water South Africa Tertiary Co-Operative (FEWCOOP SA). Developed an innovative circular economy practice by converting local organic food waste into affordable, eco-friendly fish feed. Feeds solar-powered recirculating aquaculture systems and aquaponics farms, diverting organic food waste away from municipal landfills while advancing blue economy principles.
- Bio-Resource Value Addition & Essential Oil Processing. Read the story. In partnership with Burnshill community farmers in Kieskammahoek, the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR), and the NRF, Walter Sisulu hosted technical workshops on processing agricultural crops and extracting essential oils. Promotes sustainable bio-resource processing, minimising agricultural biomass waste by converting raw harvests into commercial products.
Paperless Digital Transformation & ICT Operations
- Digital Learning & Administrative Optimisation. Walter Sisulu has aggressively modernised its ICT infrastructure to reduce physical paper consumption across all four main campuses and 13 delivery sites. The Directorate of Learning and Teaching (DLT) rolled out digital learning management systems (Moodle and WiSeUp) and online assessment tools, drastically reducing printed course materials. The foundational life skills module, WSU101 (Intshayelelo), incorporates digital literacy and transitions toward an online platform, promoting paperless academic delivery.
- Open Digital Repositories. Read the story. Maintains the iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu FigShare digital portal and vital repository, facilitating open-access electronic archiving of research outputs, theses, and institutional publications without paper consumption.
Ethical Sourcing, Tendering & Procurement Policies
- Transparent Procurement & Supplier Governance. Walter Sisulu operates online procurement and Request for Quotation (RFQ) portals (procurement.wsu.ac.za and rfq.wsu.ac.za), enforcing public, ethical supplier selection and fair tendering processes. Prioritises local vendor participation in the Eastern Cape to stimulate regional supply chains while enforcing institutional compliance and code of conduct standards.
- Third-Stream Business Enterprise. Established the WSU Business Enterprise entity to govern commercial activities and ensure ethical, sustainable revenue generation aligned with broader university stewardship goals.
Integrated Annual Sustainability Reporting
- Public Sustainability & Performance Reporting iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu annually publishes comprehensive integrated reports — including the Annual Report 2024 and Annual Report 2025. These publicly available reports provide detailed disclosures on institutional governance, academic performance, social transformation, financial management, energy resilience (such as the 188kW hybrid solar and Potsdam solar installations), and strategic progress toward sustainable development
This account is drawn from the iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu Sustainability Impact Progress Report, prepared against the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings methodology.
The Sustainable Development Goals icons are United Nations marks, used here for information. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. Read the Sustainable Development Goals.
