Sustainability at St Luke's
For more than 55 years, St Luke's has been committed to making the best possible use of every donation, every resource, and every opportunity to support our community. Today, sustainability is an important part of that commitment.
When people hear the word sustainability, they often think about protecting the environment. While that's certainly part of the picture, sustainability also means ensuring St Luke's can continue delivering outstanding hospice care for generations to come.
From our charity shops and food partnerships to renewable energy projects and biodiversity initiatives, we're constantly looking for ways to reduce waste, use resources responsibly, and invest in a more sustainable future.
Explore how sustainability takes shape across St Luke's.
Sunstainable Shopping
One of the simplest ways to support sustainability is by shopping at our charity shops.
Our shops keep quality goods in circulation for longer, reducing waste while raising vital funds for hospice care. Last year alone, our shops generated £4.2 million for patient care and helped save more than 12 million kilograms of CO₂ through the sale of over one million kilograms of clothing.
When you shop pre-loved and donate quality, saleable items, you're helping us maximise both environmental and charitable impact.
Sheffield Hallam University Partnership
Sustainability inspires innovation: through a partnership between The Wilkes Institute at St Luke's and Sheffield Hallam University's Future Now Programme, students have been helping us explore creative ways to reduce waste and promote circular fashion.
Students have worked with surplus donated stock and materials that might otherwise have been sent for textile recycling, creating new solutions that demonstrate how items can be reused, repurposed and reimagined.
Together, we're showing that sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand.
Fareshare partnership
Sustainability doesn't stop at our shops.
Through our partnership with FareShare, we're helping tackle food waste while ensuring patients, staff and visitors have access to nutritious meals every day.
Over the last year, St Luke's received more than 7,000kg of surplus food through FareShare. If purchased through traditional supply routes, this food would have cost approximately £28,580.
By rescuing quality food that would otherwise go to waste, FareShare helps us reduce our environmental impact while allowing more resources to be directed towards patient care.
It's a simple example of how sustainable choices can create benefits for people, communities and the environment.
Investing in a green future
Behind the scenes, we're making practical changes that help reduce our environmental footprint across our organisation.
Electric vehicle fleet
We've transitioned our vehicle fleet to fully electric vehicles, including vans that support both hospice services and our retail operation. By switching to electric transport, we're reducing carbon emissions, improving local air quality, and taking positive steps towards a cleaner future.
Solar power
Solar panels installed at our hospice site generate renewable electricity on-site, reducing our reliance on grid energy and lowering carbon emissions. This investment helps reduce energy costs while ensuring more resources can be focused where they matter most: supporting patients and their families.
Energy-efficient lighting
We've completed a major transition to LED lighting across the hospice. LEDs use significantly less energy than traditional lighting and have a much longer lifespan, helping reduce both energy consumption and waste. These improvements play an important role in our long-term sustainability journey.
Protecting local biodiversity
St Luke's is home to four apiaries: located at our Clifford House site, these hives support healthy bee populations that are essential for pollination and local biodiversity. Our colonies are cared for by a dedicated team of staff beekeepers who help maintain the hives and protect the wellbeing of the bees.
Sustainability Means More Than the Environment
At St Luke's, sustainability has two meanings.
The first is reducing our impact on the environment through initiatives such as reuse, food waste reduction, renewable energy and biodiversity projects.
The second is ensuring that hospice care remains available for future generations.
For more than 55 years, St Luke's has adapted, evolved and responded to the changing needs of our community. To continue providing compassionate care without cost to our patients, we need sustainable funding alongside sustainable environmental practices.
Help secure the future of St Luke's
A gift in your will can help ensure that future generations continue to receive the care and support they need, when they need it most.
By choosing to leave a gift to St Luke's, you're helping create a lasting legacy that supports both people and the future of hospice care in our community.