By Molly Williams, Stitch by Stitch and Sarah Snow, Deputy Director Commercial, Residential & Campus Services, University of Exeter
In 2024-25, UPP Foundation partnered with three universities to deliver the Student Sustainability Fund. The programme invited teams of students to submit their proposals for sustainability-focused projects with the prospect of receiving funding and support to realise their ideas. Three projects were funded, and an overall winning team was selected, resulting in a paid and accommodated UPP summer internship. That winning team was the University of Exeter’s Stitch by Stitch (a project initiated by Be the Change Society). Last week we published a blog from a Stitch by Stitch team member on the impact she felt from her involvement. This week we hear about the group’s ongoing work and its wider university-wide impact.
Molly: Since working with UPP foundation on our slow fashion project, ‘Stitch by Stitch’, last year, our group has continued to build on the project and encourage students to create long term sustainable change.
This academic year, we have run upcycling and slow fashion events including embroidery upcycling workshops, charity shop crawls, and craft upcycling sessions. Our embroidery workshop was run in collaboration with Exeter SolidariTee who use ethical and sustainable T-shirts to fundraise for refugee legal aid and mental health assistance. This collaboration helped us reach a wider population of students and promote further sustainable fashion initiatives on campus.
We have continued to create opportunities for students to learn about sustainable fashion, for example with our ‘Sustainable Sundays’ events. These socials encourage students to explore sustainable topics together and create a social media post to raise wider awareness. At our sustainable fashion themed café event, students researched and discussed fashion waste, greenwashing and legalisation while suggesting ways in which students can reduce their clothing consumption and highlighting existing local solutions.
Inspired by Stitch by Stitch, we have used our experience running a sustainable campaign to start up a new initiative. Like our previous campaign, we have prioritised accessibility and student involvement. The campaign, called Vegshare, brings organic, seasonal and locally grown fruit and veg from Shillingford Organics farm to campus. This allows students to pick up organic produce easily and at a cheaper price than supermarkets. We have run this initiative in a similar way to ‘Stitch by Stitch’, starting with surveys to gauge student interest and gather ideas on how the campaign could be shaped.
Responses demonstrated strong student interest and helped identify the types of fruit and veg they would like to receive. Students have also contributed by making recipe cards for Vegshare bags and illustrating posters to promote the initiative. The bags have sold out and we have received very positive feedback from both students and lecturers.
Overall, students have continued to be involved and engaged in sustainable fashion issues while developing a new initiative encouraging more sustainable consumption on campus. The skills, experience and collaborative approach we developed during ‘Stitch by Stitch’ have played a big role in making this possible.
Sarah: Initiatives like these are a clear demonstration of how our students are bringing the University’s Strategy 2030 to life by showcasing creativity, climate awareness and a commitment to positive change. As Deputy Director of Commercial, Residential & Campus Services, I see daily how projects like these enrich the student experience and strengthen our sustainability culture.
This work directly advances the University of Exeter’s Circular Economy Strategy by reducing waste, extending the life of clothing, and encouraging more mindful consumption within our residential and campus communities. Equally important, it offers students the chance to develop valuable leadership skills by taking ownership of an idea, motivating peers, and collaborating to deliver a meaningful outcome. Through this hands-on experience, students also gain real-world competencies such as project management, communication and problem-solving, all of which directly support their future employability.
Be the Change continues to empower students to lead meaningful change, build community, and shape a more sustainable and engaging University environment. I’m proud of their achievements and inspired by the impact these projects have across our campuses.
Did you know … as well as funding Stitch by Stitch, UPP Foundation supports the Exeter Tutoring Model, an initiative that seeks to tackle socio-economic inequalities in GCSE results, and – by association – support efforts to widen access to university. The model trains undergraduate students to tutor small groups of Year 8 pupils in foundational writing skills. As well as improving pupil attainment levels, the model also enhances students’ skills and experience, supports universities’ civic agendas, and potentially provides a pipeline of aspiring teachers. Now supporting partner universities to adopt and embed the model in their localities, you can read more about it a series of blogs due to be published later this month.
