Don’t buy it. Warp It! Don’t waste it Warp It!
This Sustainability Week, we're excited to launch Warp It, a new internal platform for reusing equipment and furniture. Warp It provides a fast and effective system for University staff to list and claim surplus items.
Warp It will help the University to:
- Prevent unnecessary purchases
- Reduce waste and associated removal and treatment costs
- Improve our resilience to supply chain disruption
- Address our Scope 3 CO2e emissions
- Free useful space across the University currently used for storage
Rhiannon Hunt, Circular Economy Manager said. “This is all about saving staff time and the University money, as well as being smarter with how we manage our resources. In the current climate, we need to think innovatively and embrace technology to deliver value and affect real change for sustainability. Staff can now gain access to the many resources already held within the University for free, as opposed to purchasing new.”
In parallel to the launch of Warp It, Property and Campus Services have established a dedicated Central Store facility for the long-term storage of reusable assets, such as event, graduation and examination materials, as well as the short-term storage of surplus furniture and equipment.
Dave Hobson, Mail and Transport Manager said “The team has always done its best to promote reuse of unwanted equipment and furniture collected from the University’s estate, however, this has historically been a time-consuming operation. The launch of Warp It, combined with our new Central Store facility will remove much of the administrative burden, allowing us to focus on efficient transportation and delivery.”
The University has set ambitious targets for the first year of Warp It
- £50,000 saved
- 5,000kg waste avoided
- 20,000kg CO2e eliminated
- 300 items exchanged
- 300 staff members registered
Other universities just like ours are using the system and realising the benefits of reuse. Take a look at Warp It’s league tables, here, to see how they are performing. Some universities have achieved more than £1million in savings!
How do I Warp It?
Signing up to the platform couldn’t be easier, simply log in with your University details here.
Once a member, you’re free to browse and claim available items from across the University. Or perhaps you have unwanted and redundant items of equipment, furniture or stationery that you’ve been meaning to clear out. Simply photograph and upload the items to Warp It with a brief description and wait for them to be claimed by colleagues. As with any marketplace, Warp It becomes more valuable to the University, the more people use it.
Having been tried and tested by many organisations over several years, the platform has been streamlined to ensure a smooth and intuitive user experience, with training and guidance provided in the platform itself, so you can start warping it right away!
Prefer to explore Warp It in a group setting? Drop-in sessions will be hosted via Teams on the dates below for anyone who would like a tour of the platform and the opportunity to ask questions about the service.
- Friday 7th March 12:00 – 12:45
- Wednesday 19th March 12:00 – 12:45
To book, please contact Rhiannon Hunt, Circular Economy Manager: rhiannon.hunt@liverpool.ac.uk
Is there anything that can’t be Warped?
It’s possible to list just about any asset that can be legally transferred on Warp It, including furniture, equipment, stationary, consumables and laboratory equipment. However, it’s important that items listed meet the following criteria:
- The item is not an IT issued asset
- The item is not a data holding device
- The item does not contain confidential information
- The item is not (nor is contaminated with) a hazardous substance
- You have the necessary permissions and authorisation to list the item
Launch event
To celebrate the launch of Warp It, staff and students can visit the Sustainable Campus and Operations event at the Guild of Students on Thursday 27th February from 11am – 2pm, to learn more.
For further information about Warp It in general, visit www.getwarpit.com. You can also view Frequently Asked Questions here.
If you have any questions about Warp It at the University of Liverpool, please review our Warp It guidance, here, or get in touch via warpit@liverpool.ac.uk.