LESS PLASTIC IN UNIVERSITY, YES TO GOOD PRACTICES: AGREEMENT BETWEEN UCBM And Plastic Free Onlus

Commitment to the volunteer association: increasing participation, reducing pollution, and raising awareness about recycling and waste sorting

Rome, 28 January 2026 - Less plastic, more good practices, and a focus on the environment are key to further reducing plastic pollution, encouraging participation, waste sorting, and recycling, and intensifying education and awareness-raising activities on healthy behavior.

The agreement signed between revolves around these cornerstones Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM) and Plastic Free Onlus, one of the largest national and international volunteers active in the fight against plastic pollution. The meeting focused on the issues of sustainability, pollution, awareness of the impact of human activities on the territory.

The CEO and DG of the company participated in the signing. UCBM dr. Andrea Rossi e Margherita Maiani, Secretary General of Plastic Free Onlus, and the regional representative of Plastic Free Onlus of Lazio, Lorenzo Paris.

Thanks to this agreement, which will be coordinated by the Operations Director, Antonio Bottini, UCBM enter the “Network of Universities for a Plastic-Free Environment”, a national network dedicated to the exchange of good practices for the reduction of plastic use, will promote new initiatives and will be able to join those promoted by Plastic Free Onlus, thus raising awareness of these issues throughout the university community.

The collaboration between the'Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM) and Plastic Free Onlus It is part of a process initiated several years ago by the University on the subject of environmental sustainability. In this context, UCBM established the Department of Science and Biotechnology, promoting lines of research linked to the major global challenges outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In confirmation of this commitment, within the campaign “That's Life”The University has donated reusable water bottles to all students, promoting a lifestyle that is environmentally sustainable, starting with small daily choices. At the same time, microfiltered water dispensers have been installed throughout the campus, aiming to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

More recently UCBM has adopted the Environmental Management System internally with ISO 14001 certification and is also a member of the “Network of Universities for Sustainable Development” (RUS), promoted by CRUI.

"Thanks to this agreement with Plastic Free Onlus we are starting a concrete action to reduce the use of single-use plastic in our spaces – underlined the CEO and DG of UCBM Andrea Rossi - Our campus is nestled in a protected natural area, the Decima Malafede Reserve. Here, sustainability isn't an abstract concept; it's a daily responsibility. In keeping with the One Health approach, we want to translate the connection between environment and health into real choices that impact the way we experience the University every day. This process also has educational value, because change comes from simple, repeated, and shared behaviors. It's a commitment we ask of the entire academic community, with a clear goal: to reduce the impact and raise awareness.

“With the entry of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma in our Network of Universities for the Environment - recalled Margherita Maiani, Secretary General of Plastic Free Onlus A valuable alliance between environmental commitment and human-centered scientific training is being consolidated. Plastic pollution is no longer just an ecological emergency: it is a concrete threat to public health, requiring transversal skills, rigorous research, and an integrated vision of human beings and the environment around them. Micro- and nanoplastics have now been found in the lungs, blood, placenta, and other human tissues, with possible effects on the endocrine system, neurodevelopment, and metabolism. This is why it is so important to be able to count on a university like Campus Bio-Medico, which unites science, care, and social responsibility: together, we can create a profound cultural change that puts the health of people and the planet at the center.