Sustainability in the hospitality industry

Sustainability is a word used by many companies as a part of their brand definition, and it's a word often used by P.R and marketing companies in an effort to boost their clients brand image.

Unfortunately, a large number of these companies are spending more time and money pretending to be sustainable, rather than being sustainable. This is called greenwashing, a term coined by the American environmentalist Jay Westerveld.

We are publishing a series of blogs, where we will be discussing the environmental impact of the hospitality industry, and how as an industry we can mitigate the negative impact the industry has on the environment.

In this blog we are writing about the use of single use plastic and how we can reduce or eliminate it’s use.

Plastic products are easy to clean and are none porous, therefore hygienic; plastic is also cheap and durable. Unfortunately, the use and dependency of single use plastic comes at a very high cost to our planet.

So, what's the problem with single use plastic? It's estimated the five million tonnes of plastic is used in the U.K each year. As most of us know, most plastic doesn’t decompose in a hurry and ends up in landfill or littering the natural environment; the same natural environment that many hospitality businesses depend on. Yes it’s true, that a lot of our plastic is recycled, but the process still uses water and energy. There is also evidence proving that much of the U.K's plastic waste we assume is being recycled, ends up in Malaysian and Indonesian landfills.

What can we do to reduce or eliminate the use of single use plastic? Here are four ways restaurants and food businesses can reduce their plastic usage.

• Use eco-friendly alternatives to take away disposables such as take away food containers, straws, cutlery, coffee cups and napkins.

• Don't serve drinks in plastic bottles. Instead use glass bottles or cans, both of which are 100% recyclable.

• Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk is usually more economical, and it also reduces the amount of waste an establishment produces. Here is an example; buy a 1 litre container of English Mustard for £8.50 rather than purchasing four 250g

  containers for £10.00.

• Instead of using condiments that are served in plastic bottles or sachets, use glass bottles that can be cleaned and refilled. This will save money in the long run, and it’s also a more tasteful way to present your condiments.

• Use stainless steel containers for mise en place. Although the initial outlay is much greater, it’s a one time investment that will pay off over the long term.

We have put together a plastic audit sheet that can used to list all the single use plastic products used by your business, and what action can be taken to eliminate it’s use. This can be downloaded by following the link below.

Plastic audit sheet

Implementing just a few of our tips on plastic reduction can make a difference on the impact our industry has on the environment. Using less plastic in your restaurant or food business is better for our fragile environment and can boost your organisations image with consumers, and can potentially boost profits.

If you run a hospitality business and would like to talk to us about how we can help your business reduce or eliminate it’s dependency on single use plastic email us at enquiries@create-hospitality.co.uk .

Here are a few suppliers you may want to have a look at

enviropack

vegware

belu water

Trends we hope stay and grow

The restaurant and hospitality industry is fast moving and has an ever changing landscape. Trends come and go, some are good and some are silly gimmicks that need to be forgotten.

We have picked out some industry trends that we hope stay and grow.

Wines from Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia. These countries represent uniqueness and high quality for a reasonable price. Here are a few names to look out for; Zorah / Armenia, Kozlovic / Croatia, Ktima Gerovassiliov / Greece.

Sophisticated children’s menus. Taking your children out for lunch or dinner? Forget chicken nuggets and French fries. Whilst dishes like burgers and fries aren’t going away any time soon, children’s pallets, just like their parents pallets, have become more sophisticated over the years, in addition to this, parents are more conscientious about what they’re feeding their children. Good job too. Surprisingly J.D Wetherspoons children’s menus are amongst the best in the U.K.

Sustainability. Numerous scientific studies have highlighted the impact our diets have on the environment. The restaurant industry is slowly starting to take notice. Here we list some of the U.K restaurants that are committed to sustainability and seasonality; The Pig, Pensford, 2016 sustainable restaurant of the year winner “Poco” Bristol, and The Ginger Peanut.

Hyper regional cuisine or hyper local are real buzz words at the moment, and fit well with the sustainable restaurant ethos. The benefits of hyper regional food are as follows: locally grown ingredients travel less miles and they reach the consumer quicker, therefore creating a smaller carbon footprint and the produce is more likely to be fresher and more nutritious. The downside to hyper regional cuisine is the expense of the ingredients, but great quality produce comes at a cost.

Ethics, values and sustainability in the hospitality industry

Ethics, values and sustainability have become a priority for many businesses around the world and although there has been a shift in attitudes in recent years the hospitality industry is still lagging behind when it comes to social and environmental responsibility especially small operations and businesses starting out, often putting profits ahead staff welfare and the environment . Can making social and environmental responsibility a part of your business model increase profits and sales in the long term?

In this blog we will be outlining how implementing strong values and promoting healthy business ethics can increase sales and profits and help build a sustainable and lasting hospitality business.

Responsibility to staff

Building a strong and dedicated team can be a challenging task. Employers that demonstrate loyalty by actively offering staff a healthy work life balance and flexible working hours; especially for those staff that have children or other family commitments will create a healthy and happy working environment. Rewarding staff for good work and loyal service is also very important. Paying staff a fair wage demonstrates an employers commitment to social responsibility.  Supporting staff with personal issues is also very important, a breakdown in a relationship, a bereavement or sickness for example. 

Happy staff who feel valued and looked after create a good atmosphere on the floor and are more likely to go that extra step to ensure customers are happy and that a business is running smoothly.  Happy staff are likely to recommend a good employer which will reflect well on a business.  

Environmental responsibility 

Following sustainable practices such as recycling, conserving energy and water, keeping wastage to a minimum, and using local suppliers can have a three prong effect; operating costs will fall, the impact on the environment will be less harmful and the positive publicity can enhance the reputation of a hospitality business.  

Ways to make a restaurant business more sustainable

• Cook whats in season and produced locally. This will reduce a food and drink operations carbon footprint and support local farmers and producers, which in turn helps support local economies 
• Choose your suppliers carefully; where possible use responsible suppliers that follow sustainable practices 
• Grow your own produce and where possible compost organic waste
• Purchase energy efficient kitchen and bar equipment, water efficient glasswashers and dishwashers, energy efficient light bulbs. Although the initial outlay is greater, savings will be made further down the line as the price of utility bills will fall
• Use renewable energy sources 
• Use meat and dairy from farms that use environmentally friendly farming methods
• Use fish that are taken from sustainable stocks
• Introduce biodynamic, carbon neutral and organic wines to your list
• Go paperless where possible

The hospitality industry has a responsibility to the  environment and to the staff that work hard to make it function. Implementing just a few sustainable and ethical business practices can make a big difference to the environment and can create a happier and healthier work place for its work force. If you have found this post useful please feel free to leave an opinion and share.