Eight Simple Steps to Become More Sustainable!
12th March 2021
Sustainability is an issue that can no longer be ignored! It’s time to take action and become more sustainable.
Did you know that, according to Forbes, 88% of consumers try to do what they can to lessen their impact on the world? For the hospitality industry this could suggest the need for a change in the way that businesses run and operate
MINTEL suggest that a consumers interest in Eco-friendly initiatives can be driven by a greater awareness of the issue.
The impact of COVID-19 on sustainability
Covid-19 has impacted the way that hospitality businesses have operated completely.
This includes the sustainability practices that they may have adapted pre pandemic, such as the rule for single use paper menus, masks and not being able to have shared water stands.
Therefore, businesses must start from square one to not only ensure that their business is sustainable, but also ensure it is Covid safe and meets the requirements of the government and the restrictions in place.
By adopting simple steps, companies can incorporate new process that will benefit the environment in the long term.
Why is sustainability important?
Sustainability is widely regarded as one of the crucial aspects to a successful business in the 21st century.
Sustainability is currently one of the biggest problems society has to face. This issue cannot be ignored, however, can be changed.
The Institute of Hospitality states that sustainability is embedded in the hospitality industry and is currently under a lot of pressure to adapt, improve and manage their businesses the better.
How these steps will transform your business
By following these tips, you don’t have to make big adaptations that will take time, money and energy away from your business.
These small changes will enable you to lessen your waste, electricity consumption and carbon footprint.
These steps may be seen as small, but these small changes can make a big difference. Imagine if every hospitality business in the UK implemented these adjustments, the overall impacts would be unimaginable.
8 Simple Steps
The future is uncertain, but by following these steps you can make sure that you are doing your part for the environment.
1 – Offer QR codes instead of single use paper menus to those that can access them.
2 – Swap to eco-friendly lightbulbs and turn them off when not needed.
Novotel London swapped to LED lightbulbs which helped them save 75% of their energy.
3 – Offer re fillable drinks to cut down on glass and cans with the option of purchasing re-usable cups.
In 2018 Boardmasters implemented a scheme to use re-fillable cups while at the festival.
4 – Ensure all possible items can be recycled and use bio-degradable wipes and bags.
5 – Change all cleaning cycles such as dishwashers and washing machines to an eco-option.
6 – Source food and materials from local businesses.
The Big Green Gathering Festival and Hilton Hotels are just some of the organisations that have made the switch to local businesses.
7 – Make yourself aware of electricity consumption to notice when to cut down.
8 – Swap from plastic packaging to cardboard or easily recyclable material.
UK chain Nandos have made this change and now currently use cardboard for all takeaway services.
… its really that simple to make a big difference!
Each of these steps are so simple to adapt to and a big part of them is just being aware of the issues surrounding sustainability.
Simply understanding the effects your business has on the environment and being able to implement simple adaptations, can make a big difference.
Extra steps you can take to make a difference
Did you know that WRAP states 920,000 tonnes of food is wasted each year, 75% of which could have been avoided?
By the Hospitality Industry working alongside other organisations such as food banks, could help distribute food more effectively.
Also, UN water state that water scarcity is a worldwide problem, and it has been estimated demand for water could exceed supply by 40 percent by the year 2030.
So, it is vital for organisations to stop wasting water.
Encourage staff and customers to understand easy ways to save water! its as simple as only serving water when guests ask for it or making sure dishwashers and washing machines are full before setting them off!
What changes could you make today?
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Great blog! Well done to your group, really interesting topic with some thought provoking steps for change. Let’s hope businesses take note!
Hi Anna, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are glad you found the 8 steps interesting, and yes let’s hope businesses take note and make more sustainable changes in the future!
Very interesting and something we should all be thinking about.
Hi Adele, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We hope that the 8 steps has helped you to look at new ways and engage with new initiative, to look at the bigger goal of becoming more sustainable.
Shows simple but effective ways to cut down plastic use and be more planet friendly. Very clear and hopefully a lot of the hospitality businesses choose these methods to be more sustainable.
Hi Angelica, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are so happy that you find our steps effective. Yes, we really hope that businesses take note of these simple steps, which could make an ever-changing impact. Hopefully, as you say, these methods will show businesses that changing small aspects within a business, can allow for a more sustainable future in the hospitality and events industry.
Using water wisely is really important. Hotels need to make water use a priority
Hi Alan, thankyou so much for engaging with our blog. We completely agree, conserving water is a vital aspect of sustainability, and is something which should be adopted in all hotels. If you had one improvement that hospitality organisations could do to use water more wisely, what would you recommend?
Regular inspections of pipework to make sure there is no leakage taking place. Use of water efficient appliances (laundry etc); fitting flow limiters in public toilets
Hi Alan, thank-you for sharing your answers. These are really some good ‘food for thought’ topics of discussion. They are great to ensure there is less water wastage within the hospitality and events industry, and also in everyday lifes.
This is a very interesting blog! The 8 simple steps are a good way to get people involved in sustainability.
Hi Georgia, thank-you very much for your comment and engagement with our blog. Out of the 8 steps, which step do you think would benefit a business more, and would there be any other steps which you would take further, to help hospitality and event organisations become more sustainable?
I think it depends on the business, and how many customers they get, the age range of those customers, as if it is a small cafe that has mainly elderly customers, there is no point in having QR code menus as they will most likely not have the technology to scan them, but in this scenario, it would work really well to source food and materials from local businesses as this would cut down on travel miles, and food miles. By having locally sourced food it may even encourage people to attend the cafe.
Yes definitely. When we were putting this blog together we actually spoke about the negatives of QR codes, and the elderly did come up. We said to one another that businesses who move to QR codes, need to ensure they are still able to provide for these types of customers, so having a few single use menus will be perfect. With your point on sourcing food locally, it is definitely a way of cutting down travel and food miles, and it also helps boost the local economy. Thanks for your response Georgia, it is much appreciated, and thank-you for sharing your opinions with us 🙂
Amazing Blog! As someone who worked in the hospitality industry these steps are something that all businesses should try to adapt. Personally the source local produce step is one that I hope many businesses try. What made you decide the specific steps that you used within this blog?
Hello Janet, thank-you very much for taking the time to engage with our blog. Yes, using local produce within the industry definitely helps the local economy and boosts sustainability also. The reason that we chose the 8 specific steps, are that they are a good start and are particularly easy first steps for businesses to make, to allow them to become more sustainable. These steps allow for businesses to see how easy it is to make vital sustainable changes, which will hopefully lead to them adopting new ways of becoming more sustainable, now and in the future. I hope that answers your question 🙂
Fantastic and Interesting Information, various businesses can take something away from this, not just hospitality.
However, your 8 steps are great, but considering “Covid-Friendly” reusable cups are in fact not safe. For a bar that will literally take a cup out of someone’s hand and put it under a tap, if they are not paying attention or over pouring, or resting against the tap and putting nozzles in cups with saliva and other lovely human bodily fluids. I wouldn’t consider “Covid safe”/ compliant.
What other alternatives do you think they can offer that it sustainable OR environmentally friendly?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Natasha, Thank-you so much for your engagement with the blog.
That is a very interesting point about 1 of the eight steps, which i am glad you have enquired about. As an alternative to reusable cups due to covid, we believe that environmentally friendly disposable cups would be appropriate to use. A good example of a company who offer disposable cups is ‘the compostable cup company’. They are a company who offer disposable cups which are suitable for both hot and cold drinks. Adopting something like this into hospitality venues, and also events, would be more hygienic, environmentally friendly, and also more sustainable as they can be recycled after use. We hope this answers your question 🙂
Very interesting ideas. I will try to use them to improve the environment.
Hello Soimah, thank-you for engaging with our blog, really appreciate your feedback. Which step do you think would be the best to adopt into a business, to help them become more sustainable?
A very interesting and engaging blog – a lot of food for thought in relation to how the pandemic has necessitated the rethinking of sustainability strategies. I like how you have looked at sustainability holistically and also thought about reducing food waste by working with food banks. What are your views on regulation? To what extent should sustainability practices be cemented in law and which ones would you prioritise?
Hi Nadine, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are glad you enjoyed the topic of discussion, and hopefully it gave you some relevant insight into the issue.
In response to your questions, we believe that businesses using their resources in the most environmentally friendly way is key, and if businesses have these resources available, they should utilise them to the best of their ability. However, we understand that not all businesses have access to the resources or funding of the resources, and this can be a very costly change within a businesses dynamic. Therefore, we hope that the government can fund businesses, and help them start to become more sustainably engaged.
We would prioritise the water wastage step, as the industry uses a lot in different capacities (depending on the event or organisation). The other step we would prioritise would be to source food from local businesses, which could help boost the local economy but also help reduce food wastage. We hope this answers your question 🙂
Such an interesting article! Very simple and effective ways to make the hospitality sector more environmentally friendly and sustainable. As someone who works in a restaurant I know how easy it is to implement some of these ideas.
Definitely agree with limiting plastic consumption and using cardboard instead, it’s such an easy switch to make, as well as ensuring that everything possible is recycled and not put in landfill.
I would love to hear your opinions on how the economic effects of Coronavirus may affect the rate at which businesses take up these steps as some more eco-friendly or locally sourced products can be more costly?
Hi Issy, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are glad you find the steps effective.
In answer to your question, we believe taking up these steps are more of a long term strategy, than a short term one. Therefore when businesses can afford to adopt these, we hope that these goals are at the forefront of their business. You say you work within a restaurant, do you believe that sustainability is a key goal within your business, and if not, do you feel these small steps would help towards the company switching their strategies, to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Hi! I do believe sustainability is done well within the restaurant I work in although I’m not sure it is at the forefront of all decisions made. The company uses cardboard packaging for takeaway meals, has produced reusable QR code menu cards and uses multiple bins in order to ensure things such as glassware are recycled.
However I do think there is always room for improvement. We still give out paper menus to all tables, which could be cut back on if people are encouraged to just use the QR codes to view the menu and then order. This small and very simple step you have outlined would definitely help the company to become even more environmentally friendly!
I completely agree with the water cycles comment, saving water is vital and can be implemented throughout industries, regular checks on pipework can save in the long run with regard to water usage. Various ways of saving water can also be applied with households.
Hi Dave, thank-you for engaging with our blog. Yes definitely, saving water is vital, especially in an industry which uses so much of it.
What do you personally believe would be the best way for hospitality companies, or events to implement to help lessen water wastage?
Hi, I’d personally say that a water management audit/plan is the most popular method of water management. You could look into current usage and then work on seeing what methods can be put into place to reduce water usage. There are many different options available, however it’s a matter of finding the most suitable and effective option.
Yes Dave I strongly agree as well! Such an easy and simplistic change that could go
Such a long way ☺️
Eco friendly water cycles is probably going to be the most easily accessible to most of the population and something every generation can contribute too! Such an easy and simple change as well… Both in hospitality and day to day life ☺️
Hi Ann Marie, thank-you for engaging with our blog and thank-you for sharing your opinion with us. We completely agree that eco friendly water cycles is an aspect which businesses and individuals can easily implement into their work routine, and their day to day life’s as you said. It is a very important topic and needs to be looked into further, so organisations can ensure water is not wasted as much 🙂
Really interesting blog! It’s good to see small but simple ways that hospitality business can become more sustainable. Let’s hope that business adopt this as a common practise into the future of their business, to allow for a more sustainable industry.
Hi Elliott, thank-you for engaging with our blog and for your comment. We completely agree with businesses adopting these steps into their everyday working lives, and also personal. Hopefully businesses can understand that even though the steps are small, they can be more affective in the long run, for themselves, and also the events and hospitality industry 🙂
These are great tips! I loved getting food from a specific takeaway truck at University as their loyalty scheme stamps were exchanged for returning the compostable container that your food came in, to encourage recycling.
Hi Alice, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog, we are really glad you liked the 8 simple steps. Wow, thank-you for sharing that experience with us, it sounds like a really good idea, and something we’d love to see more of. The fact the company were using their own initiative to encourage students such as yourself, to recycle is great, and shows that the university promote sustainability. What university did you go to / are you at, if you don’t mind me asking?
Two things I love about this article are:
1) connecting covid-19 and sustainability.
2) a focus on the hospitality industry.
Both are really important to realize if we want to move into a “green recovery” from the pandemic! Great job!
Hello Charlotte, thank-you for engaging within our blog post. We are really glad you were able to find some things which stood out to you within the blog. Yes, as a contemporary issue, covid-19 is definitely having a major impact on the industry, and yes, as you say, both aspects of covid-19 and sustainability are something which all businesses should be thinking about. Thank-you so much for your comments, we really appreciate them 🙂
A very useful material and I think it’s time to start acting differently in partnership with different actors and different levels, and for many developing countries this means to putt knowledge into practice ASAP.
Good job!
Hi Meral, thanks for engaging with our blog. we agree its time to act now, and inform people how easy it to make simple changes to really lessen impacts on the environment. thank-you for your comment and we hope that we inspired you to make a change 🙂
A very useful blog for hospitality businesses but also for each household. Every hospitality business could benefit and contribute to sustainable environment by implementing each of the eight proposed steps to save water, save electricity as well as use recycled/bio-degradable materials. Implementation of the proposed steps by the hospitality business will have a great impact also to the awareness of the citizens to become more environmentally friendly.
Hello Hajrije, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are so glad that you find our 8 simple steps beneficial, and yes we definitely hope that businesses can contribute to helping the environment by implementing, even one, of these 8 steps into their business. You make an interesting point as well, with if businesses implement these steps, hopefully it will create a better awareness to allow for more people to become more environmentally friendly in their day to day lives. We too hope this can be the case now and in the future.
Great work with the stats!
I’d look at moving food waste up into the easy switches as it has cost-saving benefits for all involved and it’s much easier than trying to redistribute food. Adopting a food waste monitoring system like Chef’s Eye is a good way for venues to reduce food waste from service through evidence of what is wasted. Also giving caterers honest figures for a festival so they don’t over order food. Fareshare will accept good quality sealed food from festivals through an arrangement via a Greener Festival previously known as 8th Plate.
Also for water its about those watersaving taps with push buttons on and water efficient toilets for hotels
Hi Livvy, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We really appreciate your feedback. We have never heard of the ‘Chef’s Eye’ system so we will definitely have a look into that, thank-you for the recommendation. All of your comments are really good food for thought so we appreciate them a lot 🙂
Great blog with loads of interesting and thought provoking information. Personally sourcing produce from local suppliers is one that I feel most business should try and implement, however all 8 of the steps I feel I could try and incorporate within my workplace. One question I have is with bigger companies who have chains of hospitality businesses all across the world, how do you hope to reach those businesses and do you feel they will be willing to take on the extra costs that it takes to be more sustainable in the events and hospitality industry?
Hi Georgia, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. In answer to your question we would hope that these businesses already have strategies in place, and if not, it is / can be implemented for the future. Hopefully organisations will be willing to take on these extra costs as with these big businesses, becoming sustainable and environmentally friendly can make such a huge difference, and have a big impact on the future of the industry.
Well done on the blog! You included some key and interesting facts. I think it’s great on the tips you give the hospitality industry. The Point about LED and turning off lights is a key point!👏 However I’m surprised that reducing meat and offering more plant based options doesn’t make it into the list? Considering that animal agriculture is one of the main contributors to climate change it needs to urgently be tackled, I think the hospitality industry has a responsibility in reducing their meat and dairy consumption significantly. Perhaps something to consider for you next blog.🙂
Hi Andrea, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are glad you liked some of the steps we would like businesses to take to become more sustainable. Thanks for your feedback on another step we could speak about. Unfortunately, we have not undertaken or found much research regarding this issue. This is something which we will definitely consider, alongside other steps, for another blog if we undertake one in the future. thank-you so much for your comment 🙂
Great blog! Very interesting industry insights and effective steps to stimulate the sustainable development. What do you think are the negative outcomes that can be provoked by industry not following the steps and especially not reducing the use of energy?
Hi Ann, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are really glad you enjoyed reading the steps and some of the industry insights. We think that the negative outcomes for the industry not adopting some of these methods could have negative effects such as pollution. this could lead to a bigger impact including the air pollution and the effect that has on nature. There is always negative outcomes. Not reducing energy usage can be damaging to our carbon footprint. We hope this answers your question?
Yes it very much does. Those aspects you mentioned are hazardous and shouldn’t be ignored! I think that demonstrating negative outcomes is very important as that would explain the significance of the steps you have wrote about and provoke changes. Again very interesting blog and a lot to think about thank you!
Yes, definitely. We agree with you that more people and businesses will make a change when they can see the negatives of a situation, and then hopefully the switch they can undertake to becoming more sustainable, will allow them to see the more positive aspects. So thank-you for asking that question, as it has definitely made us think. Thank-you for your comments Ann, they are really appreciated!
Being in the hotel industry, I can only say how accurate this article is. Covid has been the biggest ever threat to hospitality and the challenges have been huge, so with that in mind, it’s easy to forget the importance of being sustainable also.
In my place or work, we use a QR code to limit the use of paper menus, however, some of those 8 steps we haven’t considered so I’ll be sure to push those forward when we re-open! Nice work 🙂
Hi Dom, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. I am so sorry to hear that you are experiencing first hand how covid has threatened the hospitality industry. It is great to hear that your place of work uses QR codes to limit the use of paper menu’s. A few of the members from this blog group also work in hospitality, and we felt that the number of menus that were being wasted each day, as people would touch them without realising, and then we’d have to throw them away for hygiene purposes, were increasing dramatically. We also used a QR code however not everyone was able to use them due not not having phones which would work with the QR codes. A lot of single use paper has been wasted during this pandemic, and also before. We are so glad that you have seen some steps which you haven’t undertaken within your business, which you would like to achieve. Lets hope other businesses follow and help the industry become more sustainable. Thanks for your comments Dom 🙂
Excellent read! As a medium size hospitality business I am proud to say that we have been recently awarded a silver medal in Green tourism by simply following the 8 steps mentioned in your article.
We still have a long way to go but we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and becoming a more sustainable business.
I hope that your article will reach larger hospitality groups.
Well done!
Hello Maz, thank-you for engaging with our blog. Wow, what an amazing achievement yourself and your business have achieved. It is so lovely to hear that businesses like yours do try and be as sustainable as they can, and the fact, as you say, you follow the steps or similar to what we have addressed within this article is really good to hear. It makes a big difference and it is amazing you are committed to reducing your carbon footprint and become more sustainable. We hope this article also reaches larger hospitality groups. Thank-you for sharing your experience with us. As a medium sized hospitality business, do you find some steps to becoming more sustainable, are harder to achieve than others?
Clear and well explained article. I agree that the steps you have offered are easy to implement and do not require a big number of resources. However, as a person working in the events industry in Russia I have noticed a lack of action and acknowledgement of existing problems within the events and hospitality environment. What do you think is the best strategy for managers in countries like mine to start working towards changes and educate the industry? Would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Hi Elizabeth, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are glad you think the steps offered are easy to implement. In answer to your question, we believe managers in various countries, such as Russia, need to have more information given to them and have new insight into the effects that not being sustainable, can have on the environment. We are aware that in Russia, there is not a decent amount of sustainability education, so maybe the use of volunteering or charity work can help build a better level of understanding of how being more sustainable, has its benefits. Governments could also implement new programmes or support for businesses to help kickstart the switch to becoming more sustainable. We hope this gives you some new and useful ideas and that it answers your question 🙂
An enjoyable read, I’m very fond of efforts made in regards to sustainability and this recognition is a step in the right direction! I think more needs to be done to engage with different types of people in regards to sustainability, recycling is one of the areas I think needs to be addressed as it is a simple yet effective change! Thank you so much for this article!
Hi Sophia, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are so pleased the blog has got you thinking about ways people could help the environment by becoming more sustainable. Yes, we agree with what you are saying about recycling, as it is an issue which needs to be addressed more in this industry, and others, as the difference it makes to the environment, and especially from an industry that uses so many different materials, is huge. Thank-you so much for your comment 🙂
Great article, well done Shianne and team. I’m so happy to hear big names such as Nando’s are doing their bit to mitigate their environmental impact, and hopefully this will inspire others to consider their own sustainable practices.
Hi Hope, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. As you say, it is so nice to see big chains helping the industry become more environmentally friendly and sustainable, and setting an example to other businesses. Hopefully it will inspire businesses, whatever the size, to apply sustainable practices to their workplace, to help make a more positive impact. Thank-you for your comment 🙂
Really interesting read! Sustainability is such a big topic so it is really pleasing to see you write a superb blog on it. It makes great points and ones which people need to know about!
Hi Tom, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We are so glad that you found the steps within the blog affective and yes, it is definitely something which people need to know about and understand more about too. Thank-you for your comment 🙂
This is really good! Some things here I hadn’t even considered, such as putting my laundry on eco wash, etc…
Excellent research and the way you have presented the format is easy for me to take in, even after full days work!
Hi Adam, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog, and for your kind comments. We are so glad that you find the research useful, and we are happy that the format is something you can engage with and read easily. It is great that you have been able to look at the blog and pick out aspects which you can now consider to adopt to become more sustainable. Thanks so much for your comments 🙂
I enjoyed reading the above article. It clearly describes effective and modern sustainability solutions and is both insightful and productive. Great work!
Hi Olesya, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are so happy that you find our blog insightful, and we hope that other businesses do, and can adopt even 1 or 2 of these steps into their organisation. thanks for your comments 🙂
An interesting read. Is sustainability STILL a big issue? Given that the London Olympic Games provided a new ISO for events sustainability, 9 years ago and sustainability was being discussed in hospitality 25 years ago why is it still so contemporary?!
The examples you give are very interesting but I am wary of greenwash in instances like Hilton’s examples. Given the huge savings and kick backs that hotel conglomerates like these can get from national suppliers, how many of their suppliers are truly local??
As far as COVID and sustainability is concerned I guess it has helped with less travel… how are they equipping their staff with face masks? This seems to be a significant issue for the planet with discarded face masks everywhere!!
Hi John, thank-you for engaging with our blog. In answer to your questions, yes we believe sustainability is still a big issue, and we feel it is still a contemporary issue because it is not being adopted into businesses, as much as it can be. Furthermore, being sustainable is still relevant in the world today because many practices, which have been designed to help organisations become more sustainable, have unfortunately failed over the years.
With your statement about greenwash in organisations such as Hilton, we believe that not many of their suppliers are truly local, and this is because after doing some research, we found that being sustainable is not economically efficient for some organisations and are known to be harmful for some world-leading organisations, which could include Hilton. However, various hotels like Hilton could start to use local suppliers, which could help them see the benefits and expand on this step.
We agree with your statement about the face masks, they are everywhere and this is a step which we definitely could have included. The issue of masks being discarded everywhere is having a huge impact on the environment. Businesses could provide eco-friendly or reusable (washable) face-masks for their staff, to ensure that there is less waste going into the planet. These masks do exist, so it would not be a drastic change, but it would be a good start. Some organisations even use face shields, which can be deep cleaned.
thank-you for your comments 🙂
Sustainability is definitely a hot topic in events and hospitality at the moment, and great to see students thinking about ways to promote sustainability. In addition to these useful pointers, another consideration could be for companies to offer a carbon offset programme. When large scale events can happen again, whilst every effort should be made to work towards sustainable practices, there will always be an unavoidable carbon footprint, which can be offset with one of the many amazing carbon offset programmes now available.
Hi Alex, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. Yes sustainability is definitely a huge topic of interest in the industry, especially at the moment due to coronavirus. Your considerations are ideas which we, as a group, never even thought of and it really gets us thinking about new ways organisations can become more sustainable. Thank-you so much for making us think of new initiatives. Offset programmes are definitely something which we will look into, as it sounds like an amazing idea and definitely something which many businesses should consider themselves. Thank-you for your comments 🙂
Wonderful insights! I definitely noticed this, perhaps, one of not many positive aspects that COVID left us with, as switching to more sustainable lifestyle. Haven’t used a single paper menu in a while!
Hi Ana, thank-you for engaging with our blog. Yes absolutely, COVID has definitely made organisations think about how they can use their resources they have access too, including the new use of QR codes for menu’s e.t.c. Many organisations did use QR codes before, however, it’s great to see that many other businesses are adopting it into their workplaces. They might not know it’s them being more sustainable, but it’s great that it is. It is also great to hear that you haven’t used a single use menu in a while! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Very good blog post and definitely straight-forward 8 steps that can be easily adapted! Interesting note on the foodwaste – I think it would be important to include that there are zero-waste food apps out there; “Too Good to Go”, “Karma” and “Olio” that companies can sign on and sell their end-of-day products! Supermarkets are also currently doing them so might be an idea to add in. Hope this helps!
Hi Ruby, thank-you so much for engaging with our blog. We had no knowledge of zero-food waste apps being out there, so thank-you for bringing this to our attention. It is definitely something which we will look into as it sounds like a really good idea and is something which more businesses should adopt. It is an aspect which can help consumers and businesses in different ways. Thank-you for your comments, they are much appreciated 🙂
A very interesting article, for example I did not know that such a large percentage of food waste is in our world.
It seems to me that one of the most important tasks in the article is to tell what people do not know about. And you did it.
At the expense of water, I heard about a new eco technology for selling water in plastic films in the form of a bubble. So far, no one uses it, but it is very possible that it will be in our distant future.
It is possible that we will have a limitation on the amount of water for each person, imagine any application that allocates access to a certain amount of water per day. If people continue not to think about ecology, everything will lead to such restrictions.
Hi Irena, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are so happy to see that you now are aware of various aspects which can be changed, too allow for people and businesses to become / be more sustainable. That is exactly the purpose of our blog, and it is nice to know we have been clear in that respect. We were not aware of the new eco technology that you are talking about here, but thank-you for bringing it up. It is definitely something we will look into to understand more about. Hopefully it will get more use in the future as you suggested. Yes we also agree with your comment on the possibility of a limitation of water, and this is something which people do need to consider, as reducing the amount of water, will help the environment in the long run. Thanks for your comments 🙂
Really interesting blog post! I definitely agree that the eight steps you have stated will make a big difference to the impact on our industry’s events. From a hotel background I have noticed that watching our electricity output has helped. For example we don’t heat certain parts of the hotel until completely necessary.
Good luck for the rest of your studies!
Hi Emma, thanks for engaging with our blog. We are so glad that you agree that the 8 steps will make a big impact on the events industry, if adopted to workplaces. It is really good to hear that you have been keeping an eye on your electricity usage and we think that what your organisation is doing, is a really good way of being more sustainably aware. Thank-you so much and thank-you for your comments 🙂
Extremely relevant information for me personally. Now is the time when many people who are aware of the deplorable environmental situation on the planet simply do not know where to start. This article is able to push them to take the first step towards a conscious life with care for nature and our future. It was also interesting to read how the covid pandemic affected the overall plan of action.
Hi Diana, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are so happy that you found the information relevant and yes we definitely agree that now is the time where people should become more aware of the environment, and consider various ways in which they can adopt aspects of sustainability into their workplace. We are so grateful for your kind comments and we are glad you believe the article is able to push for a more sustainable future within the events and hospitality industry. Thanks for your comments 🙂
I’m myself working in a restaurant strongly agree with this 8 simple steps that hospitality industry can apply to become more sustainable.
I’m happy that in the restaurant I’m working at we offer QR codes to customers so they can access our menus, we also using refillable water bottles and most of the items we using in our restaurant is recyclable or bio-degradable.
Also food waste is such a big issue nowadays and hospitality industry should pay more attention to it and consider using alternative food distribution methods.
Hi Al, thank-you for engaging with our blog. It is great to hear that within the organisation you work in, that you offer QR codes so that your customers can access the menus online. It is also great to see that you are sustainable in more than one way. We definitely agree with your statement, on how food waste is a big issue which organisations need to understand, and hopefully this blog will reach many people and allow them to understand the issue of sustainability more. Thanks for your comment 🙂
I found interesting thoughts in this article. Indeed, all kinds of pollution are becoming a real threat to us, people. I think the government should introduce the rules of sustainability at the legislative level. The idea of switching to eco-friendly light bulbs is good, but “turn them off when you don’t need them”? I don’t think it’s possible in the restaurant business; it’s better to use motion-sensing bulbs. I also think the main problem of hospitality is the waste of products. In America, many products are thrown away that do not even reach the expiration date; I would like to know about the solutions to this problem in the following article! You doing great; keep it up!
Hi Kristina, thank-you for engaging with our blog. We are so glad that you found the blog interesting. Yes, sustainability should become more known and should be applied to more businesses. In regard to your statement about what we have included within the article, motion sensing bulbs is something we have not thought of, but thank-you for bringing this to our attention. It is definitely something which makes more sense, as you say, within restaurants and hotels etc, as it will help reduce power usage, and is a much more rewarding solution. We agree and think your absolutely right that there is a lot of waste of products within the industry, and businesses need to understand this when purchasing goods from their suppliers. thank-you so much for your comments, we really appreciate them 🙂
As a hospitality MSc graduate,
I understand the concerns of the climate change and the pollution we create as daily customers of SME’s such as restaurants.
However, the sustainability issue cannot be solved through small businesses.
The expectation of a vast investment from a small business is outrageous and it is immensely imperative to realise that it is the governments job.
Majority of restaurants or a hotels do not have multiple revenue streams to finance such projects after COVID pandemic.
Sustainability by itself is a very expensive act and the only way that it can truly be fixed is by taking these measures:
1. Creating a importance measurement to find out which problem is urgent.
2. Having 5 year plan to fix one problem at a time.
3. Creating benefits for corporations when they engage in the acts.
4. Ease of business law for start-ups both with citizen and foreign founders.
Hi Shahab, thank-you for engaging with our blog. I’ts great to see that you, as a hospitality graduate, understand the concerns regarding sustainability and the negative affects it can have on the industry. We completely understand where you are coming from in regard to the fact that small businesses simply cannot afford to be more sustainable straight away, and we believe your measures are a very good way that businesses could follow, so thank-you for sharing them with us. We really appreciate your comments, and thank-you for putting four measures there for us to have a look at further 🙂