Some of the UK’s forward thinking foodservice companies have united – for the first time ever – to launch a powerful sustainability initiative, designed to revolutionise how the industry shares green knowledge, guidelines and best practice examples.
A recent survey revealed the continued need for foodservice operators to drive sustainability within their business, responding to the 83% of consumers that said sustainability directly affects their dining choices. This has been easier said than done in the past, as the ethical landscape continues to evolve with new Government legislation and changing consumer needs making sustainable business choices a real challenge for caterers to navigate.
Green alliance
plate2planetis the new ‘green alliance’ between seven of the UK’s key foodservice businesses – Unilever, Premier Foods, Délifrance UK, Vegware, Planet First and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, powered by Bidvest Foodservice which is driving the initiative – and marks a step change towards a collaborative approach to the sustainability challenges faced by the industry.
Tom Hunt, author of The Natural Cook and chef-patron of Poco, a restaurant recycling and composting 95-100% of their waste, is supporting the new campaign and commented: “As sustainability moves from being a marketing fad to becoming a core business objective it is important that it starts to be seen as a common goal.
“That means the entire food industry must work together, if we are to achieve real change. In bringing together so many brands under a single initiative, plate2planet has the real potential to act as a catalyst to driving understanding and engagement across the entire sector. It will be very interesting to watch where plate2planet takes us.”
Digital platform providing a forum for operators
The group, dubbed ‘the sustainability seven’, are pooling their resources to offer operators across all channels the opportunity to share ideas, inspiration, and expertise via a ‘one-stop-shop’ digital platform. The platform provides a forum for likeminded caterers, providing access to useful and practical information for those looking for help and solutions including how to guides, inspiring case studies, guidance on regulations, handy tools, and inspiring supply chain stories. In fact everything businesses need whether they are looking to generate savings, achieve zero to landfill, source sustainably or plan their own CSR journey.
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