Sustainability Matters: The Findings

We joined Nutritics for its Sustainability Matters webinar recently, with experts from the hospitality sector – including Mitchells & Butlers and Pizza Pilgrims – addressing the findings from its most recent Consumer Sustainability Report.

The report conducted a deep dive into how customers prioritise sustainability when choosing where to eat and drink. Crucially, the findings showed that sustainability is no longer a “nice to have,” but is instead a critical factor in consumer decision-making in the hospitality sector.

Key findings include:

• 41% of consumers are likely to choose a restaurant or pub based on its sustainability practices. As more people commit to leading environmentally friendly lifestyles (71%), sustainability is becoming a core factor in decision-making.
• Despite the cost-of-living pressures, 37% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products or brands with strong sustainability credentials. 57% of Londoners will pay more than usual for good practice, compared to 33% of those in the rest of the UK.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of 18 to 34-year-olds say they choose venues based on sustainability, almost triple the figure for those aged 55 and over (23%). 59% of young adults say menu information about carbon footprints would influence their purchasing decisions.
• Some 38% of consumers responded to say that information about the caron footprint of menu options would influence their choices. 41% would like to see more of this labelling on menus.
• 79% think its important that hospitality venues facilitate recycling and food waste reduction.
• Sustainable supply chains matter, with the large majority of consumers (71%) saying “it’s important that venues use local and sustainably sourced ingredients.” 69% of consumers said that sustainable packaging is important.

What can you do to practice sustainability in your business:

Experts on the webinar drew attention to how consumers attitudes to sustainability have changed in recent years, with the majority once viewing it as a “positive ethical choice” to now being “existential to your business.”

With younger people being much more engaged in sustainability, it makes profitable sense to keep driving that part of your business forward. There are many ways in which you can do this:

• Re-design your menus to reduce the carbon footprint, using local suppliers where possible.
• Design your menu around ingredients that are in season to reduce both waste and carbon footprint.
• Communicate on menus, marketing materials or on labelling where produce is sourced from – some people provide radius labelling on their website or menu.
• Provide discounts for customers who come with their own re-usable cups.
• Take advantage of membership deals with the likes of BioPak for all your sustainable packaging needs.
• Sign up to your local compost service to divert spoiled food from going to landfill.
• Speak to your suppliers and ask them about their sustainability credentials.

It’s important to communicate all of your sustainability initiatives with the whole team to ensure transparency and confidence when customers ask about your green practices. Communication between staff and customers was a major topic of address during the webinar, so make sure your team feel like they’re part of the ‘vision’ and lean on them for suggestions on how to make your business more sustainable.

Demand for eco-friendly alternatives is only going to increase as young people enter the workplace and start spending, so use all the resources open to your business at the current time to stay ahead of the game and remember, shout about your sustainable practices – it may be the difference between someone choosing independent over big corps for their lunch run.

If you would like to share your sustainability practices with us, email [email protected].