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Sustainability & Your Business
Fundamentally, sustainability is about running a food or drink business that’s built to last. From reducing waste and cutting energy costs to sourcing responsibly and meeting growing customer expectations, small changes can make a big difference.
At NCASS, we believe sustainability should be practical, affordable and achievable for independent businesses. Our approach aligns with wider UK sustainability goals, including reducing food waste, cutting carbon emissions, improving recycling, and supporting responsible sourcing, all while helping businesses remain profitable and compliant.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve what you already do, we’re here to help you take meaningful steps towards:
- Reducing food waste and increasing efficiency
- Lowering energy and water use to cut costs and emissions
- Improving packaging choices, including reuse and recyclability
- Sourcing responsibly and supporting local and ethical suppliers
- Meeting environmental expectations from customers, councils and regulators
Why this matters now
The hospitality industry is facing increasing pressure to operate sustainably from stricter environmental regulations and rising energy costs to growing consumer demand for responsible businesses. Taking action not only helps protect the planet, but it also improves your reputation, can reduces operating costs, and ensures your business stays competitive in a rapidly changing market.
This page brings together guidance, tools, and real-world advice to help you operate more sustainably without adding unnecessary cost or complexity.
Truly sustainable business goes beyond buzzwords, making conscious choices that reduce environmental impact, support ethical suppliers, and strengthen local communities. It prioritises transparency, avoids greenwashing, and focuses on thoughtful procurement – from using green energy to partnering with B Corps and social enterprises.
Sustainability isn’t about perfection or expensive overhauls; it’s about small, consistent actions like sourcing local, seasonal produce, reducing food waste, or switching to recycled packaging and creating meaningful change.
Top sustainability tips for your business
- Have a unified vision for sustainability across your business
- Invest in your team’s knowledge, give your employees purpose by making them part of making your vision happen
- Tell your customers about your sustainability values and how you have integrated the in your business – your story and your values are powerful marketing tools
- Buy quality products that are tough and long lasting such as Duralex glass because recycled glass isn’t as durable
- Be motivated by legislation such as the ‘glass tax’ to plan for change in advance
- Buy seasonal and be flexible with your menus
- Diversify your ingredients
- Speak to your suppliers and ask them about their sustainability credentials
- Be transparent with your customers
- Look at switching to a green energy supplier
- Be honest in your approach. Sustainability costs more for your business, tell the story of where produce/equipment is coming from to customers
- Could you be more seasonal and diversify your ingredients more?
- Engage with your team, find your champions and let them drive it for you – give them the power to make decisions
Useful organisations, information and resources:
Vision for Sustainable Events
Vision for Sustainable Events was established as a not-for-profit group to promote climate action, through the provision of free-to-access shared knowledge in 2010, Vision for Sustainable Events now represents over 1,000 event businesses through industry body stakeholders and leaders in the field of sustainability.
NCASS have supported and contributed to the work that Vision does since it started in 2010.
The Bull Inn Totnes
The Bull Inn is an organic, ethical pub with nine contemporary, eclectically designed and stylish bedrooms. Situated in the South Hams, Devon, we make the most of being surrounded by some of the best organic food producers in the UK.
They have a training programme on regenerative and sustainable hospitality.
Better Food Traders
Better Food Traders is a non-profit organisation that networks and supports sustainable food retailers across the UK. They empower and equip traders, farmers, communities and local authorities to rebuild an independent food sector, at the same time helping reduce the environmental impacts of food and support more climate-and nature-friendly production. They offer enterprise support, networking, micro-grants, research and policy work, and coordinated public marketing and campaigns.
Wildfarmed
Wildfarmed, as an idea, began in 2018 with a simple idea: to grow food in a way that’s better for people, the planet, and the growers that produce it. From those first fields, a vibrant community of farmers, bakers, and difference makers has grown, all united by a shared belief that food can be different, more tasty, more fun, and more enjoyable.
Since then, Wildfarmed has been on a journey to prove that better farming leads to better food, stronger connections, and brighter futures.
The Sustainable Food Trust
The Sustainable Food Trust is a registered charity that was founded by Patrick Holden in 2011 in response to the worsening human and environmental crises that are associated with the vast majority of today’s food and farming systems.
The Sustainable Restaurant Association
The SRA is a London-based, not-for-profit membership organization founded in 2010 to accelerate the hospitality industry towards a socially progressive and environmentally restorative future. They provide the “Food Made Good” standard, a 360-degree sustainability certification for restaurants and foodservice businesses across 40 countries, covering sourcing, society, and environment.
Purple Planet Packaging is a UK-based, family-run business supplying food and drink packaging to caterers, cafés, street food traders, events and hospitality venues nationwide.
NCASS members can get a 10% discount, free delivery, design support and flexible payment options.
Find out more
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