Cafe Owners and Restaurateurs, How Will You Be More Sustainable in 2020?

They say that we are a nation of shopkeepers. And whomever “they” are, they might just be right. Enterprise has made our nation great. While there’s a lot to be said for getting a job and climbing the career ladder, there’s no feeling quite like entrepreneurship. When you run your own business, you can address the fundamental inequalities of the workplace on your own terms.

You can ensure that the gender pay gap (which economists predict will still take 200 years to close) is never a factor for your employees. You can ensure that your business is a haven of ethical and responsible trading with comprehensive workers rights and fairness for all.

Plus, you get the benefit of waking up in the morning and knowing that yours is one of those businesses that’s making a difference.

And nowhere can you make a more lasting and effective difference than in your efforts to operate in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

While all businesses can do their part to operate more sustainably, cafes, delis, pubs, bars and restaurants are perfectly placed to enact real and lasting environmental change. Here are some ways in which they can do just that.

Offer more vegan and vegetarian options

More and more Brits are going vegan and vegetarian for a variety of reasons. It’s not just about animal advocacy (although that remains a big part of it). Many are doing it to enjoy a healthier lifestyle with more phytonutrients and less saturated fats.

There are also a great many abstaining from animal products because of their huge ecological pricetag. Animal agriculture is a major driver of climate change, animal extinction, habitat loss and declining biodiversity.

As such, when you serve more vegan and veggie options and fewer meat options not only are you catering to the changing needs of your clientele you’re also making your business more sustainable (not to mention cutting down your overheads since veggies are cheaper and longer lasting than meats).

Think twice about all those consumables

Still using plastic straws or those little plastic forks and spoons? What about plastic take away boxes and drinks cups? Not all of that plastic will get recycled by your customers and some of it won’t even be recyclable. Instead, try opting for paper straws from Sipping Green Ltd. and Vegware; a plant based and compostable plastic alternative.

Source your ingredients locally

Locally sourced ingredients are appealing to customers because they want to support local farmers and suppliers. Furthermore, locally sourced foods are invariably fresher and as such tend to taste better because they haven’t spent days waiting around to be transported and days more in transit.

When you use locally sourced ingredients, you’re massively reducing your business’ carbon footprint by reducing the emissions created from transporting them.

Never throw out old tech

Finally, every business uses some form of tech from laptops and tablets to calculators and printers. When yours give up the ghost or simply get replaced, please resist the urge to throw them in the bin.

When electronic waste gets into landfill it can leach harmful compounds into the environment. Make sure you donate your old tech to charity when it gets outdated or recycle it when it’s no longer working.

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.