A Helping Of Sustainability — With Conservation On The Side
By Sam Lewis
National Restaurant Association releases first ever sustainability report
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has taken a major step forward in sustainability efforts with the release of its first ever report on sustainability. The report, titled Shedding Light on Sustainability, is able to be downloaded for free here.
The new report from the NRA brings into light the current environmentally healthy trends within the restaurant industry. Highlighted in the report are efforts in waste reduction and resource conservation through recycling, composting, food donation, and water efficiency. “Sustainability and waste reduction are increasingly important issues across the restaurant and food service industry,” says the NRA’s EVP of policy and government affairs Scott DeFife. “We have seen incorporation of environmentally-friendly business practices from large chains to independent operators, as well as manufacturers and other supply chain partners. The NRA is working to ensure operators have access to the education, tools, and training needed to adopt successful and cost-effective sustainability best practices into their business models.”
The NRA is also offering an education program to support the restaurant industry’s commitment to best practices in environmental health. The Conserve Sustainability Education Program is available to members of the NRA at no charge. The program follows a “for us, by us” design, giving restaurant employees online tools and resources to implement sustainability practices, along with plans to help guide efficiency and waste reduction efforts. “We’ve created the Conserve Sustainability Education Program, which emphasizes education and makes the business case for sustainability,” says DeFife. “Understanding what goes on in the back of the house — from the appliances you cook with to your energy and water use, packaging, management process and even organics collection techniques — has a big, potential, positive impact on the average restaurant’s budget.”
The landmark document from the NRA outlines the sustainability goals of the U.S. restaurant industry as a whole. “The report is a key piece of a comprehensive effort to demonstrate the ways in which NRA is being proactive and leading as a business association on sustainability issues,” says Clarice Turner, SVP of U.S. Business for Starbucks and chair on the NRA’s Sustainability and Social Responsibility Committee. The new report comes riding the coattails of last month’s NRA Conserve Sustainability Advisory Council, which unites some of the top corporate sustainability leaders. The fruits of these new endeavors are yet to be seen. The release of its first sustainability report, along with the big push of environmental issues industry-wide, shows the NRA is putting its best foot forward when it comes to conservation and sustainability.