CSR and Sustainability

🍴 Chestnut will participate in the StreetSmart campaign across its 25 pubs and Big House Hotels in East England during November and December. £1 will be added to each restaurant bill, benefiting vulnerable regional residents. StreetSmart, since 1998, has raised over £13 million for UK homelessness. Chestnut's historic pubs, founded by Philip Turner, are revitalized community hubs. Key locations include North Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire.

🌱 Six Senses Ibiza collected 48 vegetable and 10 flower/herb seeds in 2023. By 2024, 70% of their farm products originated from their seed bank, achieving an 80% sprouting success rate. The pilot program, involving Six Senses hotels worldwide, runs until early 2026. It aims to engage guests in seed-related activities while preventing invasive species spread by restricting seed takeaways. Activities include organic gardening workshops and seed swaps, promoting biodiversity and climate action.

🌱 Did you know restaurants can save by going green? Efficient spray valves save $400 each, and aerators save $188 annually, exceeding $1,000 savings per restaurant yearly. Removing unnecessary items (utensils, condiments) saves over $5,000 annually. Avoiding unused water service can save $18,000 annually. Implementing bulk buying, recycling, and solar energy reduces costs, with solar yielding returns in 7 years. Investing $1 in reducing food waste saves $7. Going green doesn’t just benefit the planet—it boosts profits!

📈 Populus Denver, home to Pasque and Stellar Jay, is America's first carbon-positive hotel, opened in October 2022. Executive chef Ian Wortham leads sustainability initiatives, using a biodigester for food scraps and sourcing ingredients like bison over beef for ecological benefits. The hotel collaborates with partners like Flying B Bar, a ranch practicing regenerative agriculture, to minimize environmental impact. These efforts make Populus Denver a leader in eco-friendly hospitality.

🏖 Bold colors are transforming hospitality design worldwide, with DEDON at the forefront. 🌍 They offer vibrant outdoor furniture crafted by artisans in Cebu, Philippines. The proprietary DEDON Fiber, resistant to sun, salt water, and chlorine, ensures longevity. Their sustainable EcoCycle Fiber is 90% plant-based. Locations like Matachica Resort, Belize, and Ryder Hotel, South Carolina, showcase their impact. Visit BDNY, Booth #2643, and use promo code BDNY161 for free registration.

🍴 San Francisco's Saison, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, launched a zero-waste menu in 2025, collaborating with Mill to recycle kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich grounds. Chef Richard Lee's initiative has diverted 5,919 pounds of food scraps, avoiding 6,274 kg of CO2 emissions. Ingredients like ice plant and finger lime are sourced from Kendall-Jackson gardens, creating a sustainable loop. Saison aims to inspire other restaurants by using local farmers, fermentation, and less popular ingredients to reduce waste.

🌾 Founding Farmers, established in 2008, operates eight locations in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas. The company emphasizes sustainability and employee well-being. Co-founder Dan Simons highlights menopause as a workplace issue, affecting 100% of women and over 50% of his workforce. Founding Farmers, farmer-owned, prioritizes health benefits. Simons advocates for addressing societal issues within the restaurant sector, fostering inclusive hospitality. Many environmental practices they championed are now industry standards.

💰 €19,000 allocated for disaster relief in 2023 by Mews' Disaster Relief Fund. Initiatives funded include €5,000 each to the Community Foundation for the Texas Hill Country and Médecins Sans Frontières for Texas floods and Myanmar earthquake relief, respectively. Additionally, €1,000 supported Direct Relief for California wildfires, and €8,000 assisted World Central Kitchen in Gaza famine efforts. The fund aims for long-term, equitable crisis response, reflecting community priorities in hospitality.

🍳 Korean fine-dining restaurant Shia in Washington, D.C., aims to go plastic-free since November 2024. Over seven months, they eliminated 229-351 kg of plastic waste. The report, in partnership with OpenTable, suggests alternatives like muslin fabric, beeswax, and reusable containers. Transition costs are initially higher but decrease over time. Shia plans to release a financial report after one year to inspire sustainable practices across the restaurant industry.

🌲 Booking.com survey shows 56% of travelers look for eco-friendly accommodations; nearly 67% prefer comfort with sustainable amenities. The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance indicates hotels can reduce their carbon footprint by adopting sustainability principles. Operations can cut costs with efficient systems, renewable energy, and water conservation. Strategies include energy audits, low-flow installations, robust recycling, and smart room technologies. Hotels can also support local communities through partnerships and eco-tourism, while innovative practices involve green building design, renewable energy, and guest-involved energy projects. Hotels embracing sustainability cater to eco-conscious travelers, building resilient, future-proof businesses.