CSR and Sustainability

🍕 The "Becoming a B Corp" event at Pizza Pilgrims Canary Wharf on October 1 will feature interactive workshops with B Corp analysts and brands like Pizza Pilgrims, Big Mama, Hawksmoor, Blacklock, and Caravan. Aimed at aiding and inspiring hospitality businesses on their B Corp certification journey, the event includes 15-minute presentations, a ticket-inclusive lunch, and breakout sessions with B Corp assessors. Other hospitality firms with B Corp status include Grind and Fallow. Tickets available online.

🛡 The hospitality industry generates 150 million tons of single-use plastic annually. Hotels implementing sustainable practices can attract guests, improve brand reputation, and save on costs by reducing single-use amenities and using refillable containers. Additional measures include setting up water refill stations for reusable bottles, using biodegradable trash bags, and making recycling easy for guests and staff. These eco-friendly practices contribute to environmental protection and can enhance a hotel's appeal to environmentally conscious travelers.

🍷 Peter and Bridget Gladwin, after moving to West Sussex in the early 1990s, established Nutbourne Vineyard and a five-restaurant London business, Local & Wild, including The Shed, Rabbit, The Sussex, Black Lamb and The Pig’s Ear. Their debut cookbook, "An English Vineyard Cookbook," features 256 pages of recipes arranged by seasons with contributions from their family, especially their sons Richard, Oliver, and Gregory. Royalties from the £25 cookbook, published by GMC Publications, will benefit City Harvest.

🍹 Turtle Bay, a Caribbean-inspired restaurant group, reported 90% of staff feeling their well-being had improved or stayed the same with its ‘4 days at the Bay’ initiative. The scheme led to a recommendation rate of 83%, a refreshed feeling in 77% of employees, and a team turnover decrease from 131.5% to 84.1%. Record turnover reached £93.7m by 31 March 2024, with a slight EBITDA decrease to £9m. Profit before tax was £1.9m, down from £9.9m the previous year. The group invested £8.4m in new and existing sites, including openings in Glasgow, Camden, Blackpool, and Lincoln.

🏕 Rio Perdido, an eco-luxury hotel in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, has added eight West Bungalows designed by Studio Saxe and Dania Saragovia. These forest hideaways feature a 170-square-foot terrace, double outdoor shower, oversized tub with hot spring water, and interiors with 90% locally sourced materials. The new bungalows join 30 existing ones, surrounded by 20 miles of trails, a thermal river, and pools.

💸 Starbucks, under CEO Laxman Narasimhan, announces multiple sustainability efforts, with a focus on combatting climate change by the end of 2023. They've launched a returnable beverage cup program with NextGen and partnered with Mercedes-Benz to install 400 electric vehicle chargers at 100 stores. Recently, Starbucks revealed a partnership with Nexamp, initiating six solar energy projects in Illinois, aimed to provide electricity savings for over 1,100 residents and power 170 local stores. These initiatives build on 340 Illinois stores already wind-powered, and by 2025, the solar projects will contribute more than 40 megawatts of solar energy. Starbucks also formed an environmental board committee to oversee green investments.

🍻 BrewDog, the first carbon negative beer company since 2020, decided to let its carbon negative claim lapse due to high carbon credit costs. CEO James Arrow cited the need to focus on reducing emissions within their operations. The market for carbon credits has become unsustainable with low-quality schemes. BrewDog plans to invest instead in its Lost Forest tree planting project. In December 2023, the ASA criticized BrewDog for not substantiating its beers' carbon negative credentials. Earlier, poor weather caused the loss of saplings in their Lost Forest project, despite a £1.2m grant from Scottish Forestry.

🍕 Lussmanns Sustainable Restaurant Group, backed by Luke Johnson, is opening two new locations in London and Woburn, with the Highgate restaurant marking their first opening since 2021. The London site, formerly Côte Brasserie on Highgate High Street, will launch in the following months, while the Woburn site, previously Loch Fyne on the Woburn Estate in Milton Keynes, is set for an October opening. The Highgate restaurant will feature 130 indoor covers plus 30 in a garden, offering sustainable seafood like MSC-certified fishcakes.

🏖 SH Hotels & Resorts announced the 2027 opening of 1 Hotel San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, featuring 97 hotel rooms, 48 residences with terraces, gardens, water bodies, local cuisine, spa, and event space. The adjacent 1 Homes will offer 3-5 bedroom residences with private rooftops and amenities. The project emphasizes sustainable luxury and cultural integration.