Offer or ask for more plant-based and sustainable food and drink options. Work with suppliers, caterers or traders committed to positive environmental change. Avoid single use serve ware and food waste.

Top Tips

• Offer or ask for more or mainly plant-based, vegetarian and vegan options for office, venue, festival and event catering.
• Offer or ask for more sustainable food and drink options (organic, pesticide-free, responsibly sourced, seasonal, fair trade, high animal welfare, non air-freighted, community grown). Local can be good too, especially in supporting local producers and growers, but the environmental impact of food is more related to food type and how it is produced, than how it is transported.
• Choose suppliers, catering companies or traders who are taking positive environmental steps already or open to working with you on this. Find out more about sustainable procurement.
• Ask caterers working in your building or traders for events to follow good environmental practice e.g. on energy, water, waste etc.
• Look at options for eliminating or reducing single use serve ware, packaging and problem plastics either directly or working with suppliers and service providers, catering companies or traders.
• Use reusable serve ware where and when possible. If single use serve ware is unavoidable, choose serve ware which is made from recycled materials, sustainably sourced wood or compostable plant-based materials.
• If compostable packaging and serve ware is used, make sure the appropriate waste separation facilities and disposal are in place so it does get composted and doesn’t end up in landfill or waste incineration.
• Provide or ask for tap water, jugs and glasses / reusable cups, canned water and water refill options.
• Don’t overorder on food quantities.
• Redistribute surplus food working with local charities or community groups.
• Explore options for growing food at your venue or building or collaborating with local or community food growing initiatives.