Pizza Today - November 2022 - 47

B
ack when Michael Oshman
founded The Green Restaurant
Association (GRA) in 1990,
environmental sustainability hovered as
a fringe issue. The popular press rarely
reported on climate change and plastic
waste was only beginning to find a spot
on consumer radars.
Fast forward 32 years, however, and
sustainability is now baked into the
American lexicon and engrained in daily
habits. Recycling, for instance, has been
institutionalized while the use of smart
devices to reduce energy consumption is
commonplace in U.S. homes and businesses.
The typical consumer is not only
aware of sustainability, but often factors
it into their everyday decision making,
including where they dine.
In a 2021 poll of U.S. consumers
conducted by C.O.nxt and Menu Matters,
more than 80 percent of consumers
identified sustainability as an important
factor in their food and beverage purchasing
decisions. That hefty figure lines up
with a global study of more than 10,000
people by Simon-Kucher & Partners in
which 85 percent of consumers reported
shifting their purchasing behavior over
the past five years toward more sustainable
options.
Consumers, it's worth noting, also
double as potential employees, and they,
too, appreciate businesses embracing an
environmental bent. More than twothirds
of workers said they would be more
willing to apply for and accept a position
with an environmentally sustainable
business, according to IBM's Institute for
Business Value study released earlier this
year.
With consumers and employees
increasingly prioritizing sustainability,
pizzerias and their restaurant brethren
have plenty of compelling reasons to
pursue more sustainable and environmentally
conscious operations.
But there's a dollars-and-cents argument
worth considering here as well.
Sustainability-minded practices can - and
often do - spark monthly savings on
energy, water, waste and food costs.
" And when you're operating on a five
percent profit margin, those savings are
real, " Oshman says.
So, how does one create a more environmentally
sustainable pizzeria?
1. AUDIT THE RESTAURANT. Energy and
food waste audits from credible agencies
can help a restaurant identify its existing
strengths and pinpoint opportunities
for improvement, such as incorporating
new equipment, spotting inefficiencies or
instituting a recycling and composting
program.
2. TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH. In
municipalities across the country, ecoconscious
legislation is forcing foodservice
establishments to eliminate plastic
bags and straws as well as Styrofoam containers.
By acting proactively and shifting
purchasing to these more environmentally
friendly options before legislation kicks
in, Oshman says restaurants get " ahead of
the game " with customers and employees
as well as suppliers.
" Do you want to do it when it's advantageous
for you or when the law dictates
you must do it? " he asks.
3. RECYCLE. A proper recycling and
composting program not only diverts
waste from landfills and gives products a
second life, but it can also lower a restaurant's
waste-hauling charges by hundreds,
if not thousands, of dollars each year.
Greg Christian of Beyond Green Sustainable
Food Partners, a Chicago-based
consulting company that helps foodservice
clients create more sustainable and
health-conscious operations, suggests
restaurants separate their waste streams
into categories like compost, cardboard
and metal.
" It's not sexy, but it works, " Christian
says.
NOVEMBER 2022 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 47
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - November 2022

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