Discover how cafes and catering businesses can elevate their environmental and social impact. Take our free assessment here.
Understanding These Sample Results
This example reflects typical priorities for cafes and catering operators, but your unique business model or venue may differ. For customised recommendations that fit your menu, service style, and sustainability ambitions, take our quick materiality assessment quiz. You’ll receive a tailored action plan designed to help you reduce waste, conserve resources, and strengthen your brand’s reputation with eco-conscious customers.
How We Identify Key Impact Areas
Our tool evaluates six hospitality-specific sustainability pillars:
View the sample report below to explore them all in detail.
Using double materiality principles, we analyse both how environmental and social issues affect your profitability (such as rising ingredient costs or customer preferences for sustainable brands) and how your operations impact the community and planet (like reducing landfill waste from food scraps or lowering greenhouse gas emissions).
Your Custom Sustainability Roadmap
This sample roadmap focuses on high-impact, achievable steps, starting strong with 3 quick wins:
Build Momentum: Targeted Strategies
Each priority area includes expert-backed solutions like:
Track & Share Progress
We emphasise transparent reporting frameworks and industry certifications to help you:
If you manufacture products of any kind, transform generic advice into industry-specific solutions and Take our free assessment to receive a roadmap addressing your brand’s unique challenges.
We've estimated your sustainability priorities based on your answers. For a precise evaluation, it would be best to speak to an expert.
There's a lot to consider, but to maximise your efforts here are 3 high impact actions to start with.
Switch to more sustainable containers for your take-away food and drinks. Compostable and recyclable packaging create a positive impression with customers and help your food leave a good impression on the planet too.
Set up composting for kitchen scraps and leftover food waste. Composting diverts waste from landfill, reduces disposal costs and emissions, and can fertilise the growth of new food and local gardens.
Feature more vegetarian and plant-forward offerings on your menu. Plant-based food has a significantly lower environmental impact than meat, often has higher margins, and appeals to a broader audience of diners.
Selecting sustainable ingredients and supplies for your venue. Your sourcing choices affect food quality, environmental impact, and the story you can tell about your offerings.
Feature more vegetarian and plant-forward offerings on your menu. Plant-based food has a significantly lower environmental impact than meat, often has higher margins, and appeals to a broader audience of diners.
Partner with farms and suppliers who prioritise sustainable practices, like organic and regenerative. How our food is grown has a huge impact on the planet and the people that harvest it, so choosing sustainable options gives guests food they can feel good about.
Choose third-party and packaged food and beverages with strong sustainability credentials like organic, local, and Fairtrade. Sustainable options create talking points, appeal to conscious consumers, and align your offerings with your values.
Use responsibly sourced materials and circular design to fit out your venue. Designing a sustainable space attracts conscious customers, demonstrates your commitment and creates less waste.
Switch to non-toxic, low-water and low-waste cleaning products and methods, it works just as effectively while also protecting staff and customer health while reducing environmental impact.
Use recycled-content toilet paper, napkins and other paper items wherever they are used in your business. These simple swaps generally cost the same while reducing the need to cut down trees and showing guests your commitment to sustainability.
Minimising food waste and other materials from daily operations. Cutting waste saves disposal costs, reduces environmental impact, and often improves operational efficiency.
Set up composting for kitchen scraps and leftover food waste. Composting diverts waste from landfill, reduces disposal costs and emissions, and can fertilise the growth of new food and local gardens.
Replace disposables with reusable alternatives throughout your venue, from single serve packaging to napkins to water bottles. Reusable items create a more premium experience, reduce waste costs, and demonstrate your environmental commitment to guests.
Partner with suppliers to reduce and take back packaging. Returnable packaging systems cut waste, reduce materials costs, and simplify handling for both you and your suppliers.
Managing energy use and emissions in your hospitality business. Smart energy choices cut utility bills, reduce environmental impact, and appeal to eco-conscious guests.
Switch to renewable energy by installing solar panels if possible or purchasing renewable-powered electricity. This is one of the most significant changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and will also reduce your costs in the long run.
Replace gas appliances with efficient electric alternatives in your kitchen. Modern electric equipment avoids noxious fumes from gas flames, reduces fire risk, and prepares your business for a low-carbon future.
Implement efficient LED lighting, HVAC systems and appliances in your venue. Energy-saving upgrades reduce utility bills while maintaining the perfect atmosphere for your guests to enjoy.
Optimise your delivery fleet with efficient or electric vehicles or even e-bikes. Greener transportation reduces fuel costs, cuts emissions, and shows customers your commitment extends beyond your venue's walls.
Selecting sustainable containers for food and beverages. Better packaging choices reduce waste, enhance presentation, and demonstrate your environmental commitment to guests.
Switch to more sustainable containers for your take-away food and drinks. Compostable and recyclable packaging create a positive impression with customers and help your food leave a good impression on the planet too.
Creating a positive workplace for hospitality employees. Happy, engaged staff provide better guest experiences, reduce turnover costs, and become ambassadors for your brand.
Align your practices with ILO International Labour Standards while ensuring you meet all local labour laws and industry agreements. Meeting these standards protects your workers' rights and protects your business against legal and reputational issues.
Implement comprehensive health and safety practices to protect your staff from harm. Strong safety protocols and culture protect your team, avoid legal risks, and create a more productive environment.
Foster an environment where employees feel valued, supported, listened to and empowered. A positive culture, inclusion of diversity, employee consultation and mental health protections boost morale, reduce turnover and attract top talent.
Ensure your hospitality business operates ethically and transparently, building trust with guests and employees while meeting sustainability goals.
Collect data on your environmental and social footprint. Tracking performance helps identify opportunities for improvement and demonstrate progress to stakeholders.
Develop a sustainability strategy that identifies your specific environmental and social priority areas with clear targets and an action plan to achieve them. A focused roadmap aligns your team and drives meaningful change.
Report on your sustainability commitments and progress honestly and transparently, and aligned with best practice frameworks. Sharing both the good and the bad builds trust with customers, staff, and stakeholders while showcasing your efforts.
Pursue certifications that validate your sustainability efforts in your venues or operations. Achieving recognised standards demonstrates leadership, builds credibility and attracts conscious customers.
Support local community causes and environmental initiatives that are relevant to your business or stakeholders. Creating positive impact for people and planet builds goodwill, strengthens ties, and demonstrates your values in action.
A materiality assessment is a process to help cafés and catering businesses identify and prioritise the most important ESG issues, such as waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and employee wellbeing.
For cafés and caterers, a materiality assessment helps focus on issues like reducing food waste, using eco-friendly packaging, and supporting fair labor, which can attract customers, reduce costs, and ensure compliance.
The assessment involves gathering input from stakeholders, analysing your business’s impact, and prioritising key issues. For cafés and caterers, this might mean reviewing menu sourcing, energy use, and waste management.
Best practice is to update your materiality assessment annually, or when there are significant changes in your business, regulations, or stakeholder expectations.|Begin by taking our industry specific materiality assessment quiz. This will help you identify your top priorities and create a customised action plan for sustainability.
Start with our industry-specific materiality assessment quiz for cafe's & catering companies. This will help you pinpoint your most important sustainability priorities and create a tailored action plan.