Circular Kitchens is a social enterprise platform and certification designed to help restaurants and their suppliers (the hospitality sector) become Plastic-Free, Organic/ Ecological, Regional/Ethical and Zero Waste.
These are what we call the 4 Principles of a circular kitchen.
Our research over the past 6 months has identified 3 key challenges facing the hospitality sector when it comes to sustainability:
- Where to begin?
- Who to trust?
- How to source sustainably at a reasonable cost?
That’s where Circular Kitchens comes in!
Despite the challenges, the transition to a circular, plastic-free and regional food system has begun, with many restaurants and food outlets leading the way with positive steps in the right direction. We are here to mainstream this transition by offering a helping hand in the form of a certification, guides and a marketplace to make it easy for the hospitality sector to become sustainable (circular).
Our vision is a world where restaurants, including take-aways, food trucks, cafes, bars and pubs, sell plastic-free, ecological (chemical-free and cruelty-free), locally/regionally grown and produced food and beverages that taste delicious, are good for human health, and good for the planet.
We believe the only thing holding back the sector from becoming sustainable are entrenched belief systems. Here are some beliefs held by the hospitality sector, which we at Circular Kitchens are out to change:
- We can’t become 100% plastic-free;
- We can’t afford to buy organic fruits, vegetables and ethically sourced meat, poultry and fish without pushing our prices up significantly;
- Sourcing locally and regionally will limit our choices too much;
- Food waste and other waste is inevitable; and
- Becoming sustainable is too much work, we’re too busy running a business to worry about the planet.
We at Circular Kitchens believe that we are about to witness the ‘hockey-stick effect’ in the growth of an emerging ecological and circular regional food system here in the UK. Our mission is to help this happen right now, at scale.
How?
We are a comprehensive platform that empowers kitchens to overcome these deeply entrenched belief systems with clear, compelling, and innovative solutions (guides, tools and partnerships) that help restaurants, take-aways, food trucks, cafes, bars and pubs with the following:
- Where to begin;
- How to stop plastic waste;
- How to increase your share of organic/ecological food and beverages;
- How to find the optimal balance between local, regional and international by following a simple ‘nearest supplier’ rule of thumb;
- How to avoid food waste by donating, composting, and innovating with your menu and dishes; and
- How to avoid using more water and energy than you need.
Specifically, Circular Kitchens is developing the following tools to to help restaurants become circular:
- Pledges for kitchens to commit to, designed as a simple roadmap to achieving the 4 guiding principles.
- Simple Guides and Resources allocated to each of these pledges to support success.
- CK Marketplace that allows organic/ecological suppliers to meet specific restaurant requirements and notify restaurants when feasible sustainable options become available.
- Supplier Database that allows restaurants to easily access sustainable suppliers (food, beverages and plastic-free packaging and non-consumables).
- CK Supplier ‘badges’ on procurement platforms like Rekki, enabling restaurants to search for Organic/Ecological produce.
- Cooperative Bulk-buying Platform that enables restaurants to form bulk-buying cooperatives to access small orders at reduced bulk prices (produce directly from organic farms, produce from organic suppliers and biodegradable non-food products from eco-suppliers).
- Circular Kitchens Map, Marketing and PR to promote Circular Kitchens and help conscious consumers find restaurants that are aligned with their values.
- Last but not least: Our Circular Kitchens Certification (A bio-degradable sticker for restaurants to be proud of)
Together we can transition the hospitality sector to become Plastic-Free, Organic/Ecological, Regional and Zero Waste, one restaurant and one pledge at a time. Join us!
A certification to be proud of:
