Local and regional are relative terms, so they really depend on the context of the discussion. For us here in the UK, we consider the town or city, the county and neighbouring counties we are in as ‘very local’, and anywhere in the UK as ‘local’. We consider the EU, North Africa and the Middle East as regional. The nearer the better, achieved through a “nearest supplier rule of thumb” in procurement of all supplies, both edible and non-edible. 

We believe this would not only be good for the environment, but also good for our local and regional economies everywhere!

Have you ever picked an organic or ecological fruit or vegetable and bitten straight into it? You will have noticed the enhanced flavour no doubt. Fresh organic/ecological produce also contains higher nutritional content, so it’s better for us and it tasted better to buy organic and local/regional produce.

Local produce that travels distances of under 50 miles also needs less packaging, so it’s easier for it to be traded plastic-free, from farm to fork. 

Buying local or from the nearest supplier in the region is tastier, healthier and more sustainable/circular and it benefits local communities.

The idea of spraying our land and crops with toxic chemicals is mind boggling, but here we are having depleted our soil, biodiversity and hman health with toxic chemicals like pesticides. Luckily we are now aware that a natural way of farming free from sprays is possible. 

Buying organic and ecological produce is good for human health, soil health and the health of myriad living organisms in soil, on lands and in our rivers, lakes and seas. 

In fact, the best way to tackle climate change is by transitionning to chemical-free farming which increases the absorptive capacity of the soil to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. 

Organic is certified organic by organic certifiers like the Soil Association and Organic Farmers & Growers – OF&G amongst others. 

Uncertified farmers who do not use synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides and who care deeply about soil health and biodiversity are “ecological by reputation”. If the Farm Name is displayed next to the status of Ecological, people and civic organisations will be able to find out its veracity. The reason we offer this option and encourage all suppliers to adopt the terminology or concept to support farms who for whatever reason choose not to become organic certified but are well known to adhere by organic principles. See the CK Guide and resources for more details.

With the population of the planet projected to approach 100 Billion people by 2050 from its current population of 8 Billion today, can we produce enough food despite the lower yield of organic/ecological produce?

Yes we can, here’s how:

If we reduced food waste from farm to fork, we would increase output by about 30%. That alone would make the net yield of organic quite similar to conventional yield which is only about 30% higher yielding (some farmers argue that the yield of regenerative farming proper can even be higher than conventional intensive farming, if the entire farm is considered rather than a particular crop). 

This is possible, but to do so we must restructure our food system from a global to a more local and regional food system.

This requires new ways of connecting a growing number of organic/ecological farmers with local and regional producers and markets (people and the hospitality sector).

Yes absolutely. Implementing a composting program in a restaurant can significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, lower disposal costs, and contribute to environmental sustainability. Here are some steps restaurants and cafes can take:

Steps to Compost:

1. Evaluate Waste Streams:

• Conduct a waste audit to understand the types and amounts of organic waste generated.
• Identify which materials can be composted (e.g., fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, unbleached paper products)

2. Set up a composting system:

• In-house composting: For small-scale operations, restaurants might set up their own compost bins or piles if they have the space.
• Commercial composting services: Many restaurants partner with commercial composting services that provide bins, regular collection, and processing of organic waste.

3. Training & Education:

• Train staff on what materials can and cannot be composted.
• Provide clear signage and easy access to compost bins in food preparation and dishwashing areas.

4. Separation & Storage:

• Set up separate bins for compostable waste in the kitchen and dining areas.
• Ensure compost bins are clearly labeled and distinct from regular waste and recycling bins.

5. Partnerships & Resources:

• Partner with local farms or community gardens that might accept compostable waste.
• Work with local councils or waste management companies to understand regional composting programs and guidelines.

6. Monitor & Adjust:

• Regularly monitor the composting process to ensure compliance and efficiency.
• Adjust practices based on feedback and changes in waste generation patterns.

Benefits of Composting for hospitality businesses:

• Environmental Impact: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and enriches soil with valuable nutrients.
• Cost Savings: Potentially lowers waste disposal costs by reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills.
• Sustainability Branding: Enhances the restaurant’s reputation as an environmentally conscious business.
• Compliance: Meets increasing regulatory requirements and expectations for sustainable practices.

Check with your compost waste management service provider, but generally, you can put the following items in these compost bags:

Food Waste

• Fruit and vegetable peelings: Including cores, pits, and seeds.
• Meat and fish: Including bones.
• Dairy products: Such as cheese, yogurt, and eggshells.
• Bread, cakes, and pastries.
• Pasta, rice, and other grains.
• Coffee grounds and tea bags. Look for dedicated collection for coffee grounds.
• Leftover cooked and uncooked food.

Other Compostable Items (Check with your service provider)

• Paper towels and napkins: If they are free of cleaning products and oils.
• Compostable packaging: If it is certified compostable (e.g., EN 13432 or TUV OK compost HOME).
• Compostable cutlery and plates: Certified compostable items only.

Items to Avoid

You should not put the following in your compost bags for council collection:

• Plastic bags: Even if they are labeled biodegradable, as they often require industrial composting.
• Glass, metal, or plastic: Non-organic materials.
• Pet waste: Including cat litter or dog feces.
• Nappies/diapers and sanitary products: These should be disposed of in general waste.
• Cooking oil and fats: Large quantities should be avoided. Look for dedicated collection for Fats, Oils & Grease.
• Garden waste: Like grass cuttings or hedge trimmings, as many councils have separate collections for this.

Tips for Using Compost Bags

• Line your kitchen caddy: Use the compostable bags to line your kitchen caddy for easy transfer to the outside bin.
• Secure the bags: Tie the bags securely before placing them in your food waste bin to prevent spillage and odors.
• Follow council/service provider guidelines: Always check your local council’s website for any specific instructions or changes to their composting program.

Certifications for paper from managed sources ensure that the paper is sourced from sustainably managed forests or recycled materials. These certifications are crucial for promoting environmental responsibility and sustainable forestry practices. Some of the most recognized certifications for paper from managed sources include:

1. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC):

FSC Certified: Ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.

FSC Recycled: Confirms that the product is made from 100% recycled materials.

2. Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC):

PEFC Certified: Guarantees that the wood used in products comes from forests managed sustainably.

3. Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI):

SFI Certified: Ensures that paper products come from forests managed according to sustainable principles, including responsible environmental practices and the promotion of biodiversity.

4. Rainforest Alliance Certified:

Often associated with FSC certification, Rainforest Alliance certifies forests and forest products, ensuring that they meet rigorous environmental, social, and economic standards.

5. American Tree Farm System (ATFS):

Focuses on certifying family-owned forests in the United States, promoting sustainable forestry practices.

6. Cradle to Cradle Certified:

This certification evaluates products for their safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles, including materials reutilization and sustainable sourcing.

7. Blue Angel (Blauer Engel):

A German certification that ensures products, including paper, meet high standards for environmental, health, and performance characteristics.

8. Nordic Swan Ecolabel:

A Nordic certification that sets strict environmental criteria throughout the lifecycle of products, including paper, ensuring they meet high sustainability standards.

These certifications help consumers and businesses make informed choices about the paper products they use, promoting the use of sustainably sourced and responsibly managed forest resources.

The reliability of a certification for paper from managed sources depends on various factors, including the rigor of their standards, the transparency of their processes, and their global recognition. Among the certifications mentioned, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is often considered the most reliable and widely respected. Here are some reasons why:

1. Rigor and Transparency:

• Standards: FSC standards are stringent and comprehensive, covering environmental, social, and economic aspects of forest management.
• Audits: FSC certification involves regular, independent audits to ensure compliance with these standards.

2. Global Recognition:

• Widespread Adoption: FSC is recognized and respected worldwide, and its logo is widely trusted by consumers and businesses.
• International Scope: FSC operates globally, making it applicable and relevant across various regions and markets.

3. Stakeholder Involvement:

• Inclusive Process: FSC involves a diverse range of stakeholders, including environmental organizations, social groups, and businesses, in its decision-making processes.
• Balance of Interests: This approach helps balance the ecological, social, and economic interests related to forest management.

4. Comprehensive Approach:

• Forest Management: FSC addresses not just the forestry practices but also the impact on local communities and ecosystems.
• Product Chain of Custody: FSC certification covers the entire supply chain, ensuring that certified materials are tracked and handled responsibly from forest to final product.

While other certifications like PEFC, SFI, and Rainforest Alliance are also reliable and have their strengths, FSC is often highlighted for its stringent standards and comprehensive approach to sustainable forestry. 

Yes, some critics argue that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification can sometimes be associated with greenwashing and may not always be entirely reliable. Here are some of the concerns and criticisms that have been raised:

1. Greenwashing Allegations:

Lax Enforcement: Critics claim that FSC has certified operations that do not fully adhere to their stringent environmental and social standards, thereby allowing companies to greenwash their products.

Corporate Influence: There is concern that large corporations might have too much influence over the certification process, potentially leading to less rigorous enforcement of standards.

2. Inconsistent Standards:

• Regional Variability: The application of FSC standards can vary significantly by region, with some local FSC bodies being more stringent than others. This inconsistency can undermine the overall reliability of the certification.
• Audit Quality: The quality of audits conducted by FSC-accredited bodies has been questioned, with some auditors allegedly failing to identify and address violations.

3. Conflicts of Interest:

• Funding and Conflicts: Since FSC relies on fees from the companies it certifies, there is a perceived conflict of interest. Critics argue this could lead to a bias in favor of granting and maintaining certification to ensure financial sustainability.

4. Case Studies and Reports:

• Documented Failures: Several reports and case studies have highlighted instances where FSC-certified companies were found to be engaging in environmentally harmful practices, such as illegal logging, deforestation, and violations of indigenous rights.

Despite these criticisms, FSC remains one of the most recognized and widely used forest certification schemes globally. It has made significant contributions to promoting sustainable forestry practices and raising awareness about responsible forest management. However, these critiques suggest that there is room for improvement in ensuring the strict and consistent application of its standards to maintain its credibility and effectiveness.

Organizations and consumers should be aware of these issues and consider them when making decisions about purchasing certified products. It’s also beneficial to look at a combination of certifications and other sustainability indicators to make more informed choices. generally speaking however, we do what we can, and choosing certified paper is certainly better than uncertified paper with no idea what forest ot comes from.

Determining the most reliably well-managed forest for paper in Europe involves considering several factors, including sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and adherence to stringent certification standards. While it is difficult to pinpoint a single forest as the “most reliably well-managed,” certain regions and forest management organizations stand out for their exemplary practices.

Scandinavian Forests

Forests in Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden and Finland, are often cited as some of the best-managed forests in Europe. These countries have a long tradition of sustainable forestry and are leaders in forest management practices.

Sweden:

Södra: A major forest owner association in southern Sweden, Södra manages its forests with a strong emphasis on sustainability, biodiversity, and responsible harvesting. It is FSC and PEFC certified.

Sveaskog: Sweden’s largest forest owner, Sveaskog, focuses on sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation. It holds FSC certification and actively works to improve its environmental practices.

Finland:

Metsähallitus: A state-owned enterprise that manages a large portion of Finland’s forest resources. Metsähallitus is known for its sustainable forestry practices, balancing economic, social, and environmental interests. It is both FSC and PEFC certified.

UPM: A Finnish company managing forests sustainably with a strong emphasis on biodiversity and certified under FSC and PEFC.

Other Notable Forest Management Practices in Europe

Germany:

Bavarian State Forests (Bayerische Staatsforsten): Known for their commitment to sustainable forest management, these forests adhere to strict ecological and social standards. They are certified by PEFC.

Austria:

Austrian Federal Forests (Österreichische Bundesforste): Manages public forests with a strong focus on sustainability, biodiversity, and multi-functional forest use. They are PEFC certified.

Key Factors for Reliable Forest Management

• Sustainable Practices: Ensuring the long-term health and productivity of the forest.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Protecting and promoting a wide variety of plant and animal species.
• Community Engagement: Involving local communities in forest management decisions and ensuring their rights are respected.
• Transparency and Accountability: Adhering to clear and open processes for certification and audits.

While there is no single “most reliably well-managed” forest in Europe, Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden and Finland, are often highlighted for their exemplary forest management practices. Organizations and state enterprises like Södra, Sveaskog, Metsähallitus, and UPM are notable for their commitment to sustainability and adherence to high certification standards.

Circular Kitchens is a not-for-profit social enterprise desiged to help hospitality businesses become more circular and to promote our community of businesses through marketing and promotion.

The Circular Kitchens Certification is rooted in practical actions across our 4 Principles:

– Plastic Free (no fossil-fuel based plastics)

– Ecological & Ethical (regenerative of planet and communities)

– Local & Regional (nearest supplier rule of thumb to benefit our local economies and minimise food miles)

– Zero Waste (divert waste from incineration and landfill)

Our “Hospitality Guide to becoming Circular” (available to download upon registration) provides clear direction in the form of guidance and a very simple game-changing framework that is easy to visualise and communicate to your team.

Our 3 Star Certification is so simple we are able to communicate it on a single printable A4 page (for preview, email [email protected])

Our membership also comes with the support of your dedicated CK-Rep and the tools we are developing to overcome the barriers to becoming sustainable. This includes the Circular Kitchens Marketplace designed to take the pain out of sustainable procurement. Our marketplace (coming soon – currently at the latter phase of R&D) generates a list of products ranked by their sustainability score (our holistic CK-Scoring) as per your product category of interest such as “coffee cups”, allowing buyers to find sustainable products at their fingertips, free from greenwashing.

Join us today and gain the respect and recognition from customers, staff and stakeholders. 

The Circular Kitchens guidance enables you to do even more good for people and the planet. We celebrate your progress and help you translate it into brand awareness and customer loyalty through individual and umbrella marketing so that conscious customers know where to find you!

Circular Kitchens aspires to become the Gold Standard for sustainability in the hospitality sector. Together we can give rise to more ecological, circular and local food systems!

The Circular Kitchens Certification is based on 4  Principles of a circular economy:  Plastic Free, Ecological & Ethical (Good for people and good for the environment), as Local and Regional as possible (nearest supplier rule of thumb) and Zero Waste (divert from landfill and incineration).  

Our Framework takes restaurants on a 3 Star journey as follows:

1 Star: 

• Replace single-use plastic + Track Region of Origin and ecological status of supplies

2 Stars:

• Increase local and ecological supplies.

3 Stars:

• Communicate region of origin and ecological status to your customers.

For a comprehensive one-page snapshot of our framework across our 3 Star certification please email [email protected].

The full “Hospitality Guide to becoming Circular” is available for download upon registration.

Our certification and enabling platform is available for all hospitality businesses serving food, including restaurants, take-aways, cheesemongers, bakers, cafes, ice cream parlours, food trucks and stalls, mobile operators and catering businesses.

If you are at the business-planning phase, ahead of opening a new business, please get in touch so we can help you be certified and promoted from day one!

While your pledges are public and displayed on your profile page for you to demonstrate your progress to your existing and potential customers, your data is confidential and will only be used for improving our service and communicating insights in the aggregate  (anonymised).

To achieve the Circular Kitchen Certification a business must commit, through a series of 14 pledges across our 4 Principles, to achieve a 1, 2 and 3 Star certification,  within 6, 12 and 18 months of joining.

Pledges are submitted online upon registration and take around 10 minutes to complete.

The business will receive an invitation to fill out simple and succinct surveys as follows:

• 1-3 Month Survey
• Identify single-use plastics to be replaced with sustainable alternatives.
• Confirm tracking of the Region of Origin of all consumables.
• Confirm tracking of the Ecological Status of all consumables.
• Confirm tracking and minimising of food waste through observation, planning and composting.
• Confirm recycling is taking place for all materials.
• Confirm adherence to high standards of treating staff fairly.
• 5-6 Months Survey
• Declare share of Local, Regional and International inputs of food and beverages.
• Declare share of Organic, Ecological and Conventional inputs of food and beverages.
• Confirm all single use plastics have been replaced with sustainable alternatives.
• Identify small refills of consumables and non-consumables to be replaced with large refills.
• Identify soaps and cleaning products that contain toxic chemicals (keep away from eyes) to be replaced with sustainable alternatives.
• Confirm water and energy efficiency and conversion to renewable electricity (assuming equal or lower cost to current plan).
• Renew commitment to increase local and ecological inputs of food and beverages.
• 9-12 Months Survey
• Declare share of Local, Regional and International inputs of food and beverages.
• Declare share of Organic, Ecological and Conventional inputs of food and beverages.
• Confirm small refills of consumables and non-consumables have been replaced with large refills.
• Confirm soaps and cleaning products that contain toxic chemicals (those written: Danger and keep away from eyes) have been replaced with sustainable alternatives.
• Confirm presence of 1 dish in starters, mains and desert that is 100% local/regional and ecological.
• 15-18 Months Survey
• Declare share of Local, Regional and International inputs of food and beverages.
• Declare share of Organic, Ecological and Conventional inputs of food and beverages.Confirm communication the region of origin of food and beverages to your customers.
• Confirm communication the ecological status of food and beverages to your customers.
• Yearly thereafter
• Declare share of Local, Regional and International inputs of food and beverages.
• Declare share of Organic, Ecological and Conventional inputs of food and beverages.
• Confirmation of having 2 or more dishes in starters, mains and desert that are 100% local/regional and ecological.

CK Accreditation can benefit your business in the following ways:

Action plan: Using our Framework enables you to manage and prioritise your actions. The report provided at the end gives your business a ready-made action plan to embed positive changes, strengthen your supply chains, motivate staff, attract attention and build a thriving, future-fit business in the process.

Recognition: Your business is provided with an independent, third-party accreditation and recognition of your actions on the sustainability and circularity issues that matter most.

Competitive advantage: With more consumers choosing to dine at sustainable restaurants and demanding eco-friendly practices, accreditation can help your business stand out from the crowd.

Cost savings: Sustainable practices can help your business reduce costs through initiatives such as energy and water efficiency and by reducing food waste.

Enhanced reputation: Accreditation shows that your business is committed to environmental and social responsibility, which can enhance your reputation with customers, investors, and other stakeholders.

Expert guidance: Circular Kitchens offers guidance on sustainable practices, providing your business with expertise that can help you achieve your goals. 

Access to a network: Achieving the Standard makes you part of a global movement for change. As part of the Circular Kitchens Community, you can share, learn and collaborate with a network of like-minded professionals committed to creating a positive future.

Positive impact: By implementing sustainable practices, your business can have a positive impact on the environment and on local communities, helping to create a more sustainable food system.