The Greening of Our Industry
April 2008
Debby Cannon, Ph.D.
Director, School of Hospitality
Robinson College of Business
Georgia State University
Ten years ago terms such as eco-advantage, eco-image and the Green Wave were virtually unheard of. Today one does not have to look too long or hard to find references to sustainable practices – including those in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
There are two main sources of pressure in greening today’s business world. One is the realization that there are limits to our natural resources that can constrain business opportunities as well as threaten the well-being of the planet. The other major pressure is from a growing number of stakeholders including customers who want to align with companies who are committed to sustainable practices.
How companies put their “green” commitments into action can be quite broad and varied. Businesses have to strategically manage their environmental challenges making each company’s approach unique in both practices and speed of implementation. This article features three companies in the restaurant and foodservice industry and shows the variety of ways that “greening” a business can be put into action. Space allows only a snapshot of what each organization is doing. For more in-depth information, please refer to the web site for each company featured.
“Eco-Friendly” has been an important part of the organizational culture since the inception of Ted’s Montana Grill. With a deep commitment to the environment, the goal of this company is to be 99% plastic-free. The restaurants feature the unique paper straw – which had not been produced in the United States since 1970 until Ted’s resurrected its use. Menus and table covers are printed on 100% recycled paper and their to-go cups are made of cornstarch that bio-degrades in just fifty days. All to-go ware is made of aluminum which can be recycled by customers at home as well. Soft drinks are served in recyclable glass bottles. Ted’s Montana Grill has even replaced guest area lighting with low voltage light bulbs in all restaurants and in the Tallahassee, Florida location solar panels have been installed to conserve energy. The restaurant company co-founded by George McKerrow, president and CEO, and environmentalist Ted Turner continually strives to become as eco-friendly as possible in fulfilling their commitment to “Eat great. Do good.”
The Georgia Aquarium and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck have partnered to educate the public on sustainability issues. The program called “Seafood Savvy” is focused on teaching the public to make educated decisions in the type of seafood they purchase and consume. The seafood sustainability issue addresses the problem of over 75% of the world’s fisheries being either fully fished or over-fished. Sustainable seafood comes from sources either fished or farmed that maintain or increase production in the long term without jeopardizing the effected ecosystems. Fisheries provide commercial productivity and in Georgia alone directly or indirectly impact over 40,000 jobs. The “Seafood Savvy” program is part of a larger commitment made to the environment by Chef Puck through his WELL program (“Wolfgang’s Eating, Loving and Living” program.) Puck no longer serves dishes that encourage cruelty to animals and uses only sustainable, organic products in all of his catering kitchens and restaurants.
McDonald’s, the world’s leading foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants serving 52 million people each day in more than 100 countries, has taken some very targeted approaches to positively impacting the environment. In partnership with Conservation International since 1990, McDonald’s has utilized its Happy Meals to spread conservation messages to millions. In addition to environmental education, McDonald’s has targeted the following environmental issues: climate change, management of electrical energy, alternative refrigerants, recycling and reusing, combating litter and water management.
Restaurants and foodservice operations have a growing number of resources on proactive environmental practices and the greening of business operations. Georgia State University’s School of Hospitality has recently established a Green Hospitality Consortium. The Consortium will offer an online resource for hospitality companies on a variety of environmental issues pertinent to the industry (www.greenhospitality.org). The Consortium will also be working on environmentally-focused research and educational programs.
The National Restaurant Association and the Georgia Restaurant Association have included environmental issues as a top priority. The Georgia Restaurant Association has created the Green Foodservice Alliance, focused on educating and promoting legislative change with the result of increasing energy efficiency, reducing the use of chemical products, incorporating recycling and the use of natural, non-toxic cleaning and sanitation supplies into foodservice establishments.
