Do you think sustainability in hospitality is truly important? Well, an alarming report by the BCG estimated that by 2030, the amount of food waste annually will rise by a third. Up to 66 tonnes per second. That’s around $97,000 wasted every second.

So, not only is food waste an environmental problem, it’s a financial problem as well. And whether you like it or not, it affects your bottom line. So the quick answer to the question – Is sustainability in hospitality important? – is “yes”.

Luckily, there are answers to all this loss. Re-purposing or donating leftovers, composting, and more. All these are great, but don’t tackle the main issue. Preventing food waste is where the real impact lies. And doing so might be more straightforward than you expect. Let’s talk about why sustainability in hospitality is important and how you can become sustainable too.

Why is sustainability important in hospitality?

Now, as you know, food waste accounts for a lot of lost revenue in hospitality. Around 294 million tonnes of food were wasted from the hospitality sector alone in 2022. And around ⅓ of food is wasted every year. Imagine if you could spend 33% less on buying ingredients while increasing guest satisfaction, increasing productivity, and increasing your kitchen’s efficiency. Would you do it?

Global goals to reduce food waste are not only emerging but expanding into regulations, rather than just goals. As this landscape evolves into a more sustainable one, it’s important for hotels and restaurants not to fall on the wayside by making sure they’re on top of their sustainability game. Preventing food waste is an easy, impactful, and quick way to make sure you’re keeping up with your sustainability goals.

Curious to learn more? Click here to read the full blog on the hidden costs of food waste.

Reducing food waste is not just about saving money and complying with regulations. It has genuine positive customer-facing effects as well.

Waste reduction and guest satisfaction

Let’s start off with 2 amazing statistics from a study by Skift;

• 53% of consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally responsible providers.
• 76% of Millennials and Gen Z are willing to pay more for an eco-friendly accommodation/hotel.

Of course, this differs by culture, but the general trend is only growing. And what’s more important is that these eco-conscious travelers expect genuine sustainability, not greenwashing. So what can you do to make those efforts more visible?

Start by making your sustainability efforts and actions more transparent and visible. Not only will this increase your reputation, but it also helps spread awareness of your initiatives. We’ve found this helps with getting the guests involved in your sustainability journey and can have quite a large impact.

This leads us very well into the next section – How to achieve zero-waste. In other words, how to start your journey to sustainability in your kitchen.

How to achieve your sustainability goals

As mentioned, being transparent and visible with your food waste reduction efforts can have a positive impact on how guests treat plate waste. According to a study conducted on waste reduction behaviour among hotel guests, a simple nudge to your guests can actually reduce plate waste by an impressive 14-20%. That’s a very simple and effective way to get your guests involved in your sustainability journey as well.

Now for the big hitter. The initiative that will prevent the bulk of your food from going to waste.

• Tracking your food waste

This is the hidden gem. The key that will unlock the savings. If you’re able to track your food waste effectively, you have the information and data you need to identify the biggest waste streams.

With Orbisk, you can track your food waste automatically, seamlessly, and accurately. The Orbi, our automated food waste tracker, equipped with an AI-powered smart camera and a scale, can identify what food you’re throwing away, when, how much, and why, within just 0.5 seconds. Simply show the camera what you’re throwing away, and let the AI do the rest.

Now that you’ve got the key to unlock your kitchen’s full potential, it’s time to use that data. We have lots of blogs and success stories with tips and tricks on creating initiatives to reduce food waste. Click here to read them.

Is going sustainable right for you?

Yes. The BCG also highlights that it will not be possible to solve the food waste problem without collaboration. That’s exactly what Orbisk is here to do.

Tracking your food waste is the first step to going sustainable. The Orbi is tailor-made for professional kitchens to track and record all their food waste with ease, and with no disruption to your regular workflow.

So… do you think sustainability in hospitality is important?

If you do, click the button below to contact our sales team and find out which Orbisk package fits your kitchen(s) best!