open
kitchen

Sustainability is a word that gets thrown around a lot lately, but at Open Kitchen we don’t use it lightly. It can be a complicated process to understand so here we break down what it really means to us.

 

We are committed to using our buying power to support the food future that we want to see and work hard to make sure we have a policy that puts this commitment into practice. What this means for you is that we have already done the legwork to make sure your food is sustainable and ethically sourced.

 

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 What is Sustainable Food?

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Our team work hard to make sure we take into account the eight inter-related principles of sustainability, which include environmental, health, social & economic concerns, with thanks to fellow experts The Kindling Trust, from whom we have nabbed some of this wording. These are:

 

Local & seasonal

Local & seasonal food offers a way to; minimise energy use in transportation & storage; increase freshness & quality; strengthen local distinctiveness & build more resilient communities, whilst supporting local food outlets and farmers alike.

 

Organic & sustainable farming

Organic, low-carbon food production, which avoids artificial fertilisers & genetically modified organisms, is more beneficial to biodiversity & the environment. It also has a crucial role to play in countering climate change.

 

Reduce foods of animal origin & maximise welfare standards

Meat and dairy products are among the most energy & greenhouse-gas intensive food products.

 

Excludes fish species identified as at risk

Overfishing is the greatest single threat to marine wildlife and habitats, with nearly 80% of world fish stocks fully or over exploited.

 

FAIRTRADE-certified products

FAIRTRADE ensures producers are paid fairly for their work, offering a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. 

 

Promote health and wellbeing

A sustainable food system is about health & wellbeing for all – individually, locally and globally.

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Food democracy

Food democracy is about reconnecting people to food & taking responsibility for it, ensuring control by and fairness among local producers, suppliers and consumers, and working to reduce inequality in the food supply chain.

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 Reduction of waste and packaging

Approximately 70% of primary packaging is used for food and drink which is often discarded contaminated by residues of the original contents, making it difficult to recycle.

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How do we choose materials and packaging?

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When choosing packaging for our catering, stationery for our office, and lots of other things needed to run our business, we’re guided by the principles of the waste hierarchy. This is the basis of a lot of sustainability work and means that we’ll always try to Reduce – Reuse – Recycle (in that order of priority).

 

Reduce

We don’t send straws with cold drinks, because, although they can be a nice addition, they aren’t necessary (for most people), so we’ll do without them.

 

Reuse

As a general rule reusable products (like “proper” crockery and metal cutlery) will be more sustainable than constantly buying, using, and throwing away a disposable option. We offer catering with lightweight reusable plates, cutlery and serving platters, that we’ll collect, safely wash, and use again and again.

 

Recycle (and compost)

Where we can’t find a practical reusable option, we’ll select food packaging and serving sundries that are compostable and / or widely recycled. While this isn’t perfect, it’s better than landfill or incineration.

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