Foodservice Footprint Unknown-30 Bunzl Catering Supplies Sponsors Pioneering Waste2Zero Awards Best Practice

Bunzl Catering Supplies Sponsors Pioneering Waste2Zero Awards

Bunzl Catering Supplies is excited to be the Headline Sponsor for Footprint’s pioneering waste2zero Awards, to be held on 6 December 2017 at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. The awards will showcase the excellent work achieved by the foodservice packaging industry to reduce waste, promote recycling and encourage environmentally responsible end-of-life solutions for disposable packaging products.

Bunzl Catering Supplies is co-sponsoring the awards in partnership with a number of their strategic suppliers: Huhtamaki, LINPAC and RPC BPI Recycled Products, illustrating the shared vision the whole supply chain has to tackle the issues surrounding waste in the foodservice industry.

The awards were created by Footprint, one of the first online publications to focus solely on the green agenda and are the first of their kind, with representatives of the whole supply chain and major retailers due to attend.

Consequently, waste2zero presents a significant opportunity to share best practice and knowledge, and recognise environmentally-positive achievements. At the same time, the awards will encourage organisations that are uninformed or indifferent about waste to take the issue more seriously, and discover the business benefits of waste management and prevention.

Footprint’s reports that 920,000 tonnes of food is wasted every year in the out of home sector, of which a staggering 75% is avoidable. Meanwhile, 1.3 million tonnes of packaging and 0.66 million tonnes of other non-food wastes are also discarded. “Much best practice is in evidence; but an unacceptable waste culture also remains prevalent,” says the publication.

Sustainability leadership

Bunzl Catering Supplies is honoured to be Headline Sponsor for the waste2zero Awards, having developed a strategic leadership position in the marketplace on issues of sustainability over recent years.

Matt Johnson, MD Bunzl Catering & Hospitality Division, comments, “Committed to making hospitality happen for a more sustainable future, we’ve taken a hands-on approach to tackling some of the big challenges around the issue of waste in the foodservice industry. What we’ve learnt is that successful solutions are born when we work in partnership with our people, our customers and our suppliers. Waste is a shared problem, so it stands to reason that effective solutions are created when we work together.”

Johnson adds, “In the spirit of this collaboration, and in line with our ongoing objectives to initiate industry dialogue around waste, and to share what we’ve learnt along the way, we’re delighted to be the headline sponsor for the waste2zero Awards. Together with our partner suppliers, Huhtamaki, LINPAC and RPC BPI Recycled Products, we’re happy to be lending our support to these exceptionally relevant awards, elevating best practice, and showcasing innovation around waste prevention and management in the foodservice industry.”

Working together for a sustainable future

Bunzl Catering Supplies recently launched its Sustainable Future 2017 e-brochure which presents the business’s evolving sustainability framework. The document showcases a range of internal and industry-leading initiatives that Bunzl Catering Supplies has helped to spearhead this year. These include our cup recycling events in collaboration with Simply Cups at Loughborough University and the Square Mile Challenge with environmental charity Hubbub in the City of London.

Joanna Gilroy, Head of Sustainability, Bunzl Catering Supplies, says “2017 has been a year of collaboration and innovation at Bunzl Catering Supplies – and what we’ve achieved is truly remarkable. The launch of our ‘first of its kind’ sustainability e-brochure reflects the growing culture of sustainable change within our business.”

Gilroy adds, “Working in collaboration across the whole supply chain, we’ve pioneered significant change that has had a positive impact on end-of-life solutions. I invite all our stakeholders to read the e-brochure and ask – how might we work together for a more sustainable future in 2018?”

Bunzl Catering Supplies’ Sustainable Future 2017 e-brochure can be viewed at https://bunzlcatering.cld.bz/Sustainable-Future-2017

 The 2017 waste2zero Awards programme opened for entries on September 14th 2017 with the deadline for entries to be received by October 25th 2017. More information is available at www.waste2zero.uk