Expanding our engagement with the hospitality industry, mission : net zero is delighted to have become a member of UK Hospitality, the trade body for hospitality in the UK.
Hospitality is at the heart of UK culture, society and community and UK Hospitality represents every corner of the sector, as the collective voice campaigning for positive change for people, for businesses and the future of hospitality.
This is an exciting opportunity for the team at mission : net zero to network with hospitality businesses, nurture further relationships and work alongside UK Hospitality to foster sustainable growth and responsible operations within the industry. The timing of our membership couldn’t have been better as the following week, UK Hospitality hosted their annual Sustainability Seminar (brochure pdf here), open exclusively to members.
“Tackling climate change has been described as the greatest challenge of our time and that has never felt closer to home than over the past few years. The economic challenges we face have made investments that bit trickier, with cashflow tighter and margins reducing. With that, and the energy crisis that has consumed our sector for the past 18 months, has been a focus on the easy wins, in addition to more structural changes. Energy efficiencies, for example, have been at the top of that list, bringing the dual benefit of reducing energy costs and helping reduce our carbon footprint.”
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UK Hospitality
Opening panel discussion: The Race to Net Zero
The event brought UK Hospitality members together for insightful panel discussions and trailblazer presentations from leaders in the industry. Pictured above, Robyn Black, (Head of Content at Fleet Street) chaired the opening discussion ‘The Race to Net Zero’ with Jerome Baddley (Director of Sustainability for Center Parcs), Mark Chapman (CEO, Zero Carbon Forum) and Nick Wells (Head of Estates at Wells & Co).
To round-off the day, there was a networking lunch and the environmental theme continued with the menu built around 4 key pillars of sustainability:
- Responsible Sourcing
- Plant Forward Dining
- Avoiding Waste
- Cutting Carbon
The lunch menu was complete with calories per serving, allergen details and carbon footprint data for each dish (pictured above), detailed by Nutritics
“My highlight of the day was hearing about what other hospitality establishments and suppliers are implementing to ensure sustainability remains a core strategy in their businesses. Having the chance to network over a climate considerate lunch was the perfect finishing touch and gave a wonderful conversation starting point.”
Louise Carr-Merino, Senior Sustainability Advisor
Collaboration is key! Hospitality is a collaborative industry and we need to continue to share best practice. We are all in the climate crisis together, so the more we can share what works (and what doesn’t), our industry can work to reduce its impact on a local, national and global scale. Collaboration is key to enabling our sector to make significant change.
So, let’s get started.
Addressing your sustainable operations is the best place to start. As Celia Gaze mentioned while presenting: “You are not too small to make a difference” (Founder of The Wellbeing Farm).
At mission : net zero, we look forward to working with UK Hospitality on their sustainability agenda for the industry and connecting with more hoteliers that might need a helping hand to get started.
Contact us if you’re looking to improve your ESG credentials and work towards eco-certification.
