Hospitality operators urged to take part in Gram Green Paper 2012

Refrigeration supplier Gram has published a similar annual report since 2008 in order to raise awareness of sustainability issues in the hospitality sector.

This year Gram has teamed up with a number of associations, including the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) in order to encourage as many respondents as possible.

Sustainable Restaurant Association

Mark Linehan, managing director of the SRA said the organisation was pleased to be working on the Gram Green Paper 2012.

“Speaking directly to chefs and operators gives us an understanding of industry attitudes towards sustainability and its impact on the industry. We support Gram’s efforts to ascertain how many restaurants are committed to running their businesses sustainably,” he said.

“Installing energy efficient kitchen equipment and better waste management systems, are two ways of being sustainable that can also provide significant cost savings,” Linehan added.

Also on board for the Gram Green Paper 2012 is:

• Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA)
• The University Caterers Association (TUCA)
• Considerate Hoteliers Association (CHA)
• National Association of Care Catering (NACC)

Green recession

In 2010 the Gram Green Paper suggested the hospitality industry was becoming greener in the recession , with 13 per cent more operators adopting green initiatives.

Glenn Roberts, managing director of Gram, said that trend had continued. “The foodservice industry is becoming increasingly conscious of the negative impact our lifestyle has on the environment and with green issues high on everyone's agenda, we believe it becomes the responsibility of manufacturers, like ourselves, to take the first step to leading the way and educating operators on ways they can reduce their impact, and contribute to a greener future,” he said

Operators across all sectors are encouraged to visit the Gram microsite before 4 June to fill out an online questionnaire, the responses of which will be collated and analysed before forming part of the results and findings of the Gram Green Paper 2012 in September.