D&D London bans plastic straws across its 40 sites
The group, whose 40 sites include Bluebird, Le Pont de la Tour and the Michelin-starred Angler at South Place Hotel, has switched to an eco-friendly variety and is aiming to reduce the overall number of straws it uses by at least 50% in 2018.
D&D estimates it used 1.89m straws in 2017 – enough to stretch from London to Leeds if laid down – just 44,000 of which were made from compostable materials.
The company joins a growing number of hospitality groups including JD Wetherspoon, All Bar One, The Alchemist and Oakmann Inns which have banned the straws.
Greenpeace estimates that around 12m tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year – equivalent to a rubbish truck full every minute – with single-use food and drink packaging a major part of the problem.
The Final Straw campaign is calling on all restaurants and bars to help crackdown on plastic pollution by removing straws completely or only handing them out on request.
Last week MPs proposed a 25p 'latte levy' on disposable coffee cups to encourage customers to switch to reusable alternatives.
D&D has introduced the ban as part of its Mindful City campaign, which kicks off a number of eco-friendly initiatives across the business.
Every month the group ranks its restaurants according to the percentage of waste they recycle. At Francesco Mazzei's Radici and Sartoria, the amount recycled rose from around 40% and 30% respectively to 70% from August to November 2017.
Staff meals now follow Meat-free Mondays and are made entirely from kitchen leftovers.
“As restaurateurs, sustainability and caring for the environment generally have been central to how we run our business for years,” says Des Gunewardena, CEO chairman of D&D.
“We are also now focusing on giving more choice to customers who want to eat more healthily by choosing vegetarian and vegan options. Last year one of D&D’s most successful initiatives was the launch of a weekly vegan Brunch at Alcazar, our restaurant in Paris.”
The group is also adding an optional £1 donation to WaterAid on to each bill until 13 February.
