Hawksmoor reaches carbon neutral goal as it targets becoming a net zero company

The high-end steak group, which currently has nine UK restaurants plus a further site Stateside in New York, announced plans last year​​ to become carbon neutral by the end of 2022.

Now founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott, working with Hawksmoor's head of sustainability Ellie Besley-Gould, have achieved this target ahead of schedule.

“Hawksmoor customers want to enjoy the meat they’re eating," says Beckett.

"Many of us are thinking more about where our food comes from and are shifting to eating a little less, better quality meat. For us, being carbon neutral is part of the way we’re making sure that the beef we serve is part of a food and farming system that supports our natural environment."

Working with Net Zero Now and The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), Hawksmoor has not only offset all its carbon emissions, but also started implementing practices to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions and become a net zero company by 2030. 

“We’re not just offsetting our emissions, we’ve also set out big plans to make positive changes across the board," continues Beckett.

“All our beef comes from cattle that have led a stress-free life and are fed on a natural foraged diet of grass and hay, and whether you visit us in the UK or New York, you know that your beef comes from farmers in those countries treating cattle and land the right way, which we think makes our meat all the tastier.”

Last year, Hawksmoor launched its biggest restaurant to date in a floating pavilion on the docks of Wood Wharf at Canary Wharf​​, which was built using sustainably sourced timber decking and aluminium extracted from hydro sources, and features a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses to encourage visits from insects and bees and to improve carbon capture.

The restaurant is also primarily powered by energy from Canary Wharf’s combined heat and power network to help lower the impact on the environment, reflecting the group's move to renewable electricity in the UK.

Additionally, Hawksmoor is also taking steps to educate staff in the basics of carbon and climate change, and ensure all food waste is converted into biogas.

“The Sustainable Restaurant Association, working with climate experts Net Zero Now, has assessed the whole of Hawksmoor’s business, operations and procurement. From eggs to electricity, beef to business travel and whisky to waste, every relevant GHG emissions source at Hawksmoor during 2020 was counted and analysed,” says Juliane Caillouette-Noble, managing director of the SRA

“The outcome of this work has been a complete value chain carbon footprint for each of Hawksmoor’s restaurants. These carbon footprints not only cast a light on where the biggest emissions occur and where the opportunities are to take effective action, but also provide the baseline for Hawksmoor to set ambitious carbon reduction targets.”