Food & Drink
Eating covers a third of a person’s carbon footprint, and event catering is usually the second or the third biggest contributor to increasing the carbon footprint in event production. The environmental impact of food can be reduced throughout its entire life cycle: in production, transportation, storage, preparation and waste management.
Festivals that have declared themselves meat-free are pioneers in the event industry. These days it is easy to find substitutes for remarkably high-emission meat production while still filling the event visitors’ need for protein. The website of the international environmental organisation WWF provides information on the environmental impacts of food and also proposes suitable and necessary reductions in the use of meat, fish and dairy products suitable for the event industry. Read more about the environmental impact of food on WWF website.
Some single-use plastic products, such as straws, cutlery and plates, have already been banned in the EU countries. The EU directive under preparation aims to ban all single-use products plastic products in restaurants by 2030. This means that traditional plastic pints will disappear from event use, so it is recommendable for you to start thinking about substitutes for them well in advance. Read more about legislation restricting the consumption of single-use plastics on the website of the Ministry of the Environment (in Finnish).
Do this
Beginners
Prefer vegetable-based local food, seasonal products, organic and Fairtrade food vendors and catering services. If alcohol is served at your event, prefer local microbreweries.
Use reusable tableware or biodegradable cutlery and tableware, and avoid single-use plastic containers.
Ensure that the customers at food points can sort their biowaste as easily as possible.
Advanced
Develop a deposit system for drinking glasses, pints and other tableware.
Serve dishes that can be wrapped in a paper pocket or a serviette so you do not need disposable or washable cutlery.
If you offer animal-derived food, ensure that the welfare standards of the production animal have been taken into consideration and that the fish sold at your event is MSC certified and does not come from an overfishing area. Prefer farmed animals that have lived and slaughtered locally, which reduces not only the animal suffering, but also transport emissions.
Next Level
Admit a discount on the place of sales to food vendors who serve fully vegan food.
Minimize food waste. Make an agreement in advance with, for example, a store or food aid about accepting surplus food, or distribute surplus food to volunteers free of charge.
Zestii Kitchens tested litter-free event catering at a concert event with Kamupak reusable tableware – read what was learned through the innovation testing.
