Commentary: COVID-19 is an opportunity for F&B to finally go green

SINGAPORE: The circuit breaker, implemented from April to June in Singapore, was designed to interrupt the spread of COVID-19.

It also severely disrupted the food and beverage (F&B) sector, forcing restaurants that were still in operation to focus on home delivery.

In the first eight weeks of this period, the sector produced 1,334 tonnes of disposable cutlery and packaging, the weight of 92 double-decker buses, according to a June 5 study by alumni of the National University of Singapore.

This is in addition to the 271 million plastic items that Singaporeans typically dispose of in an eight-week period, according to figures from the National Environment Agency.

Extraordinary times have led to extraordinary but unsustainable solutions for food vendors. Aside from the obvious and visible problem with plastic packaging, what does “sustainability” look like in the foodservice sector?

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As with all companies, the sustainability factor can be measured by the inputs, the products and the energy consumed. For the food and beverage sector, inputs should ideally consist of sustainably produced food prepared with a minimal carbon footprint.

This would focus on locally sourced plant-based products, as meat production involves intensive use of water and the expulsion of methane, not to mention heavy transport loads.

Clean energy (electricity from renewable sources such as solar panels) must be used for cooking, products must be packaged and delivered sustainably, and all waste must be composted.

In essence, that means restaurants that produce plastic-free, clean energy, locally sourced, plant-based meals.

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But checking all of these boxes is easier said than done. 90 percent of Singapore’s food is imported and only 1 percent of its electricity comes from solar sources.

However, customers would like their favorite restaurants and bars to be green, according to surveys. Reducing plastic waste is not only an easy fruit to come by, it makes good business sense.

GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Local bar and restaurant operator Tadcaster Hospitality has shown that a few simple changes can lead to significant reductions in plastic use.

As the owner of central business district pubs like Molly Malones and The Exchange, as well as restaurants like Café Melba and Dharmas Kebab Shop, Tadcaster management was concerned about the amount of single-use plastic it was generating through meals. and drinks to go. . In an average year, the volume was enough to fill the pool of an average condo.

In 2019, Adrian Houghton, director of Tadcaster, set out to change his outlets to be more sustainable. It implemented recycling systems for the 150,000 bottles that were normally thrown away each year.

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By finding biodegradable and compostable alternatives, Houghton was able to salvage the company’s annual disposal of 60,000 plastic cups and lids, 60,000 plastic straws, 21,300 plastic take-out boxes, 10,300 plastic bags, 9,500 plastic drink stirrers and 6,300 cutlery. of plastic. That’s the equivalent of what 167,400 Singaporeans discard in one day.

There was no net cost to Tadcaster for the switch to biodegradable alternatives. Houghton reported that nearly all customers welcomed the change and, in some cases, it generated additional business.

On one occasion, a group of 18 people in the office who were drinking at a nearby bar moved to The Exchange after seeing its plastic-free promotion. They had asked other bars not to provide plastic straws, only to find one in each glass when their orders arrived. (Of course, this was before the COVID-19 restrictions that limited group sizes to five.)

CONSUMERS ALSO WANT LESS PLASTIC

As Tadcaster’s management noted, the majority of consumers in Singapore favor more sustainable food and beverage options.

A December 2019 survey of 29,000 global consumers by British research firm GlobalData has shown how the culture of sustainability has taken hold in Singapore.

For example, 74 percent of Singaporeans find a low carbon footprint in food and beverages attractive, roughly 14 percentage points higher than the global average.

When it comes to menu options, 27 percent of Singaporeans are likely to prefer a low-meat diet, 4 percentage points higher than the average.

Singaporean respondents are 60% more likely than their ASEAN counterparts to find tap water attractive or very attractive.

For takeout orders, nearly 30 percent of Singaporean respondents indicated they were willing to switch to plastic-free products for environmental reasons. And the stronger the economic incentive in the push, the greater the change.

Eighty-seven percent of Singaporeans indicated that they would reduce or stop buying items with a plastic tax surcharge, compared to a world average of 78 percent. Similarly, 39 percent of Singaporeans said they would bring their own refillable glasses to food outlets if they received a discount.

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Food service providers have been experimenting with discounts for customers who bring their own packaging.

Saladstop, a quick-service salad restaurant, claims in its 2019 sustainability report that it saved 60,000 plastic bags by applying a 10 cent surcharge and another 680 kg of plastic waste by encouraging customers to bring their own bowls.

The growing popularity of this trend saw Singapore’s Bring Your Own (BYO) movement grow from 430 retail outlets in 2017 to 1,120 outlets across 126 brands in February 2020.

These outlets are committed to encouraging customers to choose reusable plastics over single-use plastics through incentives and education.

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BEING GREEN IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC

During the onset of COVID-19, global chains like Starbucks canceled their BYO policy at some outlets due to concerns about possible contamination from handling customers’ own glasses.

However, a June 22 statement signed by more than 100 scientists around the world said that reusable packaging does not carry increased risks of transmission of the coronavirus.

This is the right message at the right time, as the pandemic threatens to undo efforts to reduce plastic waste. Yet people seem willing to support food and beverage companies that are serious about green.

In July 2020, GlobalData surveyed 5,800 respondents on topics that have become more important to them as a result of COVID-19. 84 percent said the packaging contains no plastic, while 87 percent said reducing or recycling food waste was just as important, if not more so, to them since the pandemic.

This increased appetite for social problems may be due to the additional time spent reading and watching the news during the confinement.

The customer has realized the environmental impact of past consumer habits and wants a change. Food service operators certainly have enough on their plates to deal with the consequences of COVID-19 right now.

But as they grapple with the post-COVID normality of fewer dinners and more food deliveries, it makes sense to switch to a sustainable menu.

Tim Hill is a key account manager for GlobalData PLC, a provider of intelligence on the world’s largest industries.