I went to an interesting workshop last week hosted by Green Economy and Marketing Manchester.
They partnered with sustainable catering brand Open Kitchen and ProManchester to get some thinking done on an approach to launch an effective workshop series to help the hospitality industry tackle its sustainability challenges.
Hospitality is an important sector for the city-region, accounting for approximately 86,000 jobs, equating to more than 6% of Greater Manchester’s workforce.
Chatting openly about how to embrace a greener business model – from the owner of a Thai restaurant in Wythenshawe to the management team from Treehouse Manchester (about to be the city’s most sustainable hotel experience) – the group recognised that in tough times sustainable behaviours fell down the list of priorities.
Saving money and talking to customers
Greener business has got to be a leaner business – reducing cost of doing business and helping to respond to a climate emergency has to work hand in hand. Is the ‘save money save the planet’ message as loud as it could be. And are we doing enough to showcase the businesses that have put a toe in the water, the small initial steps they took and the money they saved.
This is a great conversation to have with customers. I have just been on Google’s sustainability pages. If your hospitality business is dependent on a Google search for its customers it is just a matter of time before the greener place around the corner is getting top billing. Google is on a mission. Talk to your best customers about climate change, ask them if it would make a difference if the business adopted greener policies. Sense check your own ideas.
Pizza Express saving Venice
This is well ahead of its time really but I was always drawn towards the pizza at Pizza Express that was helping tackle Venice’s rising sea levels. I bought that pizza. And now – when reminded – I put my towels back on the rail to ‘do another night’ to reduce laundry costs in hotel rooms. You can take customers with you on any journey. Think of sustainability as a marketing tool, a way of differentiating yourself.
And we have not yet touched on messaging to staff, the community generated around adopting greener behaviours, the absolute priority it is becoming for the next generation in terms of employer choice.
No tablecloths here
I loved the fact that Treehouse will not be using tablecloths to save on purchase and laundry at their latest hotel outlet, and would be using local suppliers like Cinderwood Market Garden in Nantwich with a focus on seasonal produce.
And that Corin Bell, the super impressive Founder and Director of Open Kitchen said her business was using Zedify for local courier jobs around town – Zedify has revolutionised last mile urban delivery using pedal power – a truly sustainable success story!
I also met a head of sustainability this week in a food business with 700 staff and 90m+ turnover. The key levers he needed to pull with his business to get sustainability stuff done? Customers demanding it, legislation policing it and serious cost-savings from it.
