As I read foodservice industry articles, I notice the huge increase in topics around sustainability. Foodservice businesses now realize that sustainability is not just part of their brand values, it’s an essential part of their business and operations strategy.
Stemming from this is the growing interest and demand for solutions in reducing single use plastic in the foodservice and HORECA industries.
Why Foodservice Businesses are Reducing Single Use in Their Business
The major shift that we are seeing across the world around SUP are led by the public and more importantly, from their purchasing behavior. According to Lightspeed.co.uk, 66% of global consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. (Lightspeed, 2020.)
Consumers around the world are also demanding sustainable packaging. According to a 2021 global survey taken by Trivium Packaging “83% of consumers among younger generations showed a willingness to pay more for sustainable packaging”. Reading into the survey not even the Covid 19 pandemic de-prioritized the consumers desire for such packaging.
This demand from customers for change is working, and we are seeing a major shift in how businesses are approaching their sustainability initiatives. Just this month, Starbucks announced plans to greatly reduce the 7 billion disposable cups they use annually, by pivoting to reusable options. By the end of 2023 customers will be able to use their own cups in every Starbucks in the US; a huge statement from corporation this size. Similarly, Dunkin’ has successfully removed all foam cups from their stores pivoting to a double walled paper cup with a commitment to double “green” restaurants.
Challenges Around Reducing Single Use Plastic in Your Foodservice Business
So it’s clear, companies are looking to appease the consumer by pushing towards a greener future. Yet hospitality businesses still need to offer refreshments and choice to their customers, and they don’t want to lose a strong revenue channel by removing bottled water or beverages. What needs to occur is a disruption the current offering. In order to make such a large-scale change, companies will need to alter operations.
Solutions for Eliminating Single-Use-Plastic in Your Foodservice Business
Whilst the shift will absolutely change the planet for the better, it will require a move away from the convenience of plastics to purposefully designed equipment. This means that foodservice businesses should consider investing in multi-functional equipment that will continue to offer a variety of beverages, without compromising their efforts to reduce SUP.
Consider the Marco FRIIA – the perfect alternative to POU water for offices, canteens, gyms, schools, colleges, and small coffee shops.
This product aligns with the shift to reusable water bottles, which is headed to a $12BN industry by 2031. FRIIA utilizes an elegantly designed countertop dispenser with the bulk of the equipment tucked away under the counter. The FRIIA can be customer facing throughout a restaurant or café to provide a self-service water offering. This also continues the water station of choice in offices, replacing the traditional water cooler.
For coffee or syrup-based beverages, there is the Marco POUR’D – an innovation in cold beverage dispense.
When paired with a concentrate coffee or syrup source, POUR’D is highly flexible and can be used to create a wide array of beverages. From a single, sleek, countertop font, users can dispense a shot of syrup or concentrate for drinks like mochas or frappes, they can dispense up to three sizes of cold coffee or cold beveragae and there’s even the option of adding a separate hot water source that can be used for tea or Americanos. All from one single, sleek tap. Consider how many bottles and cans could be removed from this system.
It’s no secret that sustainability will continue to be a key priority for foodservice businesses in the coming years. However by making some clever investments in multi-purpose beverage equipment, businesses can set out a path to reduce or eliminate their single-use-plastic without compromising on delivering excellent beverage experiences to their customers.