Everybody loves takeout...

...but what about takeout boxes? Looking at the food and beverage operations of a hotel, to-go containers and takeout boxes are also a sustainable issue purchasing and f&b have to work out together. Have you ever wondered what happens to that annoying large takeout box once you throw it out (other than taking up half your trash can of course)? Here's the life story of a takeout box, something I put together for a project earlier this year for Whitemarsh Plaza (greening the great ungreen of good ole American stripmalls).

Every story starts at the beginning...

So does the story of sustainable hospitality, like every spring has a source and every path has a starting point -- when looking at "greening" a hospitality operation it's very important to look at the source. Although not every hotel operation is lucky enough to benefit from green construction and new sustainable technologies, every hotel and restaurant can take a second to look at their procurement/purchasing practices and utilize their buying power to support sustainable suppliers and "vote" against environmental degradation.

When I first started this project, (a whole 4 weeks ago!), Suganthi Simon at the EPA mentioned the recent launch of the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium - founded by a multidisciplinary group of industry leaders from suppliers, purchasing companies, architecture firms, and sustainability gurus to corporate lodging brands.

 

What is it?
"Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI) [is] a web-based industry wide purchasing database that comprehensively measures and reports on the corporate social responsibility, environmental, and product sustainability performance of suppliers."

How will it achieve this?

• Streamline how the industry gathers sustainability data from suppliers
• Establish criteria for sustainability performance measurement
• Translate complex sustainability data into meaningful information that can be used by all stakeholders in the purchasing of products for hospitality
• Align sustainability standards with USGBC’s LEED rating system, globally recognized sustainability guidelines, and as appropriate, with approved product category specific sustainability standards
• Ensure non-biased performance measurement
• Create fair access to HSPI results for all stakeholders

It is great to see this diverse group of hospitality leaders coming together to design an industry-wide purchasing index that will benefit all parties involved while reducing the industry's impacts on the environment. (HSPI consortium is led by MindClick SGM ).

Supply-chain management is such an important part of sustainable hospitality operations (I mean what's the point of having a gorgeous LEED-certified building just to buy massive amounts of petroleum-based, sweat-shop produced products?), plus, some suppliers provide such delicious products...