UK Eco First For Wiltons Restaurant!

Wiltons (wiltons.co.uk) the second-oldest restaurant in London famous for its traditionally high standards and service, is leading the way in environmental responsibility. The very first restaurant in the UK to join the Chefs Against Plastic Waste (CAPW) Campaign, Wiltons is the only restaurant in the UK to take delivery of chefs' jackets made from recycled plastic bottles, some of which have been pulled from our very own waters around the British Isles.

Read more about the Waste2wear process

Wiltons is the first restaurant in the UK to join the Chefs Against Plastic Waste campaign

Already reducing plastic waste in multiple ways, Wiltons' Head Chef Daniel Kent was inspired to help the renowned, established and traditional London restaurant to go green after seeing the problem of plastic waste first hand. "I was on a beach in Thailand and every morning the staff would come out and clear all the plastic bottles and debris washed up on the beach. I felt really upset that this was happening to the coastline there, as well as ours in the UK."

Kent immediately started looking at ways to eliminate plastic waste: the restaurant stopped using plastic drinking bottles, requested suppliers to deliver in re-usable crates instead of cardboard boxes and replaced the straws at the bar with paper versions.

The trial

"CCS showed us jackets made from recycled plastic bottles (RPB) taken from the North Sea," said Kent. "I got really excited; having grown up on the East Yorkshire coast, it just pulled at my conscience."

Kent trialled the jackets at Wiltons with his kitchen team to ensure they were comfortable, and was surprised at the high quality: "They really worked for us, so we thought we should do our bit. I think if we all try to do at least a little bit, it will make a difference."

Founded by Continental Chef Supplies (CCS; chefs.net), the Chefs Against Plastic Waste Campaign aims to help reduce plastic consumption in the hospitality industry by re-using bottles to make chef jackets. When the jackets are worn out, they can be recycled, providing a full solution to plastic polluting the planet.

Waste is only waste if you dont do something with it

The Chefs Against Plastic Waste campaign hopes to raise awareness of the problem of avoidable wastefulness in the industry. "Waste is only waste if you don't do something with it, regardless of whether it's plastic or anything else," says Simon Wright, Head of Sales at CCS.

"We are delighted that Wiltons is the first restaurant to join our Chefs Against Plastic Waste Campaign; by making one small change, they are reducing their plastic waste, helping the environment and maintaining our food chain," says Simon. "Having such a prestigious and popular restaurant join our campaign is great to see and we hope that many more will chefs and restaurants will follow."

Chaud Devant, the exclusive clothing supplier of CCS, is committed to developing new solutions to tackle the problem our industry faces; in addition to the chefs' jackets, is working on other garments made from recycled plastic to add to the range.

Wiltons is already leading the way but Kent hopes other restaurants in London will follow suit and join the Chefs Against Plastic Waste campaign, trying the jackets and reducing plastic throughout the restaurant procuring and serving processes. CCS offers a range of chefs' clothing that is award-winning, high quality and made entirely from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Not only are the jackets made from plastic, they combat the micro-fibre problem that is also polluting our oceans.

Manufacturing

Further Information

For information regarding the Chefs Against Plastic Waste Campaign, please contact Chloe Rodgers, CCS Marketing Manager on either 07718268641 or chloe.rodgers@chefs.net for more information.

For images and additional information regarding Wiltons, contact Li Boatwright at Storrington PR on 0844 800 4842 or via email: Li@storringtonpr.com