Is sustainability one of the most common words in a modern kitchen?

It's a word that has become commonplace in the hospitality industry and especially amongst top chefs and management. Barely a week goes by without the news of a new product or initiative being introduced to improve sustainability in the culinary world. And rightly so, over the years the hospitality industry has had a huge impact on the environment whether that's from use of energy, water consumption or waste of both food and goods.

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Hotels, restaurants and other catering establishments use a lot of energy simply to run them but with demand from consumers, pressures from the media and passionate employees we've seen more sustainable ways of working over recent years. It's an area where the whole industry should be placing a big focus as we need to protect our planet for future generations.

Five reasons why it's good to be green

1. Cost has always been a big driving factor when it comes to making decisions about purchasing with a mis-conception that sustainable means more expensive. However, this isn't always the case. Some of the equipment we deliver to kitchens up and down the UK improves efficiency and therefore reduces costs for your business in the long-term.

2. Making sustainable choices can help people warm to your brand as green issues are in the hearts and minds of modern consumers. Younger generations place huge emphasis on ethical decision making and to appeal to them you need to make sure you are doing your bit to reduce your impact on the environment. Sustainable success stories can also generate positive PR for your business.

3. If you are looking to attract people to your workforce, talking about how sustainability is important to your business can make an impact on staff engagement and retention. Millennials especially want to work for companies that are socially responsible so talk about the work you do on your website, in brochures and on your social channels.

4. It's not always just 'the right thing to do'. These days there are regulations in place around sustainability and businesses must adhere to those. At the moment, this is mainly around hazardous substances and environmental health and safety but it's an area that is likely to become more of the norm as efforts are made by Governments to protect the planet further.

5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer a buzz word bandied about to simply impress the Board or customers. These days, it's more expected to have a CSR plan of activity.

Three products that will help your kitchen to be more sustainable

1. The Winterhalter Connected Wash is a networked warewasher providing more safety and efficiency in the kitchen. Winterhalter machines have always been very intelligent but by connecting machines, data can be extracted and analysed. This is done by an app or a portal on a PC with the results being shown in simple to understand graphics or alerts. An operator will immediately see if there are any critical malfunctions or whether there are operational issues that will affect performance or results. You can learn more about the benefits of this innovation in our recent blog, which also features Williams Chameleon.

If you want to know more about the Williams Chameleon range featured in that blog, watch this product in action :

2. The Panasonic High Speed Convection Oven is another exciting product which has improved efficiency in mind. With the main benefit of this product being the high-speed cooking times, this reduces energy wastage and improves your overall turnover. You can use it to cook, toast, bake, grill or re-heat a wide range of fresh or frozen foods. It's ideal for those establishments looking to turn food around quickly, but with reduced impact on your energy consumption.

3. At Lockhart we are proud to work with Induced Energy who has a range of products which are kinder to the environment. Induction produces no poisonous exhaust gases or wasted background heat. Carbon deposits on pans and on the hob surface are eliminated, avoiding unhealthy carcinogenic carbon particles in the air around the cooking area. You can find out more about the environmental benefits of Induced Energy on its website and by looking at some of these truly inspiring case studies.

We'd love to learn about more sustainable stories from hospitality businesses so we can share your success with others on our social channels. Share with us via @bunzllockhart on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.