AccorHotels' takes global intitiative to reduce food waste

AccorHotels, one of the world's largest hotel groups, which includes the Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Pullman and Sofitel chains, is to grow its own vegetables in a bid to reduce food waste by a third.  25-30% of the French group’s revenue comes from meals served. As the first step in the initiative, the group’s restaurants will weigh and record food that is discarded in order to calculate how much is wasted. The number of main courses available will also be reduced and the number of local products offered increased. One thousand vegetable gardens will be planted at some of the chain’s 3.9k hotels by 2020 and the company will also focus on improving energy efficiency. The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates that up to one third of all food produced is wasted.

One of the world’s biggest hotel chains has announced it will plant vegetable gardens at many of its hotels as part of a plan to cut food waste by a third.



AccorHotels, which includes the Pullman, Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis chains, intends to “reduce food waste by 30%, in particular by sourcing food locally”, chief executive Sebastien Bazin said on Tuesday.

The French group, which generates 25-30% of its revenue by serving 150 million meals a year, will first work out how much food it is wasting.

Its restaurants will be required to weigh and record food that is thrown away in order to best determine how to cut waste.

With up to one third of food produced being wasted, according to estimates by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation, there is ample room for businesses to save money while also helping reduce hunger and greenhouse gas emissions associated with farming and transport.

Amir Nahai, who leads Accor’s food operations, said that menus currently offering up to 40 main courses would slimmed down.

“In the future we’re going to have menus with 10, 15 or 20 main courses, with more local products,” he said.

The group intends to plant vegetable gardens in many of its 3,900 hotels.

“We are also going to support urban agriculture with the creation of 1,000 vegetable gardens in our hotels by 2020,” said Nahai.

AccorHotels also aims to improve the energy efficiency in its buildings with the ultimate target of making them carbon neutral.

In its previous five-year environmental plan, AccorHotels said it cut water consumption by nearly 9%, energy consumption by 5.3% and carbon emissions by 6.2%.