At WHS, we are lucky to have a whole host of excellent restaurants and cafes on our doorstep, offering a range of cuisines and dishes. But how committed are they to reducing their impact on the planet?
I have done some digging into the environmental policies of each of these popular lunch spots, in the hope that passing this information on will aid you in making informed decisions about where to eat in Wimbledon (and may even encourage you to conduct your own in-depth study), considering environmental impact and sustainability. I have focused primarily on actions already undertaken by the restaurants, rather than pledges of what they will do, since the jury is still out on those. I have also not included things these restaurants may not do, since information on where their environmental practices are lacking is much harder to find than the proud declarations of what they are already doing.
So, here is my rough ranking of popular Wimbledon restaurants from most to least sustainable:
Leon
- New ‘carbon neutral’ range of burgers and fries (including offset emissions from entire supply chain)
- Low transport emissions (no ingredients flown in; majority sourced in UK)
- Wide range of meet-free options
- No beef; all meat and eggs are free-range and British as well
- Seasonal menu to reduce food travel
- Fish line-caught from sustainable shoals
- Coffee is organic and fairtrade
- All cutlery and straws either biodegradable or paper
- Leftover food sent to anaerobic digestion
- No gas used in kitchens, and all electricity renewable
- Reusable cup discount
- Zero to landfill policy: all separated waste recycled, and any waste that cannot be segregated is used to generate energy.
(sources: https://leon.co/presents/read/the-future-of-fast-food-is-better-for-the-planet/, https://leon.co/food/ )
Pret A Manger
- Sustainably sources ingredients and organic coffee
- Zero to landfill policy since 2012
- Recycling available in store for all packaging sold
- Unsold fresh food donated locally after opening hours
- All UK shops powered by renewable energy
- Reusable cup discount
- No single-use plastic cutlery.
(source: https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/sustainability )
Joe and the Juice
- 2% food waste score
- All straws/cutlery biodegradable
- Water bottles made from 100% recycled plastic
- Bowls compostable and 100% biodegradable
- Chicken sustainably sourced; chickens slow-growing and raised with a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2
- Bags and napkins 100% recycled materials
- In-store recycling for all packaging.
(source: https://www.joejuice.com/impact )
Wagamama
- 50% of menu is plant based
- ‘Bowl bank’ scheme allows take-away packaging to be returned and recycled in-store
- Primarily use renewable energy and gas, and offset residual emissions through reforestations
- Bases of bowls now made from recycled materials and increasing amounts of carboard packaging.
(source: https://www.wagamama.com/treading-softly )
Itsu
- Unsold grocery products redistributed via FareShare to local charities
- Chicken sustainably sourced and British
- Seasonal British vegetables used (most other ingredients imported)
- Zero to landfill policy.
(sources: https://www.itsu.com/sustainability-sourcing/sustainability-milestones/, https://www.itsu.com/sustainability-sourcing/sourcing/ )
Kokoro
- ‘Environmentally conscious’ packaging
- Ingredients sourced from sustainable companies
- All packaging recycled plastic or paper based (by 2023)
- Leftover food donated to local food collecting campaigns.
(source: https://www.elephantpark.co.uk/about-elephant-park/blog/meet-kokoro/ )
Starbucks
- Cage free eggs
- Coffee beans and tea leaves ethically and sustainably sourced
- Ethical supplier code of conduct
- UK stores use renewable energy (report unclear as to whether they use only sustainable energy, though)
- Plastic straws only available on accessibility request.
(source: https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2022/04/Starbucks-2021-Global-Environmental-and-Social-Impact-Report-1.pdf, https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/sourcing/coffee/. )
