“Sustainability is a hot topic right now. With consumer awareness of sustainable practices higher than ever, the pressure for businesses to tackle this issue is increasing. A recent survey found that two-thirds (67%) of UK consumers would boycott brands that lack an ethical conscience [1] demonstrating that for hospitality businesses, implementing sustainability initiatives will not only lower their impact on the environment but will also help boost profits.
“One area in particular which has gained widespread awareness, is the negative impact of single-use plastics. This has led to the government’s announcement of the proposed ‘plastic tax’ – where every day single-use plastic items, such as disposable coffee cups, takeaway boxes and single-use plastic bottles, could be hit with charges akin to the 5p levy on plastic bags. As a result of this movement away from single-use plastics, many businesses are reinforcing their approach to sustainability.
“Yet, with items such as bottled water seen as an integral part of day-to-day service and profit margins, there is some hesitance to switch to sustainable alternatives within the hospitality industry. However, there are many innovations reshaping the way water is served that don’t require a complete business overhaul or a loss in profits – such as filtered water dispenser systems.
“By serving high-quality filtered water in glass bottles or offering refills in reusable bottles for on-the-go, operators can cut costs by eliminating the need to buy, transport, store and recycle bottled water – something that’s increasingly attractive to today’s discerning consumer. In fact, we conducted research with Keep Britain Tidy, which found that 64% of consumers would be more likely to return to a venue if they could refill their water bottle[2]. In addition, 62% said they would choose a business that offered free refills over a competitor and 73% would view a business more favourably if it gave free tap or filtered water on request[3].
“When you consider that Brits use an average of 7.7 billion plastic bottles of water a year,[4] yet only 57% of these are recycled [5], the impact of switching from single-use plastic bottles to a sustainable dispensing system is staggering. As such, moving away from serving water in single-use plastic bottles is not only a move in the right direction in the drive to become more sustainable, but it also makes sound business sense too.”
Visit BRITA at stand G22 at The London Coffee Festival 2019 to meet the experts and find out more.