Certified sustainable: fairgourmet receives GreenSign Gastro certificate
As the first catering arm of an exhibition company to do so, fairgourmet receives the GreenSign Gastro sustainability certification. In a comprehensive self-evaluation and an on-site audit, the company was able to demonstrate its sustainable commitment. The certification underlines the successful efforts to continuously improve the gastronomy for trade fairs, congresses and events responsibly and in terms of sustainability.
“We are very pleased about this recognition of our sustainable commitment and the measures that we have continuously developed for many years. fairgourmet has been continuously developing new measures across the entire value chain since 2011. This means that purchasing and logistics play just as much a role as resource conservation and recycling, business relationships and social commitment,” says Detlef Knaack, Managing Director of fairgourmet.
“With fairgourmet we were able to certify a catering company belonging to a trade fair company for the first time. We see the special challenges here of always catering for large numbers of visitors in the shortest possible time. The certification process has shown that fairgourmet successfully combines these requirements with sustainable measures. It is worth actively communicating this commitment to customers and visitors in order to further raise awareness of sustainability in the catering industry,” says Suzann Heinemann, founder and CEO of the GreenSign Institute.
The most recent sustainable measures at fairgourmet are the switch from paper to reusable deposit cups for hot drinks and reusable deposit cups at events in order to significantly reduce waste when dishes or glasses cannot be used for logistical reasons. In order to dispose of as little food as possible after trade fairs and congresses, there is a happy hour with half-price food one hour before the end of the event. Pre-produced offers such as sandwiches, wraps and pretzels are distributed at short notice to institutions such as the Leipziger Tafel, the Leipziger Straßenkinderverein or the Bahnhofsmission. “The intensive collaboration with the GreenSign team during the evaluation and audit also showed us where the next steps are worthwhile in order to become even more sustainable. This gives us a good guide,” says Detlef Knaack.
Certification for the needs of the catering industry
The GreenSign Gastro certification was developed for the specific needs of the catering industry with a particular emphasis on environmental protection, fair practices and the health of guests and employees. Based on international standards and with 135 criteria in ten core areas, including purchasing, food offerings and social responsibility, the GreenSign Gastro certification aims to improve the sustainability performance of companies.
The multi-stage certification process results in a detailed report. Among other things, it takes into account management and communication, the environmental issues of energy, water and waste, purchasing and food offerings, quality management and economic and social responsibility. The criteria queried in the review catalogue are based on the global sustainability goals (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs) of the United Nations. fairgourmet has already committed to them as part of the Leipziger Messe group of companies.
Finde out more:
www.fairgourmet.de/en/fairgourmet/nachhaltigkeit/.