THE TWO leading trade associations representing catering equipment manufacturers and distributors have announced plans to work more closely together to drive down the sector’s carbon footprint.
CESA, the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association, and CEDA, the Catering Equipment Distributors Association, have met regularly over many years but will now form closer ties to help the industry deal with keys challenges, including sustainability.
CESA and CEDA are already working to agree a common approach that will help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. The British Hospitality Association and the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) are also involved.
CEDA chair Jack Sharkey said further collaboration is vital given that “both the equipment and systems we work with, and the regulations we operate under, are increasingly complex”.
Other joint projects will include “Mind the Gap”, the ongoing research into attitudes to sustainability within the foodservice industry.
The two associations will also work together with the FCSI on end-user training, with the jointly funded re-launch of the “Shut it! Fill it! Turn it off!” campaign, which aims to improve best practice in commercial kitchen equipment operation.
“Given the economic and environmental challenges the industry faces, we need to focus on synergy and work together,” said CESA chair Nick Oryino. “Collaboration gives us the strength to meet those challenges successfully.”
According to a study by Ricardo-AEA for the Carbon Trust and DEFRA (the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs), commercial caterers spend £292m a year on energy. This equates to about 18p a meal. The resulting carbon footprint is 1.32m tonnes annually.
