Olympia London joins national campaign to tackle food waste

This September, Olympia London is joining forces with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to tackle food waste. The venue is encouraging all staff and catering partners to monitor personal and corporate wastage with the goal to completely drop food waste from the menu.

 

WRAP works with businesses and communities to promote a healthy “circular economy by helping to reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient wayâ€'. Taking part in national campaign “Guardians of Grubâ€', Olympia London joins the Hospitality & Food service industry's awareness drive. 

 

 

 

The challenge

 

Food waste is currently one of the biggest sustainability problems challenging the planet. It takes an enormous amount of time, resources and energy to cultivate food and yet, figures reveal that 1/3 of all produce is thrown away. 

 

According to food sharing app OLIO, “in the UK alone, households are responsible for over half of the waste with the average family throwing away £700 worth of food each year, adding to a whopping £12.5 billion going straight to landfill. Just to put it into perspective, for every time we fill a 10-litre bin with discarded food, it is costing us £10.

In the corporate environment, the Hospitality & Food service industry wastes 1 million tonnes each year. According to Guardians of Grub, 75% of it is in fact edible and, if re-purposed, could reduce a current loss of £2.9 billion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, how is Olympia London supporting the campaign?

 

Olympia London is spearheading the message ‘your business is food; don't throw it away' and signing its onsite catering partners up to WRAP's new campaign. The venue is tracking waste by measuring deteriorated food, preparation waste, inedible waste and plate waste.

 

In addition to catering partners, the venue is inviting all staff to get involved and measure their own food waste during September; plus offering tips on portion control (reducing plate waste) and planning meals / shopping smarter to avoid food going out of date.

All participants are invited to record their own food waste and share experiences with colleagues, friends and social media. In fact, everyone can get involved:

 

•    Download a tracking form > olympia.london/news 

•    Record daily food that is discarded (even inedible bits) during September

•    Share your tips for saving food with peers, family and friends

•    Follow and share your experiences on social media using #GuardiansofGrub

•    Using the instructions on the tracking form, calculate the total waste for the month

•    With this information, review how you can reduce the amount of food waste you produce

 

 

What else is Olympia London doing to tackle food waste?

 

Olympia London has sent zero waste to landfill for over a decade; with a recycling rate of 98% and the remaining 2% sent to an anaerobic digestion plant, where green energy and fertiliser are produced. The venue's goal is to completely eradicate food waste.

 

In the past year, Olympia London has further optimised waste segregation across onsite catering. This facilitates the process when using food waste for bio fuel purposes.

 

In addition, food surplus left onsite is distributed to those who need the most through a partnership with City Harvest: the charity distributes more than 12 tonnes of food every week, which benefits the local community; including Barons Court Project, Olympia London's nominated charity of the year. 

A partnership between onsite catering partners and some event organisers ensures excess edible food is distributed to local food banks.

 

In a pioneering move, the venue recently introduced a successful ‘pop-up' restaurant with a plant-based menu. Available to organisers, it can be purpose-built on their show-floor to suit each event layout. The menu, portion sizes and operation have been designed to reduce food waste, delivering impressive results: it produced less than 2% waste, compared to a 37% industry average; and met visitor demand for a healthier and more sustainability-conscious offer.

 

For more information on sustainability at Olympia London, visit > olympia.london/sustainability

 

ENDS

 

 

 

Notes:

 

For more information and interviews, please contact:

press@olympia.london

 

To view sustainability at Olympia London, visit > olympia.london/sustainability

 

About Olympia London

The home of inspirational events, Olympia London opened its doors in 1886. Established as London's architectural, cultural and events landmark, the venue welcomes more than 1.6million visitors each year.

In addition to 133 years of history and heritage, Olympia London is a prime choice for events, making it the capital's busiest venue. Hosting an enviable portfolio of 220 exhibitions, conferences and corporate events, it annually contributes £1.2bn to the UK economy.

In 2019, Olympia London received full planning permission to realise the biggest investment in its history: a £1bn project to enhance its magnificent Grade II listed spaces and to transform the venue into a cultural and creative district open to all. Read more > olympia.london/future