Sustainability Trends That Are on the Rise​​

Climate positive will replace net-zero

Over the course of the last half decade, the net-zero initiative has become more mainstream with companies as they’ve constructed plans to either significantly reduce their emissions output or curb it entirely by a certain year. This initiative now seems like more of a starting point than an end goal, as you are seeing companies strive to be a climate-positive operation, meaning that not only do they not produce carbon emissions, but they are also actively removing existing CO2 and other harmful gases from the environment. Companies are not satisfied with being carbon-neutral and are taking additional steps to remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.​

Companies are doing this in a variety of ways, from turning these gas emissions into something else of value, to tree planting, restoring organic matter in soil and the sequestration of carbon emissions. Net-zero emissions was once the end goal and is now becoming just the start as companies are looking for ways to actively benefit the environment rather than reduce the ways in which it harms it.

Restaurant menus will become more sustainable

The restaurant industry has been affected by the sustainability movement as heavily as any other sector. Restaurant menus are becoming more condensed, with rotating items made from locally sourced ingredients. This not only makes the food taste better, but locally grown ingredients help curb harmful emissions by reducing the number of miles ingredients must travel. They also are also fresher by the time they get to the restaurant, which extends their shelf life and helps reduce food waste from unused ingredients.​

Often, these menus feature healthier, more sustainable meat alternatives. Veganism has seen an uptick over the last couple of years in part due to it being better for the environment. Soy-based meat alternatives emit fewer emissions than producing beef.

Restaurant menus are shrinking, locally sourced ingredients are more popular, and more people are cutting out meat, which ultimately leads to fewer harmful emissions. This trend will continue grow in the years to come.

Food upcycling will become more popular​

You might not have heard of this trend, but it is quickly growing into an effective, sustainable way to reuse what might otherwise be waste. Food upcycling is defined as the use of ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, to procure and produce food to have a positive impact on the environment. While trash being turned into food might sound gross on the surface, that’s far from the case. Coffee beans that are often thrown out in abundance can be used to produce gluten-free flour, cookies and other bread or flour-based items. Pizza can be made from leftover olive leaves and recycled fruit can make banana chips. There are countless examples of food waste that can be upcycled into something else.

Roughly, 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States each year. That is more than $161 billion worth of food thrown, according to Feed America. nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted. The possibilities are endless when it comes to upcycling.

Urban farming will become more popular

Where restaurants are buying their ingredients from is changing. Where those ingredients are grown and how they are grown is changing too. Urban farming is a practice that is on the rise. Urban gardening is the growth of crops in heavily populated areas. It differs from traditional gardening in the sense that the crops are grown to be sold rather than for personal consumption.

Urban farming is a more sustainable option because it conserves water and provides an option for locally sourced ingredients, eliminating the need to ship ingredients longer distances. Roughly 30 percent of food waste is produced during transit. Closing the distance that the ingredients must travel not only reduces carbon emissions via transportation, it helps eliminate food waste. Urban farming is a trend that is on the rise.

Petroleum alternatives are on the rise

Petroleum diesel releases a heavy amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Some states are beginning to introduce legislation that would establish a low carbon fuel standard. This, along with proactive efforts from corporations to seek a healthier alternative has put biofuels in high demand. Biofuel, particularly renewable diesel, burns cleaner than petroleum and can help reduce carbon emissions by up to 85 percent per gallon, and it can be made from used cooking oil in restaurants.

Used cooking oil is an essential part of any restaurant that deep fries food. It has to go somewhere, and it ending up in a landfill is detrimental to the environment. Cooking grease can be recycled and repurposed into an ingredient used in the production of renewable diesel. A reputable used cooking oil service provider will collect your grease for you and some even convert it into fuel themselves.​