Low Carbon Lifestyle
Our ongoing efforts to reduce the impacts of our food choices on the climate
Bon Appétit launched the Low Carbon Diet in 2007 — the first restaurant company to link food and climate — with five-year emissions targets. We met them, cutting the equivalent of approximately 5 million pounds of CO₂ each month. After maintaining those goals, we shifted from a time-limited approach to a sustained Low Carbon Lifestyle: long-term commitments to keep reducing the climate impact of our food choices. Guided by experts including the Environmental Working Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Rainforest Alliance, we decided to focus on four key areas:
Prioritizing Plant-Based Proteins
- Serving reasonable, clearly defined portions of animal proteins based on U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendations
- Skewing the menu mix away from beef and cheese
- Emphasizing plant-based proteins
- Tracking the ounces of various proteins we serve per guest per meal period to make sure we stay on target
Preventing and Reducing Food Waste
- Requiring our teams to prevent waste before it happens by cooking food from scratch, in small batches.
- Continuing to prevent waste in their kitchens and recording their efforts using our patented waste tracking system Waste Not™
- Donating leftovers to local hunger relief organizations on a regular basis.
Trimming transportation
- No air-freighted seafood
- Restricting purchases of vegetables, meat, non-tropical fruit, and water in single-use packaging to North America
- Encouraging purchases of seasonal and regional fruits and vegetables
- Training chefs and managers how to prioritize tropical fruit that is typically boated or trucked versus air-freighted when needed
Decreasing Deforestation
- Purchasing meat from North American farms and ranches (fed with U.S.-grown crops)
- Opting for paper products that are FSC Certified and/or made from recycled content
- Committing to purchasing coffee from either third-party-verified, socially and environmentally sustainable sources or registered Farm to Fork vendors
