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Hilton has found a new way to shrink their "waste-line" and the company hopes to inspire the industry! A four month pilot program across 13 UAE-based hotels which focused on breakfast, saw a 62% reduction in pre- and post- consumer food waste – which would equate to preventing almost 726 tons of Co2e emissions across a year.
The new "Green Breakfast" pilot program was implemented in partnership with Winnow and the United Arab Emirates National Food Loss and Waste initiative (ne’ma), and included a combination of tracking food waste through technology, behavorial changes through guest communcations and physical shifts that included using smaller plates.
The Green Breakfast built on Hilton’s Green Ramadan campaign earlier in the year, which was carried out in conjunction with the UN Environment Program.
The Green Breakfast started in August 2023 and saw the installation of production and plate waste systems in the 13 participating hotels, with baseline data being recorded and updated until November 2023.
The results were dramatic: pre-consumer waste was reduced by more than 76%, and post-consumer waste was reduced by 55%. Most wasted items at breakfast included bread and pastry, white eggs, porridge, congee, sambar, shakshuka and baked beans.
Emma Banks, vice president, F&B strategy & development, EMEA, Hilton, said, “We are pleased to share the results of the industry's first Green Breakfast initiative. Through this pilot project, we were able to learn and gather data on consumer behaviour so we can build awareness and take meaningful action scalable at hotels and across the industry. We hope this initiative will inspire the sector to source locally and reduce food waste.”
The release of the Green Breakfast results took place amdist the spotlight of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Financial Center, where Banks was joined by vice president, Global ESG, Jean Garris Hand. Guests enjoyed a sustainable breakfast showcase followed by an insightful panel session on the significance of food waste and the impactful results of the pilot with: Khuloud Al Nuwais, secretary general, ne’ma the National Food Loss and Waste initiative and chief of sustainability, Emirates Foundation; Marc Zornes, co-founder and CEO, Winnow and; Tarek Khoury, regional coordinator for climate change, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – Regional office for West Asia.
The U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP) dedicated an entire day to food and agriculture — a first in the 28-year history of the event, which just concluded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), bringing together decision-makers from 200 national governments to discuss how to address the climate crisis.
Plans for Global Roll Out of Food Waste Reduction at Hilton
Banks stressed the company's committment to leading sustainability for the industry, "As a company founded on the belief that hospitality has the power to be a force for good, Hilton is committed to reducing waste across our global operations by implementing a food waste reduction program in every kitchen and taking active steps globally and within the UAE to reduce food waste across its portfolio of brands."