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DEC. JAN. 2020 XI Michael Braungart also gives some indications that can be applied in the catering sector, for example taking measures to improve air quality in professional kitchens, which can have worse pollution levels than city air. Or choose products that do not contain substances that could harm the health of their customers or ingredients with a low environmental impact. “Maybe in Europe we will never be ready to consume insects - he continued - but why not try to include algae in the menus?” A suggested route is rental. “No one needs to own objects - he stressed - but enjoy a certain service that the objects give for a certain period. So why don’t we rent instead of buying a product? Renting is a more sustainable solution than ownership, because if a certain asset returns to the producer after a period of use, the producer himself has an incentive to produce it in the best possible way, so that he can then reuse it or rent it again. Examples of products that can be rented in a restaurant are pots and pans, equipment, tablecloths.... Another suggested way is to use objects that can become food for the environment after they have finished their lives. “A well-known beer brand - said Braungart - is studying wood fiber bottles that can be recovered. This bottle, once used, is no longer waste, but can return to the environment making a positive contribution. The same applies to dishes and other compostable materials. SUSTAINABILITY PAYS Interesting ideas. But can they really be useful to a restaurateur, even to improve their economic performance? Joachim Schöpfer, founder of the Serviceplan Reputation agency in Berlin, who has developed new market research tools on corporate reputation through sustainability, has tried to answer this question. Schöpfer opened his speech with a reflection on the numbers in world tourism. “The number of arrivals is increasing a lot - he said - in sixty years we will have 100 times the numbers of 1960 and it is obvious that this can not work. Already today we talk about overtourism and in the future we will not be able to grow indefinitely. A sustainable system is a system that can last in the future, the same goes for tourism. So how is it done? Transforming instead of expanding, because growth cannot be infinite.” Up to now, expansion has been the distinguishing approach, also in the catering sector: new openings, more seatings... According to Schöpfer, this model is not sustainable, but we should grow by focusing on improving the quality of our offer. However, the question arises as to whether sustainability is good for business, because the profitability of a business must still be guaranteed. “The growth of organic food, natural cosmetics, fair trade products - he explained - shows how to choose awarded sustainability. In the field of tourism and hospitality there are still no clear figures, but I have the impression that sustainability is a winning choice, provided that it offers something more to the customer. Sustainability must be perceived as an added value for the customer, it must not be an end in itself, and in this perspective it is worth investing. For example, organic foods are not only purchased because they have a lower environmental footprint, but mainly because they are considered healthier. Even in a restaurant, therefore, it is necessary to understand what the customer is looking for as an individual advantage (healthier dishes, hedonistic recipes, fast service...) and offer a proposal to satisfy him, which is ‘environmentally’ sustainable. Schöpfer also called for more than just the environmental aspects of sustainability. “The qualification of its employees and their satisfaction - he stressed - is just as important.” ______________________________ BOX SDGS IN CATERING: THE EXAMPLE OF THE HOTEL SALTUS Wolfgang Töchterle of IDM South Tyrol - Innovation Development Marketing - suggested to follow the path dictated by the UN with its 17 objectives of sustainable development, the SDGs, which aim to end poverty, to fight against inequality and social and economic development. In addition, they include aspects of fundamental importance for sustainable development, such as tackling climate change and building peaceful societies by the year 2030. Many of these objectives can also be pursued in a catering business, for example by consciously using food resources, reducing waste, donating surplus, taking all necessary measures to ensure the healthiness of the food served, paying all employees fairly... This approach has been adopted by the Hotel Saltus, recently opened by the women of the Mumelter family (mother and two daughters) next to the historic family hotel in San Genesio (Bz). The new structure is an Eco Hotel that has adopted different sustainable solutions, even in the restaurant business. “Instead of equipping the new structure with a modern restaurant - said Claudia Mumelter, one of the two sisters - we rely on