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Environment and Sustainability

Multiple solar panels

Our commitment to be more sustainable.  

Our aim is to grow sustainably to add long term value to our customers and our business. 

Our Corporate Responsibility plan allows us to not only minimise our business risks but also positively influence our society, our environment and our economy. 

Salfood were a Platinum Green Impact Award winner in December 2019 and were also awarded the Best Improved Team Award by the University Sustainability Team. 

Our Sustainability Commitments

Single use plastics and disposables

  • We have replaced all plastic cutlery items with wooden alternatives.  
  • All disposable polystyrene takeaway boxes have been replaced with recyclable cardboard versions.  
  • All plastic straws have been replaced with paper ones (unless drink comes with a straw). 
  • We have reusable mugs available to buy from Adelphi Café/Costa. 
  • All our outlets accept re-useable cups and offer a 20p discount on any hot/cold beverage. 
  • We are a member of the UK Plastics Pact. 

Fairtrade

  • We donate a percentage of our Fairtrade sales to EATFAIR – our Compass-founded Fairtrade Foundation supporting coffee farmers and their families in developing countries. 
  • All our bananas are Fairtrade! 
  • Our Costa coffee outlets only use beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. 
  • Our Starbucks coffee is 100% Fairtrade Certified.   
  • The tea and coffee used for the majority of Hospitality events are either Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance (excludes Nescafe sachets).  
  • We stock a variety of Fairtrade products, including Tony's Chocolonely in all our outlets.   
  • Maxwell shop has a Rainforest Alliance spotlight shelf. 

Waste

  • Free waste coffee grounds are bagged and available for customers to take-away from selected cafe outlets.  They can be used in the garden, as face scrubs and much more! 
  • We use the Too Good To Go App for waste food daily, to be collected from Broadwalk Store. 
  • We donate and support local charities with food donations where possible. 
  • We work closely with the Uni on waste management and recycling. 
  • We are introducing the Uni Food Hub app which allows for a cook to order model, significantly reducing waste – at Brunel University food waste has reduced 33% against 2019, saving 5,206 CO2-e (kg) in this time – equivalent to 464.82 days electricity for one household.  
  • As a business, we will reduce food waste 70% by 2030. 

Animal welfare

  • We do not buy products that don’t adhere to the ‘Five Freedoms’ concept proposed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWS) on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. 
  • We do not use any fish from the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) 'Fish to Avoid' list; all our fish comes from well-managed marine sources. 
  • We plan to make Salfood own brand menus at least 50% plant-based and 35% plant-forward by 2027.  
  • By 2030 we will switch 50% to dairy to plant-based alternatives by 2030 (excluding franchised site menus). 

Healthy Living

  • Calorie content is displayed on all our menus. 
  • By switching from using butter to Flora Buttery we have removed 45 tonnes of saturated fat and 100 million calories from our recipes. 
  • By 2024 we will put the carbon footprint of dishes to menus by 2024, helping students make climate-conscious choices.