Art in Dubai: Going green, the future of dining

Dubai is aiming to send zero waste to landfill by 2030, according to Dubai Municipality’s strategy announced in August last year, and is encouraging innovation in waste management and recycling, which is already being reflected in the work of the food industry. “The measures in place about environmental awareness in Dubai are clear, and as a sector, Dubai’s food industry is ahead of the curve. Across the city, we are seeing innovative initiatives, which are delivering tangible results. Through improvements to food waste management, the use of plastics, water conservation, and how ingredients are sourced, Dubai’s restaurants are making impressive strides to ensure they are at the forefront of change,” said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE).

Yes, restaurants across Dubai have introduced a wide range of sustainability initiatives; bringing in new employees to eradicate food waste, cutting their carbon emissions, and sourcing ingredients more sustainably.

A collective responsibility

Going green is something that Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk looks at as a collective responsibility, for they believe — it is easy to say: no it’s my problem; the future of food has changed, and the hospitality industry needs to work harder and more collaboratively in order to create a tangible and long-lasting effective change. “It cannot be a corporate box-ticking exercise, it needs to be intentional and meaningful to ensure we get the full buy-in of the team. We’ve made great progress over the past year by simply talking about it and making green goals part of our daily work life. It takes time and a collective will. One of our key focus points is making sure we consider how we address our food waste — if you can eat it, technically it should not be wasted,” said Russell, executive chef, Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk.

Saying no to food wastage

Waste is a huge focus for restaurants across the city with numerous initiatives aiming at reducing what would previously be thrown away. At Torno Subito, the team believes in reducing food waste. “It is important for us to consider ways in which we can contribute towards the environment with an ongoing, continuous effort. We take actions and commit ourselves to reduce wastage by adopting sustainable solutions and we are constantly finding ways to become ‘greener’,” said Alessio Pirozzi, chef de cuisine, Torno Subito, W Dubai, The Palm. “We make sure to use 100% of our ingredients without any waste. We have put in an extra effort to become a plastic-free restaurant that uses local ingredients, omitting wastage whenever possible to limit the CO2 emissions,” he added.

A thumbs-up from one and all

Sanjay Vazirani, CEO, Foodlink Global Restaurants & Catering LLC said, “Sustainability is woven into the fabric of our mission and practised across our catering, banquets, restaurants, and cloud kitchen verticals. Our brand Art of Dum was conceptualised with the thought of sustainability and eco-friendliness in mind. The initiatives have been appreciated by our patrons and helped us to become the front runners when it comes to sustainable practices. At Foodlink, our long-term goal is to operate all of our kitchens on a zero-plastic policy.” At Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, they have implemented a ‘plant-powered Wednesday’ in the employee restaurant, a dedicated day with a focus on locally produced vegetables and salads. “Despite some push back when this initiative kicked off, it is now the most popular day of the week. We encourage employees to implement the practices at home too, to ensure the impact goes beyond the property. Imagine if everyone woke up tomorrow and decided ‘today is the day I’m going do one thing better to make a difference … that creates change, and that’s pretty cool!” added Russell.

Eateries that are doing their bit to reduce waste:

BOCA at DIFC