Accommodation & Food Sustainability in the food chain

The food industry generates a large share of our total environmental footprint. However, many companies only marginally manage food issues, e.g. if specialised 3rd parties run lunchrooms and cafeterias. But sustainability issues may be integrated in contracts and service level agreements, e.g. together with dietary aspects like allergy-free and vegetarian/vegan dishes.

Accommodation & Food Sustainable Hotels

Hotels and restaurants often at first focus on internal processes (cooling, cooking, ventilation, etc.), where their direct responsibility lies. Agriculture and industrial food processing only later get the appropriate attention - despite their major sustainability importance: The environmental footprint (e.g. based on life cycle analyses) of food production is usually larger than of restaurant processes, and social issues of food production can be substantial, as fair trade criteria show. E2 supports food sector companies in the analysis of environmental or sustainability issues and in their integration into strategy and management system.

For the hotel sector, E2 has developed the 'IBEX', a globally unique sustainability label. The Ibex has repeatedly been qualified as one of the most encompassing sustainability labels. A hotel's performance is assessed based on five dimensions: economic, environmental, social, regional, management. Based on the Ibex, a hotel can systematically recognise improvement potentials. Both independent hotels and the Swiss Youth Hostels use the Ibex in their management system.