SRA rating tool, now open to restaurants around the world
The Sustainable Restaurant Association has recently launched a new ranking system for restaurants around the world called the Global Sustainability Rating Tool. The tool has been available to restaurants in the United Kingdom since 2009 but has only just been opened up on an international scale.
According to the Independent, the global rating systems allows diners to know more about how closely restaurants falls in line with personal ethics – from energy consumption to the local sourcing of ingredients – no matter where they travel, and allows chefs to compare credentials internationally. Raymond Blanc, President of the SRA, goes so far as to call the move “the birth of an international common language of restaurant sustainability”.
The pillars of sustainability: sourcing, environment and society
The Global Sustainability Rating Tool rates restaurants using the three pillars of sustainability which include sourcing, environment and society. While “sourcing” focuses on the extent to which restaurants invest in local, seasonal and high welfare, and ethically sourced produce, “environment” takes a look at the restaurant’s supply chain, waste management systems, workplace resources, energy-efficiency and water saving efforts. Last but not least, “society” takes a look at how restaurants treat employees as well as their commitment to healthy eating, community engagement and responsible marketing.
Restaurants wishing to participate in the rating system must fill out a rigorous online questionnaire, consisting of 14 sustainability-related questions and are then given a score, the highest of which is the title of Sustainability Champion. Restaurants that receive 50-59% on the survey will receive a One Star rating; those who receive 60-69% will receive a Two Star rating; and those who receive above 70% will be classified as a Three Star sustainable restaurant.
In a quote on Resource UK, Mark Linehan, Managing Director at the Sustainable Restaurant Association says that the organization is confident that they can replicate the benefits brought to UK consumers on a global scale, thereby making a “significant contribution to the raising of social and environmental standards across the hospitality industry worldwide.”
Big names sign on for new rating system
To date, more than 500 restaurants in the UK, including Le Manoir and Gleneagles, have completed the SRA’s rating. Following the expansion of the rating, a number of hospitality and restaurant groups have signed up as participants for the SRA’s rating system. The list includes big names in the industry like the Soho House Group, D&D London, and Virgin Limited Edition, with locations across the globe. The SRA also recently partnered with Virgin Atlantic to rate their in-flight catering service, expanding their efforts, sky high.
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image credit: The Little Squirrel
