Eurostar receives SRA One-Star Sustainability Champion award
According to Incentive Travel, Eurostar, the high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels has just announced having achieved a One-Star Sustainability Champion rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
The company, who partnered with the SRA in 2012, received the rating for sourcing local and sustainable products including free range pork, beef and poultry for its on-board catering. Travel News suggests that a reduction in wastage and the adoption of a recycling mentality have all played a role in the prestigious rating.
In regards to the rating, Head of Environment and Energy for Eurostar, Peter Bragg, is quoted as saying: “We are very proud of our One-Star Sustainability Champion rating and the work we’ve carried out to achieve it. Our customers increasingly care about the provenance of the food they eat and by working closely with our suppliers, we are continually improving our sustainability practices. We don’t just talk about policies and practices, we do everything we can to deliver them.”
Chef Blanc gets on board with sustainable catering at Eurostar
According to Travel PR News, world-renowned Michelin-starred Raymond Blanc has been named Culinary Director at Eurostar, a gastronomic partnership that will fuse Blanc’s passion for sustainability with the goals set out to cut emissions.
The top-shelf chef commented on his collaboration with Eurostar and the SRA in Rail Europe. “As a chef, I’m always searching for the purest ingredients” says Blanc, “striving to ensure that everything I use is traceable and responsibly sourced. I’m delighted to work with Eurostar, which shares these same values and was the first transport provider to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Together we’re working to change the perception of on-board cuisine and serving sustainable and locally sourced food which is at the heart of our new Business Premier menus”.
Eurostar treads lightly when it comes to sustainable best-practices
Eurostar is working to drive down its CO2 emissions through its Tread Lightly program. The original goal of the program was to reduce carbon emissions by 25% per traveler journey by 2012. This target was raised to 35% in 2009 because of successful efforts by the company, however other commitments under the 10 point plan, like sending zero waste to landfill by 2012, have yet to have been achieved.
Today, one of the goals of the program is to cut down on business emissions by 25% by 2015 – these emissions are different from those released on train journeys by travelers using Eurostar. The company has also set up the Eurostar Ashden Award for Sustainable Travel in an effort to encourage sustainable travel initiatives in the UK, France and Belgium.
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image credit: BasketBalNieuws
