Image credit – Bronte Howard
Sustainable future plans
As an emerging hub of sustainability, Cardiff has undertaken numerous green business initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, fostering sustainable economic growth, and enhancing the quality of life for its residents.
Cardiff City has strategic plans for a carbon carbon-neutral city by 2030. The climate change emergency is shaping our lives globally and that’s why the One Planet Cardiff Strategy proposes a wide range of ambitious actions that will form the basis of delivering a plan to achieve carbon neutrality. It is created to support green economies and greater social wellbeing in the city.
Restaurant sustainability initiatives
Several restaurants in Cardiff are known for their sustainable initiatives, focusing on locally sourced ingredients, reducing waste, and minimising their environmental impact. Favourite Cardiff food spots Penylan Pantry and beloved local cafe the Secret Garden were both recognised for operating sustainably and given the Green Key award in Wales. The venues earned this recognition by promoting local producers and supporting their community’s local bakers, farmers and dairies.
Elsewhere in the Cardiff hospitality scene, as the UK commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 pubs need to evaluate their carbon footprint and determine a strategy that covers and limits their impact on the planet. Miller & Carter Cardiff Bay’s parent company Mitchells & Butlers has been awarded Best Sustainable Pub Company 2022. The restaurant has innovations across all branches, including furniture recycling schemes. Go Green initiatives help to reduce carbon emissions, and most restaurants have been introduced to plant-based items, alongside other concerted efforts to reduce energy consumption, waste less and recycle more. Miller & Carter’s sustainability targets include achieving net zero by 2040, as well as zero operational waste to landfill and cutting food waste by 50% by 2030.
Digital ways for a greener space
Virgin Media has a new environment vision focusing on making the business better for people and the planet. The WiFi technology has a 100% recycled plastic casing and is designed to use less energy while also boosting the battery life of connected devices. The company also has less paper waste and more online instructions.
The best part about the new approach is the return of the kit after use – it has a real global impact as it is reused and recycled sustainably. The UK is the largest generator of electronic waste on the planet and even small initiatives like this can make a difference to electronic waste. Over nine million hubs and TV boxes will be saved from being wasted with the kits reused and recycled by 2025.
Meanwhile, the food app Too Good To Go connects people to restaurants and enables them to rehome food that would otherwise be thrown away by the end of the day. The price is pocket-friendly, and the goodies are made available an hour before closing time. The app has saved 2,000,000 meals from ending up in waste.
Image credit – One Planet Cardiff
