Innovation That Matters

Pop-up restaurant

Pop-up restaurant has zero waste policy

Sustainability

A zero waste pop-up provides a circular economy model for the design and food industry.

The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York invited chefs from the Helsinki’s Restaurant Nolla to bring their zero waste food philosophy to Manhattan with a pop-up restaurant opening. Restaurant Nolla’s ethos is “Refuse, reduce, reuse, and only as a last resource, recycle.” Set up at the WantedDesign fair their commission is open for four days to coincide with the NYCxDesign festival.

The average restaurant is said to produce up to a tonne of waste produce every week. In a world where everyone is becoming much more conscious of the planet, the restaurant industry has its part to play. As a result, the zero waste bistro worked with food producers to rethink their approach to packaging. Local and organic products and by products were used as key ingredients in the restaurant’s tasting menu. Furthermore, the venue itself was even sustainable and made from recycled materials. It was predominantly built from durat, a polyester resin that contains pre-consumer plastic waste and is 100 percent recyclable.

Although the venue in New York is now closed, the chefs involved in this project are Michelin star chefs in Helsinki, Finland. In a more environmentally conscious world, the issue of plastic waste is particularly prominent. After a documentary aired detailing the extent of plastic pollution in the ocean, the public called for a change.

Every week, more and more companies are coming forward with policy changes to make their businesses more sustainable. Small businesses are also doing their bit. A pop-up café used plastic waste as payment, and even an edible straw has been created. How could your business become more sustainable?

Email: info@fciny.org

Website: www.fciny.org/zerowastebistro

Contact: info@fciny.org

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