With an increased awareness of their impact on the environment, customers are actively looking for restaurants that demonstrate sustainable solutions to global issues more than ever before. Restaurants and cafes will begin to advertise at scale how they are actively reducing their environmental footprint through their use of sustainable building materials and deployment of alternative power. Below, we've identified the top 10 ways they are doing so in 2023. These key trends show how restaurants and their designers are pushing the boundaries of sustainable creativity.
1. LEDs or Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs
While LEDs are not new, they face increasing demand. Lighting styles are integral when it comes to pushing the limits of what a restaurant experience can be, ranging from theatre lighting to moody dark spaces perfect for intimate dinners. Consumers are becoming more aware of accessibility, color schematics, environmentally friendly materials and unique welcoming designs.
LED and CFL bulbs use less energy than traditional lightbulbs, thus representing an obvious choice for reducing energy waste. When it comes to efficiency, CFLs use about 1/4 the amount of energy of a regular bulb but last 10 times longer. In comparison, LEDs require about the same amount of energy as CFL’s yet shine brighter over the course of up to 25 times longer.
Finding bulbs in different colors and shapes to coordinate with restaurant decor is not a challenge; LED and CFL models come in many sizes and styles and are available at many specialist vendors as well as mainstream wholesalers/retailers.
Savings value:
- Reduced power use
- Reduced manufactured material and energy costs
- Reduced replacement costs
2. Timers and Motion Sensors for Lighting
Restaurants are moving en masse towards light automation using timers and motion sensors. Traditionally, restaurants and hotels would install automatic lights in areas such as bathrooms, storage rooms and offices, spaces that aren't typically occupied for long periods of time. But with access to newer technology, they are now placing sensors and timers into main areas, resulting in lighting, HVAC, and other energy utilization only as needed and with substantial waste removal.These strategies enable restaurants to cut back on energy waste relating to lighting, general power and equipment.
Savings value:
- Reduced power usage
- Reduced manufactured material and energy costs
- Reduced replacement costs
- Extended equipment life
3. Biophilic Design
Biophilic design utilizes nature's elements to craft an inviting atmosphere that reduces stress and emotions. Photographs, plants, and stimulating colors immerse visitors in the decor’s natural embrace and enliven them with confidence in the environment. Other materials (discussed later in this trend forecast) such as hemp and bamboo-based construction materials, add to the natural and sensory dining experience. Biophilic design can attract more patrons due to the balanced ambiance it provides. Furthermore, air filtration through living flowers and plants greatly reduces dangerous airborne germs, which is attractive post pandemic.
Savings value:
- Reduced need for paint
- Reduced replacement costs
- Reduce noise levels naturally
4. Low-Flow Toilets, Sinks and Spray Valves
Low-flow water fixtures are quickly becoming the norm with some countries and states are only allowing the sale of these more eco-friendly alternatives. New options utilize quite an array of technologies to use far less water than previous generations possibly could. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that older toilets used as much as 6 gallons in a single flush, compared to the 1.28 to 1.6 gallons held by modern ones. Switching over is beneficial from both perspectives: it reduces consumption of finite natural resources and reduces water charges significantly.
Savings value:
- Reduced water and energy use
- Reduced replacement costs
- Reduced utility costs
5. Solar Power
Since its introduction in the 1980s, solar technology was first introduced, it had limited capabilities. However, since then, it has drastically improved in efficiency with installation and usage now easier than ever before for all users. This advancement in renewable energy can benefit both the environment and reduce electricity bills for those who opt to switch to solar power instead of relying on fossil fuels and natural gas. Currently, restaurants are particularly eager to use solar because it is reportedly less costly and ordinarily exempt from traditional electrical outages caused by extreme weather events. For this reason, observers predict that in 2023 there will be huge uptake of these clean energy sources across hotels, restaurants and cafes due to the competing benefits of money saved as well as contributing a positive message about sustainability.
Savings value:
- Reduced utility costs
- Reduced grid-based energy reliance
- Protection against local power outages
- Potential tax incentives offered by government
6. Hemp
Widely acclaimed to have the lowest environmental impact from a lumber alternative, HempWood is being adopted for a variety of construction and decorative uses in restaurants. Restaurants are now able to engage mass production and order fulfilment for this unique and magnificent material. The utilization of a multitude of eco-friendly hemp materials has given birth to sustainable design and finish materials of ever-increasing quality. HempWood consists of safe, non-toxic hemp composites that serve many purposes, such as counters, wall siding, planters and flooring.
Savings value:
- Reduced deforestation
- Highly renewable (grows in 120 days, compared to 50-100 years for oak trees)
- Nontoxic
7. Bamboo
Bamboo is a star green building material. Getting it just right requires very little energy and its unique benefits help the environment beyond just buildings. Bamboo can prevent soil erosion, yield an impressive biofuel, provide shelter to wildlife, and manufacture a beautiful food source for numerous populations. In South-East Asia, bamboo is commonly used to construct numerous structures such as scaffolding, upright props, and even entire huts and houses. It is difficult to believe that a predictable, seemingly "fragile" material can actually be stronger than steel, and yet it's true. The tensile strength of a steel bar is 23,000 pounds per square inch (PSI), while the jiboo variety widely available in those regions amazingly exceeds standard specs with an incredible 28,000 PSI.
Restaurants are using bamboo in table tops, chairs, wall siding and flooring, as well as operational execution such as disposable bamboo cutlery. The adoption is growing where demand is higher than supply, thus resulting in a dominant sustainable trend in the hospitality sectors.
Savings value:
- Reduced deforestation
- Highly renewable (grows sometimes at a rate of 3 feet (90cm) per day, depending on variety. To grow to full maturity only takes 1 to 5 years)
- Nontoxic
8. Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is often a favorite thanks to its broad range of applications, from floors to walls. Wood has been reclaimed for generations for its inherent durability and warmth as well as its unique character resulting from all it went through before being chosen again, styling in streaks and nail holes which are truly remarkable in their representation of stories untold. The signs of reclaimed wood add distinct flavor, whatever style it is given, as it captures nature's varied hues and adventures from many years back.
Reclaimed wood products have seen a resurgence in demand in large part due to the sustainability of the material. While there are transport costs involved, no tree needs to be culled.
Savings value:
- Reduced deforestation
- Renewable and reusable
9. Recycled Glass
For the environmentally-minded designer, tiles and slabs created from sustainable bamboo, reclaimed wood, and recycled glass components provide a wonderfully satisfying way to make an impact on their surroundings. These unique, one-of-a-kind materials are made from mirror windows, windshield shards, and demolished architectural glass that has been mixed with a binder to create magnificent terrazzo-type slabs. Not only is this material mix being adopted as floor, wall and counter finish options, they also deliver stunning aesthetic results in addition to offering important practical benefits of stain resistance and reduced maintenance. Perhaps best of all is their incredible potential to showcase artistic beauty while serving their sustainable purpose at the same time.
Savings value:
- Reduced deforestation
- Renewable and reusable
10. Composting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reports on restaurant waste reveals that an astonishing 60-80% of garbage produced is comprised of food waste, amounts which can have an immediate negative environmental impact from a human perspective. Composting provides a useful strategy in tackling this particular issue as it keeps this waste out of landfills and reduces the instances of hazardous emissions released into the atmosphere. Additionally, to compost encourages savings on waste hauling and disposal costs in favor of a more natural strategy for fertilizing nearby plants and cultivating truer nourishment over time. Ultimately, with active composting, restaurants can cultivate connections within their local community.
Composting also has economic benefits. With most of a restaurant’s waste being composted, businesses can reduce the number of trash pickups its establishment requires and therefore lowers its waste removal bill. If a restaurant grows its own produce, it can use its compost instead of purchasing expensive fertilizer.
Savings value:
- Reduced trash pick ups
- Reduced trash costs
- Reduced deforestation
- Renewable and reusable
As of this year, many socially mindful restaurants are now taking the initiative and actively informing their customers about the actions they are taking in favor of sustainability. Such efforts will be immensely beneficial long term as it builds loyalty while ensuring their core values remain aligned with their customers’ needs.
