Article contributed by Mike Berman, COO, Day & Nite/All Service
While the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow Scotland didn’t produce everything many had hoped for— COP26 President Alok Sharma called it “a fragile win”— an agreement was signed by 197 countries establishing meaningful foundations.
Quite a bit of the material covered in Glasgow earlier this month was not only previewed during October’s Hospitality Sustainability and Food Waste Summit produced by Total Food Service and the Day & Nite family of companies, but highly relevant moderator and panelist insights takes on even greater significance for the foodservice industry.
Inaugural Hospitality Sustainability and Food Waste Summit attendees will recall each expert panel stressed the importance of progressive daily steps as the best means for successfully dealing with inevitable, consequential longer-term changes. We needn’t look any further than the already compromised food systems to recognize the importance of wiser, more sustainable food management practices. Ranging from weather to transportation gridlock, current price and food supply availability pressures reflect several complicated to downright uncontrollable events. From inception this weekly column has highlighted the importance of engaged, proactive business leadership, with so many previously disconnected matters now not only merging together but moving at accelerated rates; every foodservice professional must operate many steps ahead of the informational and operational curves.
Nearly 200 financial institutions controlling over $100 trillion have signed on to Glasgow Pact decarbonization commitments. Coupled with increased transparent reporting requirements, every hospitality sector can expect access to capital will come with sustainability contingencies. Consequently, at minimum all tier 1 and 2 suppliers must be able to not only support your sustainable business platform they must be able to properly document tangible progress for at least meeting established goals. Although mandatory reporting has historically been reserved only for publicly traded companies, the trends are rather clear where in the short-term even the smallest entities will need to satisfy their bankers while the recently created International Sustainability Standards Board is certain to establish policies every business must abide by. Even the most rabid climate change denier cannot ignore immutable laws of risk management and leading economic forces at work. In sum, strategically adopting impactful Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) protocols is quickly moving from nice to have to essential.
Whether evidenced by hosting and producing last month’s Hospitality Sustainability and Food Waste Summit (with the second conference to be held late winter/early spring 2022), the company’s suite of environmentally conscious service offerings or its meticulously reducing waste throughout a complex service-delivery chain, the Day & Nite family of companies is far more than the industry’s preeminent commercial HVAC, Indoor Environmental Quality, Refrigeration, Cooking and Plumbing equipment installation – maintenance – repair company. Exactly five months ago this column suggested hospitality would find phase 3 of The Covid Trilogy more daunting than the virus spreading or even severe lockdown phases. Since then, the 3-headed monster of labor and product scarcity compounded by rising rates of inflation have dominated the day with every forecast projecting continued volatility well into 2022. Reliable fee for service is no longer sufficient for selecting suppliers in any category, especially critical equipment care and its overall impact on the whole of your business. Simultaneously protect your enterprise from risk, poise it for profitable growth by emailing jbf@wearetheone.com
