Our Bistro earns EcoCook level 4 certification
After a year of work on our sourcing, our waste and our energy use, the Bistro kitchen has been awarded level 4 of the Swiss EcoCook label.
EcoCook recognises restaurants that make concrete commitments to sustainability in their kitchens. The label assesses around a hundred criteria, from choice of suppliers to water management, waste sorting, energy use and staff training. Level 4, which our Bistro has just been awarded, is the most demanding tier of the framework.
What changes on the plate
The work started with our sourcing. Vegetables, cheeses and much of the meat now come from producers within fifty kilometres. The menu has been shortened to follow the seasons rather than habits, and every dish now exists in a vegetarian version.
- Daily menu built around the week's deliveries.
- Tap water served free, in carafes, at every table.
- Less waste: adjusted portions, leftovers put to use, bread reused in the kitchen.
- Eco-labelled cleaning products and systematic sorting in the kitchen and the dining room.
A team effort
Certification is not decided from an office: it was won in the kitchen, in everyday gestures. Our teams followed training on food waste management, and a sustainability lead was appointed to track the indicators month after month.
The hardest part was not changing the products, but the habits. Once the team saw the waste figures drop, nobody wanted to go back.
What comes next
The label is reassessed every year. Our next projects concern reducing delivery packaging and composting our organic waste locally, in partnership with a farm in the region. We will publish a full set of figures at the end of the season.
