The Business

Business name: ACA Restaurant Cafe’

Business owner(s): Emma Supreme; Rufus Clarendon

Relevant owner experience

Products/services

ACA Restaurant Cafe’ provides an impeccable, unique and compelling combination of café and restaurant experience that associates 50 seating arrangements for breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisine with a new function/party area accommodating 20 guests. It promises the consistently of high-quality level of expertise, quality service and knowledge from 11 qualified and experienced employees.

Sustainability Approach

Throughout the years, ACA Restaurant Café’ has looked into ways to improve sustainability practices since its establishment. The Owners plans to have an ethical accountability to make a devoted and ongoing community in which they operate. Many businesses and industries are making a commitment to sustainability to help avoid the reduction of our world’s natural resources – meaning operating in a way that protects, preserves or restores the natural environment, promotes social equity, enhances the lives of people and communities and contributes to economic prosperity for stakeholders.

In view of this, ACA Restaurant Café; is thinking its fundamental approaches to use of resources in its business including the processes involved in its practices.

The Owners wants to design and manage its resources to enhance worker productivity and satisfaction while reducing its demands on the environment. They also want to look at their current business practices and discover ways for minimising resource use, reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use, and employing lifecycle management approaches.

• Increase space utilisation.

• Support local business and suppliers

The back office consists of two rooms adjacent to each other, one for the Owners and Managers with 2 desktops, 1 laptop, 1 multifunction (printer, scan and fax) machine and workstations, and the other room used as a staff room for all employees, that has chairs and tables for staff, 1 laptop and a workstation. The management room is used majorly by the 2 Owners, 2 Managers and the other laptop in the staff room is used by Head Chef, Barista, wait staff Team Leader and Senior wait staff and depending on tasks allocated, other employees share the laptop. There is a networking system connected within the full premise e.g. for on-site and online customer orders, CCTV footage, intranet etc.

At this stage, the individual consumption, including the environmental and cost impact of computer and networking equipment over its entire lifecycle, including extraction, processing, manufacture of product, distribution, use or reuse, or recycling or disposal within the kitchen, restaurant café areas and office are still unknown.

Kitchen - Based Policy:

These will include:

• developing and increasing responsible purchasing methods to include sourcing products using suppliers that maintain ethical practices

• using of Fair Trade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified products where possible

• using fabric napkins instead of paper ones

• purchasing of energy efficient equipment

• encouraging a “switch off policy” with staff and customers e.g. turning off lights in bathroom after use

• turning down/off radiators thermostats when rooms are not booked out

• using reusable straws

Bar – Based Policy

• using recycled citrus juicing limes to make a sherbet, the leaves from the stems and the stalks from rhubarb.

• removing of plastic water bottles, moving to in-house or community water filtration where possible.

• starting a bottle exchange program with many suppliers to decrease the amount of new bottle stock

• using bamboo, metal and glass straws or pasta straws

• reducing the amount of waste, we produce and maximising the amount reused and recycled

• separating our office wastes into reusable, recyclable, compost and true waste components

• striving for continual improvement in our environmental performance

Recognising that all ACA Restaurant Café’ staff have a responsibility to meet these commitments, empowering staff to minimise our environmental impacts through generating staff awareness and encouraging participation and feedback.

• Green office program

• Green purchasing

• Integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental, economic and social aspects, or a specific approach that focuses on each aspect individually

• Investigating particular business and market context of the industry/organisation

• • Industry

  • Organisation

Background information

You are required to do some external research and make assumptions on the most likely consumption costs of the equipment as listed below:

Requirements

A copy of the organisational schedule, with members of the sustainability committee and your various roles and responsibilities in the business must be submitted as part of the evidence.

Sustainability Policy Template

Policy Code: P2 1421

• Incorporate sustainability performance alongside other key performance indicators of the organisation.

Scope

Policy Statement

The ACA Restaurant Café’ is committed to improving the sustainability performance of the organisation through developing approaches to sustainability in the workplace, including the development and implementation of sustainability policies and procedures which require access to industry information and applicable legislative and Work health and safety (WHS) guidelines.

• They are committed to improving the environmental performance of their kitchen, restaurant and office-based activities and to being leaders in best practice environmental management of these.

• Establish appropriate procedures and practices to minimise the consumption of energy, water, paper and other material inputs,

• Environmental Protection or Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

• Annual Sustainability Reporting framework.

• Nil

Implementation

• communicating the ACA Restaurant Café’ environmental performance through regular reporting

• Embracing the concept of zero-waste

Approved and version

2. List and identify the type of information you will gather from a variety of sources to plan and develop policy. You are required to provide the information in a tabular form (see sample below).

Environmental Sustainability Policy - Services Australia

Energy Conservation Policy

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2005B00167

Sustainability Practices for Cafés & Restaurants

Minutes of meeting

Next Meeting: 11/08/2022

4. Gather feedback and solicit ideas as part of the policy development process. In the report, make recommendations for policy options based on likely effectiveness, cost and timeframes.

5 Marks

• Global Reporting Initiative

https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/G3.1-Guidelines-Incl-Technical-Protocol.pdf

• Timeframe

• Budget

Create an Implementation Strategy, which includes the following elements:

• Activities to be undertaken

3. Create a sustainability plan that adds value to the organization and convey it to shareholders. Many businesses have significant challenges in developing a strategy that improves the environmental and social aspects of their operations while also providing commercial value.

   1. Obtaining shareholder support requires demonstrating that the approach can generate value from a business standpoint. This is also the connection that connects sustainability to profit rather than expenses.

1. Design a simple poster to promote your new workplace environmental sustainability policy.

10 Marks

• Must be interesting and eye-catching

I'm here to brief you about the actions that will be carried out as part of the sustainability initiatives. Food waste composting, reduction and reuse programs, adopting extensive recycling programs, eliminating the use of Styrofoam, and building a zero-waste management strategy are all examples of activities. Single-use plastics are being phased out. The ACA Restaurant Café will have eco-friendly lighting installed. The target date for executing these activities will be within three days, along with the 15 staff members who will participate in the programs, and the person accountable for these activities will be the Owner of the ACA Restaurant Café, whose contact information is provided below.

Owner- Emma Supreme

For tasks 1- 3, you may choose any of the areas of the restaurant café’ e.g. office, kitchen, bar, café’ or restaurant to complete your work.

Your task is to:

Reduce

The less waste you produce, the less waste that goes to the landfill and the more money you can save from handling it. Here are several ways you can reduce waste that comes out of your restaurant kitchen:

• Ban plastics. Get rid of plastic cups and cutlery for dine-in customers. Limit the use of food-grade plastic gloves. Order liquids in large, refillable containers. Offer compostable take-out containers instead of plastic tubs.

• Modify your menu. Get rid of items that don’t sell and eliminate ingredients that are not frequently used.

• Reuse vegetable scraps and bones to make stock. You can even freeze stock for later use.

• Refresh wilted vegetables by placing them in cold water.

• Grind stale bread to make breadcrumbs or toast them to make croutons for salads and soups.

• Use leftover items to make daily specials.

Recycle

• Educate both your staff and patrons on what can and cannot be recycled.

2. Develop a plan of action (strategy) for continuous improvement in resource efficiency. A copy of the plan needs to be submitted as evidence. You may choose to create the plan for any of the areas of the restaurant café’ e.g. office, kitchen, bar, café’ or restaurant. 10 Marks

3. Establish a recording system to track and record continuous improvement outcomes related to sustainability programs initiated in the workplace. 10 Marks

Responsibility for monitoring, recording and reporting

Assume that, ACA Restaurant Café’ has been purchasing remanufactured toner cartridges with great success.

For the past 6 months, the restaurant café’ has purchased 220 remanufactured laser toner and inkjet printer cartridges from their supplier Green Business Products. Cost savings range from 25% - 60% of the price of new cartridges. New cartridges typically cost $98-$158 each. The company also gets $5 credit for each recycled cartridge.

In the memorandum, make sure you summarise the savings listed above in an easy-to-read table comparing previous expenses over a 6 months period with the total savings to date.

Ensure to embed the appropriate restaurant café’ logo within the memorandum. The logo is available on e-learning titled “ACA Restaurant Cafe' LOGO”.

10 Marks

Report Requirement:

SUSTAINABILITY IN WORKPLACE

REPORT FOR ACA RESTAURANT CAFÉ’

SUBMITTED BY: __________________

Manager

Guideline and sample of Task 1 – Task 4

Task 1: Develop workplace sustainability policy

Scope of sustainability policy

Policy Code: XXXXX

Table of Content

Responsibility

Legislative Context

• Point 1

• Point 2

Definitions

Policy Statement

• Developing an annual Sustainability Reporting framework.

• Incorporating the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) into all capital and infrastructure projects.

The XXXX, XXXX & Support will have responsibility for monitoring and reviewing the Policy.

Legislative Context

Associated Documents

• Nil

• Email to all staff.

• Information workshops to be held with Sustainability Champions network.

List and identify the type of information

• Refer ACA Restaurant Café’ Sustainability Initiatives on page 7

• Website resource:

https://www.environment.gov.au/energy/efficiency

• GRI Standards

Meeting agendas and minutes

Recommendations for policy options based on likely effectiveness, cost and timeframes

Note: The sustainability policy recommendations should evaluate the following factors:

Likely Effectiveness: How likely is it that the idea will actually work? Not all ideas will be effective. On first impressions, some may seem like they will be very effective at reducing resource use; but even these ideas should be carefully examined to ensure that they will be effective at applying the principles contained in your policy statement.

Timeframes: When examining ideas, look first at those ideas, which can be implemented quickly. Those ideas are likely to be the ideas that will have an immediate impact at improving the organisation’s sustainability.

Implementation Strategy

https://www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/government/ictplan/guidance-materials

• Global Reporting Initiative

2. Identify and prioritise material issues to focus resources.  Companies with successful sustainability strategies connect their sustainability efforts with issues and activities that are material to the business3. 

3. Develop a sustainability strategy that will create value for the company and communicate that to shareholders. A major hurdle for many companies is crafting an approach that improves the environmental and social impacts of their operations while simultaneously producing business value3.  Demonstrating that the strategy can create value from a business perspective is the key to getting support from shareholders.  This is also the bridge that links sustainability to profit instead of cost.     

Task 2: Communicate workplace sustainability policy

Promote your new workplace environmental sustainability policy

• Must use recycled materials

• Must promote the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Program at ACA Restaurant Café’

Communicate the Sustainability policy

Task 3: Implement workplace sustainability policy

Procedures for the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle environmental sustainability program

• Develop procedures for the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle environmental sustainability program to encourage environmentally responsible responsible disposal of electronic equipment at the restaurant café’.

• After developing the procedures, email to all office staff to communicate your procedures.

Reduce

• Bulk buy when possible, but don't buy more than can be used

• Choose products with less packaging

• Buy quality goods that will last

• Encourage manufacturers to play their part.

Buy recycled goods

Reduce energy and water use

Re-use

• Donate unwanted clothing, furniture and white goods to charities.

• Enquire if goods can be repaired rather than replaced.

• Carry lunches in a reusable container rather than disposable wrappings.

• Re-use envelopes and use both sides of paper.

Recycle

Why recycle?

• Recycling saves natural resources

• Recycling conserves raw materials used in industry

How do I recycle?

Council will provide a recycling container and will details what can and cannot be included for collection. The usual items include all glass jars and bottles, aluminium and steel cans, PET plastic soft drink bottles and HDPE plastic milk and detergent bottles. It may also be possible to include paper, light cardboard, newspapers and 'junk' mail, and milk and fruit juice cartons.

Community drop-off centres require a little more effort. Store recyclables at home and then take them to the drop-off centre. Remember to take boxes and bags home from the drop-off centre to prevent litter, and do not mix any non-recyclables with the recyclables.

• Keep potentially hazardous household waste such as motor oil, batteries, pesticides and paint out of landfill sites-council will provide information about how to dispose of them safely.

• Encourage friends and family to get involved in recycling at home, at school and in the workplace.

What can I recycle?

Glass

• recycle all glass containers, not just bottles

• rinse containers

• place only glass in bins-contaminants such as ceramics china plates and cups can ruin a batch of glass because they melt at a different rate to glass and can weaken the recycled glass.

Plastic

More than 60 types new plastics and uses, constantly being developed.

• LDPE Low Density Polyethylene

• PP Polypropylene

• first, re-use plastic containers and bags

• sort plastic into different types-follow the instructions at the drop-off centre or the instructions provided for kerbside collection

Aluminium

Can be recycled over and over again.

Much energy is used to produce primary aluminium from bauxite. Once in metallic form, aluminium can be recycled indefinitely.

• place aluminium cans in a recycling bin, not the wheelie bin

• encourage schools or workplaces to recycle aluminium cans

Other metals

Lead can be recycled from old car batteries. Service stations and car battery retail outlets will generally accept car batteries for trade-in or take them to a metal recycler for recycling. Do not empty out battery acid before delivering the batteries to a collector.

Don't throw away copper from hot water systems, copper pipes or old car radiators-take them to a scrap metal dealer. Electric cabling and wiring contain copper and aluminium, which can be recycled. The plastic coating found on some wiring can be removed by metal recyclers in a process called 'granulation'. Using this process, the plastic is removed and the copper, aluminium and any steel present are separated magnetically for recycling.

• ask if money is paid for returned metal goods

• remember that old car bodies and old fridges and freezers look better in a scrap metal yard than dumped in bushland

Paper

Action (strategy) plan for continuous improvement in resource efficiency

Record Keeping for Sustainability program

• For office area of the restaurant café’, develop an Excel spreadsheet template to record and keep track of expenses incurred in buying toners and maintaining the office printers and photocopiers within a 6 months period.

• The template must include relevant headings and labels appropriate to the data to be entered (see sample below). The information later entered into the spreadsheet will be converted into graphs/charts to be used to make informed decisions about how to further improve processes and reduce costs.

Task 4: Review workplace sustainability policy implementation

Email the memorandum of sustainability policy for review and feedback

• Document all these positive outcomes and prepare and send email to stakeholders and key personnel to provide feedback about the positive results of the restaurant café’s sustainability initiatives.

• In the email, make sure you summarise the savings listed above in an easy-to-read table comparing previous expenses over a 6 months period with the total savings to date (see sample below).

• 1. Modify the procedures

Sample Memorandum

Note for Student:

The report has been submitted for review to the XXXX, of the results of newly addressed sustainability initiatives taken.

The XXXX should use the new report section to summarize considerations of how their recommendation to the restaurant café’ affects the its environmental sustainability goals and meets environmental requirements.