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SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY RATING

Radisson Blu Edwardian – April 2013 SRA Sustainability Rating report prepared by: Sustainable Restaurant Association Level 2, 25 Gerrard St London W1D 6JL +44 20 7479 4224

This Sustainability Rating was conducted by the Sustainable Restaurant Association for Radisson Blu Edwardian. The method and process used for SRA Sustainability Rating remain the intellectual property the Sustainable Restaurant Association. All information and images within this report are for the sole use of the Sustainable Restaurant Association and the client and all data provided by client shall remain confidential. Any third party wishing to use of the images or information contained within this report shall seek permission from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Sustainable Restaurant Association Sustainability Rating – Radisson Blu Edwardian April 2013 1

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1

RADISSON BLU EDWARDIAN SUSTAINABILITY RATING RESULTS .................... 3

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................... 5

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 9

RADISSON BLU EDWARDIAN SUSTAINABILITY RATING SCORES ................... 10

INTRODUCTION Radisson Blu Edwardian is a collection of luxury hotels in central London, Heathrow,

Guildford and Manchester. This report looks at the following bars and restaurants in the

group’s hotels:

68-86 Bar and Restaurant

Alto Restaurant

Quince Restaurant

Ascot’s Bar and Restaurant

Aston Bar and Restaurant

Azura Bar and Restaurant

The Penthouse at The Hampshire

Bloomsbury Street Bar and Restaurant

Creation Bar and Restaurant

Dial Bar and Restaurant

Hampshire Bar and Restaurant

The Oceanic Bar and Restaurant

Leicester Square Bar and Restaurant

The May Fair Bar

Nova Bar and Grill

Opus Bar and Restaurant

Relish Restaurant

MKB

All the bars and restaurants focus on ethics, culture, community and the environment with the

aim of improving the hotels' overall ecological and carbon footprint and employing the most

responsible working practices.


This Sustainability Rating was coordinated for the Sustainable Restaurant Association by Ed

Franklin. Answers from the 2011 survey were transferred to the 2013 assessment with

indications showing where questions had changed or been added and were forwarded to Paul

Mansi and David Rickenberg of Radisson Blu Edwardian to be updated. Follow up work and

the writing of this report was undertaken by Catherine Every of the Sustainable Restaurant

Association.

The SRA Sustainability Rating recognises restaurants as One, Two or Three Star

Sustainability Champions depending on how they rate against a wide range of criteria

covering 14 areas of sustainability and provides restaurants with a detailed assessment of

their credentials across the three key areas of Sourcing, Society and Environment. Good

restaurants will be rated One Star Sustainability champions, excellent restaurants Two Stars

and exceptional restaurants Three Stars. The SRA Sustainability Rating system provides

restaurants with not only recognition for their sustainability and benchmarking information, but

also a ready-made marketing tool to help customers choose their dining destination.

The resulting score and analysis for Radisson Blu Edwardian is detailed below, and

recommendations for future sustainability initiatives are provided that could further enhance

the restaurant’s current sustainability status.


RADISSON BLU SUSTAINABILITY RATING RESULTS

Radisson Blu Edwardian scored 61% achieving Two Star Sustainability Champion status.

Two Star Sustainability Champion status is awarded to restaurants scoring between 60% -

69% and is an excellent achievement.

The performance of Radisson Blu Edwardian across the three key Sustainability Rating

sustainability areas, Sourcing, Society and Environment, is compared in Figure 1 (below) with

the average score from all Sustainability Rated restaurants.

Fig 1: Radisson Blu Edwardian performance across the three key Sustainability Rating areas,

compared with average score of Sustainability Rated restaurants.

SUSTAINABILITY SECTION % SCORE

Sourcing 42%

Society 92%

Environment 73%


Radisson Blu Edwardian’s score of 61% represents a rise of six percentage points on the

results of last year’s survey and the move from being a One Star Sustainability Champion to a

Two Star Sustainability Champion. The group’s work to improve its sustainability is to be

commended.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association highlights the group’s perfect scores in Treating

People Fairly, Responsible Marketing and Water Saving and also commends the group for

high scores in Healthy Eating and Waste Management. One clear area for improvement is

Environmentally Positive Farming, Ethical Meat & Dairy and Fair Trade and while the SRA

notes the excellent work being done by the group with its fish suppliers to ensure

sustainability, the ongoing nature of this work is reflected in a relatively low Sustainable Fish

score.

The performance of Radisson Blu Edwardian across all 14 Sustainability Rating areas is

detailed below and is compared in Figure 2 (below) with the average score from all

Sustainability Rated restaurants.

SUSTAINABILITY SECTION % SCORE

Local and Seasonal 70%

Sustainable Fish 50%

Environmentally Positive Farming, Ethical Sourcing & Fairtrade 29%

Treating People Fairly 100%

Healthy Eating 83%

Community Engagement 75%

Responsible Marketing 100%

Supply Chain 63%

Waste Management 75%

Workplace Resources 63%

Energy Efficiency 60%

Water Saving 100%


Fig 2: Radisson Blu Edwardian performance across all Sustainability Rating

sustainability areas, compared with average score of Sustainability Rated restaurants.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS SOURCING Radisson Blu Edwardian’s Sourcing score of 42% was the lowest score in the survey, but

there were some good examples of sustainable practices in place. The SRA commends

Radisson Blu Edwardian for sourcing more than three quarters of its eggs, milk, pork, beef

and lamb from the UK. It would also highlight menus that change to reflect the seasons and

the presence of a significant percentage (up to 75%) of UK craft beers, ciders and ales on the

bar menu. The group’s efforts to source sustainable fish through its work with its fish supplier

were noted and the SRA is confident that this work will bear fruit in a higher score in this

section in future surveys. In terms of areas for improvement, while the group has some

commendable practices in place in the area of Environmentally Positive Farming, Ethical

Meat & Dairy and Fair Trade, this is one area of the survey where some work could usefully

be done.

Commendable actions are evident across most Sourcing areas, however some

recommendations for improvement are provided below.

Commendable

Sourcing predominantly UK eggs, milk, pork, beef and lamb.

Ensuring that up to 75% of the cheese poultry and fish on the menu comes from UK

sources.

Sourcing seasonal fish and working to ensure that it is sustainably sourced.


Choosing free range and high welfare pork and poultry, free range and grass fed beef

and free roaming lamb.

Serving up to 75% Fairtrade tea.

Recommendations

Consider minimising imported fruit and vegetables, particularly by air-freight. The dual

benefit from this switch is the increased support for local producers, regional

economies and further reduction of Radisson Blu Edwardian’s carbon footprint.

Continue work with the group’s fish supplier to remove all fish on the Marine

Conservation Society’s “Fish to Avoid” list from the menus.

Talk to suppliers about sourcing a greater proportion of fruit and vegetables from

farms that use minimal or no pesticides or fertilisers, including suppliers of Linking

Environment and Farms (LEAF) certified or organic certified produce.

Source free range, high welfare and/or organic eggs for shell eggs or egg-based

products used by the group.

Source fairly traded sugar, chocolate and cocoa for both kitchen use and for front-of-

house customer consumption.

Source fairly traded coffee by considering alternative suppliers for this product or

work with your current supplier to add fairly traded coffee to their product range.

SOCIETY Radisson Blu Edwardian’s Society score was 92% and the highest scoring section of the

survey. As a result, there were numerous examples of commendable practices being in place.

The SRA highlights the group’s excellent attitude towards its staff – it achieved a perfect

score in Treating People Fairly thanks to clearly defined policies and a wide range of staff

training opportunities and benefits. Similarly positive attitudes were noted towards customers

as a perfect Responsible Marketing score and a high Healthy Eating score demonstrates. The

SRA notes the group’s 2011 Vegetarian Society Local Hero Award for making an exceptional

effort to promote National Vegetarian Week and suggests that increasing the percentage of

vegetarian dishes on its menu would further boost its credentials in this area. The SRA

commends Radisson Blu Edwardian for its work with local and national charities and local

business associations but recommends investigating the potential for involvement with local

schools to promote the benefits of sustainability to future generations.

Commendable actions are evident across all Society areas, however some recommendations

for improvement are provided below.


Commendable

Ensuring all staff have a written contract and having written grievance and disciplinary

processes and a tipping policy in place.

Offering a wide range of staff training opportunities and staff benefits including time

off for education and a company pension scheme.

Having the stated ability to cater for customers’ dietary requirements and offering the

flexibility for diners to make healthier choices.

Providing written information on the group’s tipping policy, ingredient provenance and

sustainability stance.

Being involved in groupwide initiatives such as World Cleanup, Tree-Athlon and

WWF’s Earth Day as well as having individual hotel charitable activities.

Recommendations

Consider adding a greater range of vegetarian dishes to increase the offering for

vegetarian customers, promote healthy eating and consequently reduce its carbon

footprint.

Consider how Radisson Blu Edwardian could become involved with local schools to

teach students about food provenance and sustainability.

ENVIRONMENT Radisson Blu Edwardian’s Environment score of 70% reflects the presence of some excellent

initiatives in this section. The SRA commends the group for having formal waste, energy and

water reduction targets in place and for implementing a range of strategies for ensuring that

targets are achieved. It commends the group for sending its food waste to a recycling service

provider and for recycling paper, cardboard, cooking oil, plastic, glass, batteries, fluorescent

tubes and furniture. It similarly commends the group for measuring its carbon footprint and for

implementing numerous staff based reduction solutions.

Areas for future improvement might include switching to using entirely environmentally

friendly cleaning products and investigating the possibility of using furniture made from

recycled or reclaimed resources.

Commendable actions are evident across all Environment areas, however some

recommendations for improvement are provided below.


Commendable

Having a written sustainability sourcing policy that is provided to all suppliers.

Working with suppliers on introducing efficient delivery systems.

Having formal waste, energy and water reduction targets and introducing the

initiatives needed to achieve them.

Sending food waste to a recycling service provider.

Recycling paper, cardboard, cooking oil, plastic, glass, batteries, fluorescent tubes

and furniture.

Using FSC-certified paper for office use, toilet paper, paper towels and blue roll.

Measuring the group’s carbon footprint.

Installing Intelli-Hood systems to reduce power consumption for kitchen extract

systems in all hotels.

Introducing leather reusable coasters in all bars to replace disposable ones.

Removing table cloths from restaurants.

Removing individual portion jam jars and ketchup from most restaurants and

replacing them with large pots and reusable small bowls.

Fitting movement sensors in low-use public and BOH areas and dry storerooms.

Putting a weekly ‘Green Fact of the Week’ on the green boards in each staff canteen.

Communicating the MCS Fish to Eat pocket guide to all chefs.

Removing paper handtowels removed from all public area rest rooms and replacing

them with reusable ones.

Introducing an "Eco” idea of the month competition of the month.

Installing LED lighting in all public areas, restaurants, bars, corridors and conference

rooms.

Recommendations

Look to using solely eco-friendly cleaning products and laundry detergents, so that

the group’s impact on the surrounding environment and waterways is minimised.

Investigate the possibility of attaining SKA rating for the group. The SKA accreditation

scheme rates fit-out projects against a set of sustainability good practice criteria.

Monitor energy use at the sites through installing smart meters or submeters to

enable energy load profiling, or analyse energy bills to ensure patterns of energy

usage match expectations for different times of the day and seasonal variance. Doing

this would help the group reach or exceed its energy reduction targets.


CONCLUSION

By achieving Two Star Sustainability Champion status in 2013 after achieving One Star

Sustainability Champion status in 2011, Radisson Blu Edwardian is demonstrating its

commitment to the journey it is on.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association commends Radisson Blu Edwardian for its

commitment to local and seasonal produce as reflected in its choice of UK produce and its

regularly changing menus. It also commends the group for its Society score which reflects

some exemplary staff policies and a desire to treat customers responsibly by offering a wide

range of healthy eating options and ensuring that its sustainable ethos is well communicated.

In Environment, the SRA notes the group’s commitment to reducing its waste, energy and

water usage and for having a wide range of practices in place to achieve those aims.

Areas for improvement would be the ethical choices the group makes when sourcing products

such as eggs, sugar, chocolate, cocoa and coffee. It should also look to build on its work with

its fish supplier by removing all fish on the menu that feature on the Marine Conservation

Society’s Fish to Avoid list.

The SRA commends Radisson Blu Edwardian on its sustainability initiatives and serious

commitment to ethical practices. The areas where Radisson Blu Edwardian performed

strongly in the SRA Sustainability Rating should be promoted to inspire other UK restaurants

and showcase the work that Radisson Blu Edwardian has put into making itself a sustainable

restaurant. Continuous improvement is integral to sustainability and the SRA encourages

Radisson Blu Edwardian to consolidate its strengths and improve in other sustainability areas

throughout 2013.


RADISSON BLU EDWARDIAN SUSTAINABILITY RATING SCORES

SUSTAINABILITY SECTIONS SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE %

Local and Seasonal 9.75 14 70%

Sustainable Fish 2 4 50%

Environmentally Positive Farming, Ethical Meat & Dairy and Fair Trade

7.25 25 29%

Other Sustainable Sourcing 0 2 0%

Treating People Fairly 6 6 100%

Healthy Eating 2.5 3 83%

Community Engagement 3 4 75%

Responsible Marketing 4 4 100%

Other Community/Workplace Initiative

2 2 100%

Supply Chain 2.5 4 63%

Waste Management 3 4 75%

Workplace Resources 2.5 4 63%

Energy Efficiency 3 5 60%

Water Saving 3 3 100%

Other Environmental Practices 2 2 100%

TOTAL 52.5 86 61%

SOURCING

LOCAL&SEASONAL ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Percentage vegetables locally sourced 0.5 1 0.5 1

Percentage fruit locally sourced 0.25 1 0.25 1

Percentage eggs locally sourced 1 1 1 1

Percentage milk locally sourced 1 1 1 1

Percentage cheese locally sourced 0.75 1 0.75 1

Percentage pork locally sourced 1 1 1 1

Percentage poultry locally sourced 0.75 1 0.75 1

Percentage beef & veal locally sourced

1 1 1 1

Percentage lamb & mutton locally sourced

1 1 1 1

Percentage fish locally sourced 0.75 1 0.75 1

Wine UK made 0 0 0 1

Local craft beer, cider or ale 0.75 1 0.75 1

Menu change 1 1 1 1

Preserves, pickles & chutneys 0 0 0 1

TOTAL 9.75 14

PERCENTAGE 70%


SUSTAINABLE FISH ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Seafood seasonality 1 1 1 1

Seafood sourcing policy 1 1 1 1

Assessed fish 'to eat' and 'to avoid' 0 0 0 1

MSC chain of custody certification 0 0 0 1

TOTAL 2 4

PERCENTAGE 50%

ENV POSITIVE FARMING, ETHICAL MEAT&DAIRY AND FAIR TRADE

ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Veg standards 0.5 1 0.5 1

Fruit standards 0 0 0 1

Egg standards 0 0 0 2

Egg products standards 0.25 1 0.25 2

Milk organic 0 0 0 1

Pork standards 1.5 1 1.5 2

Poultry standards 1 1 1 2

Beef and veal standards 2 1 2 2

Lamb and mutton standards 1 1 1 2

Coffee standards 0.25 1 0.25 2

Tea standards 0.75 1 0.75 2

Sugar standards 0 0 0 2

Chocolate and cocoa 0 0 0 2

Wine, beer, cider & ale standards 0 0 0 2

TOTAL 7.25 25

PERCENTAGE 29%

OTHER SUSTAINABLE SOURCING


None given 0 0 0 2

TOTAL 0 2

PERCENTAGE 0%

SOCIETY

TREATING PEOPLE FAIRLY ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Staff contracts 1 1 1 1

Grievance & disciplinary policy 1 1 1 1

Staff healthy meal 1 1 1 1

Staff service charges & tips 1 1 1 1

Staff training 1 1 1 1

Staff extra benefits 1 1 1 1


TOTAL 6 6

PERCENTAGE 100%

HEALTHY EATING ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Catering for dietary needs 1 1 1 1

Non-meat dishes 0.5 1 0.5 1

Customer requests for healthier options

1 1 1 1

TOTAL 2.5 3

PERCENTAGE 83%

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Local charities/community initiatives 1 1 1 1

National charities 1 1 1 1

Working with schools 0 0 0 1

Local business associations 1 1 1 1

TOTAL 3 4

PERCENTAGE 75%

RESPONSIBLE MARKETING ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Communicate all costs to customers 1 1 1 1

Provenance of ingredients in writing 1 1 1 1

Recording complaints and feedback 1 1 1 1

Promoting your sustainability 1 1 1 1

TOTAL 4 4

PERCENTAGE 100%

OTHER COMMUNITY/WORKPLACE INITATIVES


Edwardian charitable fund which offers an additional £50k funding to charitable activities each year, World clean-up, Tree-athlon, WWF's Earth Hour, plus other individual hotel initiatives

2 1 2 2

TOTAL 2 2

PERCENTAGE 100%

ENVIRONMENT

SUPPLY CHAIN ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Air freighted imports 0 0 0 1

Suppliers awareness of sustainable sourcing standards

1 1 1 1

Suppliers reusable boxes & crates 0.5 1 0.5 1


Efficient delivery systems 1 1 1 1

TOTAL 2.5 4

PERCENTAGE 63%

WASTE MANAGEMENT ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Monitor waste & reduction targets 1 1 1 1

Separating food waste 1 1 1 1

Doggy bags recyclable/compostable 0 0 0 1

Recycling 1 1 1 1

TOTAL 3 4

PERCENTAGE 75%

WORKPLACE RESOURCES ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Catering disposables 0 0 0 0

Recycled or FSC-certified paper 1 1 1 1

Eco-friendly cleaning products 0.5 1 0.5 1

Service of drinking water 1 1 1 1

Furniture and fittings 0 0 0 1

TOTAL 2.5 4

PERCENTAGE 63%

ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Monitoring gas & electricity 1 1 1 1

Smart meters or sub meters 0 0 0 1

Renewable electricity 0 1 0 1

Carbon footprint 1 1 1 1

Actions to reduce energy consumption

1 1 1 1

TOTAL 3 5

PERCENTAGE 60%

WATER SAVING ANSWER EVIDENCE SCORE POSSIBLE SCORE

Monitoring water 1 1 1 1

Water efficiency actions 1 1 1 1

Laundry environmental policy 1 1 1 1

TOTAL 3 3

PERCENTAGE 100%


OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES


Intelli-Hood systems installed to reduce power consumption for kitchen extract systems in all hotels; Leather reusable coasters introduced in all bars to replace disposable ones; Removed table cloths form restaurants; Single sheet notepaper introduced in all meeting room compare to 4 previously; New ketchup SOP devised (individual ketchup glass pots removed); Jam portion jars removed in most restaurants and replaced with large pots and reusable small bowls; Low energy bulbs introduced into all corridors (£50k investment) and number of lights reduced, as well as movement sensors fitted in low-use public and BOH areas & dry storerooms; Weekly Green fact of the Week’ – Put on the green boards in each staff canteen and explained to all teams; Communication of MCS pocket guide fish to eat to chefs; Paper handtowels removed from all public area rest rooms and replaced with reusable ones; "Eco” idea of the month competition of the month launched in 2010; LED lighting in all public areas, restaurants, bars, corridors & conference rooms installed end of 2011 (Investment £250,000), plus numerous individual hotel initiatives

2 1 2 2

TOTAL 2 2

PERCENTAGE 100%

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