Thanks to the thematic objectives, institutions can assess their current situation and define their own specific measures.

to develop and implement their action plan.

The actions suggested below will help you discover the measures that may already be in place.

Based on this assessment, institutions can define their own action plan to achieve customised objectives.

for year 1, year 3 and year 5 of their climate journey.

These little ones are growing faster than expected

SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS

Sourcing sustainable products

Seasonality refers to the natural production cycle of fruit and vegetables in their country of agricultural production. This means that a “seasonal” product is not grown in an artificially heated greenhouse. However, “seasonality” does not necessarily mean “regionality”. In winter, for example, it is easy to find Swiss tomatoes grown in heated greenhouses, which are local but out of season.

When discussing seasonality, we can distinguish between two categories of fruit and vegetables:

Fruit and vegetables that can be grown locally: in this case, it is advisable to consume them as much as possible according to the local natural cycle and to refer to seasonal calendars.

Fruit and vegetables that cannot be grown locally: these are mainly exotic products that are rarely grown in heated greenhouses.

Swiss frozen, dried or canned fruit and vegetables can be considered “seasonal” because they are rarely grown in heated greenhouses for this type of processing.

  • Favour the purchase of fruit and vegetables not grown in heated greenhouses
  • Reduce the frequency of consumption of exotic fruit and vegetables (i.e. products that cannot be grown in Switzerland, including juices)
  • Favour local, seasonal fruit and vegetables

It is essential to promote food traceability. “Regional” and “local” products benefit from shorter transport routes and are therefore fresher. Agricultural raw materials originate in the region, i.e. they are grown, reared or fished there. However, the term “local” does not refer to the place where the product is processed, prepared and packaged.

In general, the origin is information that is often available on whole food products. However, the more processed the product is and the more ingredients it contains, the more difficult it is to ensure its traceability. From an environmental perspective, taking origin into account involves taking action on:

• The distance travelled by raw materials (number of kilometres)

• Mode of transport (proximity reduces the use of air transport)

• Le mode de production (via la législation agricole régissant la production alimentaire :

« Prestations Écologiques Requises » ou « PER » en Suisse) : plus on favorise les produits régionaux et locaux, plus les conditions de culture peuvent être rigoureuses.

  • Foster the purchase of regional/local products grown, raised, fished and processed in Switzerland
  • Avoid products imported by air
  • Clearly indicate the origin of meat and fish on the menu and/or on a separate display (Art. 5b of the Ordinance of the DFI).
  • Favor products with good traceability of raw materials/ingredients

Agricultural production methods encompass various aspects such as cultivation methods (management of fertilisers and plant protection products, soil and water management, maintenance of biodiversity) and livestock farming methods (animal welfare, use of resources, greenhouse gas emissions), and have an impact on working conditions.

  • Give preference to organic food labels that guarantee high environmental standards in production methods, particularly organic labels recommended by official guides (in order of importance):
      • Bourgeon Bio (Swiss and imported products)

      • Demeter (Swiss and imported products)

      • EU Organic / AB bio (imported products)

Resources

A full description of each of these labels is available at labelinfo.ch

Sustainable food goes hand in hand with animal welfare. Choose animal products from farming programmes that take animal welfare into account as much as possible.

  • Choose free-range eggs and poultry (not battery or barn-raised)
  • Promote the SST programme (Swiss territory) or equivalent: cattle, horses, goats, pigs, rabbits, poultry (hens and roosters for egg production, broiler chickens, turkeys)
  • Promote the SRPA programme (Swiss territory) or equivalent: cattle, horses, goats, sheep (sheep over one year old), pigs, poultry, deer and bison.
  • Exclude critical farming conditions (imported poultry and cage-raised eggs, beef from feedlots, etc.)
  • Give preference to products from organic farming, a production method that is particularly respectful of animal welfare (available space and infrastructure, feed, treatment, lifespan, transport and slaughter conditions, etc.).

Sustainable food goes hand in hand with animal welfare. Choose animal products from farming programmes that take animal welfare into account as much as possible.

  • Stop purchasing endangered species and species that have been farmed or fished in a manner that does not comply with official practice guidelines (WWF, Ethic Ocean).
  • Choose MSC and Friends of the Sea (FOS) labels for wild fish, and ASC or Organic labels for farmed fish.

When it is not possible to purchase seasonal Swiss products, especially for products that come from far away (typically exotic fruits, but also coffee, tea, rice, orange juice, etc.), certain labels guarantee greater respect for the environment and people.

  • Promote the following labels:
    • Bourgeon Bio (which also guarantees compliance with social criteria) and EU organic labels
    • Max Havelaar label
    • Label UTZ Certified

Resources

Encontrará más detalles sobre los requisitos de estas etiquetas en labelinfo.ch

Promoting a healthy and nutritionally balanced diet

Consuming sufficient protein from multiple sources is essential for a balanced diet. However, excessive consumption of animal products puts considerable pressure on natural resources, the climate, animal welfare and our health. Consuming animal protein sparingly while increasing the proportion of plant-based protein is the key to healthier, more environmentally friendly and more ethical meals.

  • Favour plant-based proteins (e.g. vegetables)
  • Clearly label vegetarian and vegan dishes as such, in a visible and appealing manner, and generally set a lower price for these dishes compared to meat-based dishes.
  • Train chefs in vegetarian cooking and raise staff awareness of the impact of excessive consumption of animal products on health and the environment.
  • Establish an incentive mechanism to reduce consumer demand for meat (e.g. special communication on vegetarian dishes such as ‘low carbon’, more attractive prices for vegetarian dishes, special communication to raise awareness of the impact of meat on the environment, etc.).

A healthy diet, i.e. one that is balanced and varied, helps prevent diet-related diseases. However, many people in Switzerland today consume too much salt, sugar and fat. This promotes diseases such as diabetes and obesity, as well as cardiovascular problems. To remedy this, various national and international institutions issue recommendations on nutritional intake.

  • Offer a varied diet in accordance with the quantities recommended by the Swiss Society for Nutrition for each age group.
  • Avoid ultra-processed products and large amounts of sugar, salt and food additives such as preservatives, flavour enhancers and colourings.
  • Use fats of good nutritional quality, such as rapeseed oil and olive oil, and stick to the recommended quantities.
  • Offer dishes with the following distribution: 2/5 vegetables, 2/5 starchy foods and 1/5 protein.
  • Ensure easy access to tap water

Preventing food waste

En Suisse, 28% de l’impact environnemental est lié à l’alimentation. Or, une grande partie des aliments produits n’est même pas consommée : c’est ce qu’on appelle le gaspillage alimentaire. Ce phénomène se produit à différents stades de la chaîne alimentaire, de la production primaire à la consommation, en passant par la transformation et la vente. Le gaspillage alimentaire équivaut à une perte de ressources précieuses (terres agricoles, eau, énergie, produits phytosanitaires, engrais), mais aussi d’argent et de main-d’œuvre. Il s’agit en outre d’une source de pollution inutile et évitable.

  • Regularly measure the amount of food waste, identify its source and set reduction targets.
  • Avoid using plates to illustrate dishes.
  • Avoid leftovers and returned plates by purchasing, cooking and serving the right quantities according to the guidelines of the Swiss Nutrition Society.
  • Opt for plated meals rather than buffets, which generate more food waste.
  • Implement measures to donate leftovers or sell them at reduced prices.

Resources

  • Monitoring consumption history
  • Install connected bins (e.g. Kitro) or waste tracking applications (Foodways, Waste Tracker)

Reducing food packaging

L’objectif principal de l’emballage est d’assurer la conservation des aliments (et donc d’éviter autant que possible les déchets alimentaires). Cependant, une grande partie de l’emballage peut être évitée, en particulier pour les boissons en bouteille. Il convient également de noter que pour les produits alimentaires, l’impact environnemental de la production alimentaire est beaucoup plus important que celui de l’emballage, alors que pour les boissons, c’est souvent l’inverse.

  • Avoid bottled water and use tap water instead.
  • Eliminate bottled soft drinks purchased outside the company and replace them with bottled soft drinks or soft drinks from machines inside the company.
  • Only allow reusable bottles and cups

With the considerable increase in takeaway food and drinks, the amount of waste has become a growing concern. Non-renewable resources such as sand (needed to make glass), aluminium (tin cans) and oil (plastic) are being overexploited and often extracted in unsustainable ways. Most of this waste is difficult to recycle and causes significant pollution once it ends up in the environment.

  • Promote tap water as a source of drinking water
  • For on-site catering: prohibit single-use containers and cutlery for food and beverages.
  • For takeaway food: provide reusable containers and cutlery (deposit system or sale of containers) for food and drinks, and encourage the use of personal containers.
  • For unavoidable single-use containers: use as much paper/cardboard as possible (FSC-certified and/or recycled where possible).

Single-use consumables such as straws, napkins, chopsticks, coasters, etc. can represent significant volumes.

  • Use only recycled or recyclable paper
  • Eliminate single-use consumables
  • Ban single-use straws and stirrers

Operating sustainable facilities for food and catering

Les coûts énergétiques dans les cuisines sont relativement faibles par rapport à d’autres dépenses liées au personnel, aux produits ou au loyer. Cependant, le potentiel d’économie est élevé – jusqu’à 40 % – et peut être facilement mis en œuvre avec les conseils appropriés et de petits changements de comportement. Près de la moitié des économies d’énergie peuvent déjà être réalisées grâce aux technologies modernes. Une utilisation correcte des équipements peut également conduire à des économies massives, par exemple en éteignant les équipements pendant les périodes d’inactivité.

  • Train employees on environmental and energy issues to ensure efficient use of equipment and avoid unnecessary waste.
  • When renovating or building a new kitchen: calculate and compare energy and water consumption in order to find an environmentally friendly solution and reduce long-term operating costs.
  • When purchasing new equipment: choose the most energy- and water-efficient appliances based on the resources listed below.
  • Opt for induction hobs
  • Choose smart appliances, such as vending machines and beverage refrigerators with an automatic standby mode outside of opening hours (if the food is non-perishable).

Resources

  • Tools for calculating energy and water consumption, as well as the ENAK database in Switzerland and the HKI database in Germany
  • The topten.ch and compareco.ch guides to choosing the most efficient appliances
  • The energy label, which indicates the efficiency class by type of appliance
  • Financial support programmes via ProKilowatt and Energifranken
  • PEIK, which offers professional energy advice, with support from SwissEnergy of up to 50%.

Cleaning products include hand soaps, dishwashing products, washing and cleaning products. They are not harmless, either to the environment or to health: micropollutants can contaminate lakes, rivers and groundwater. In addition, many of these products can cause respiratory problems or skin irritation, for example. Some substances are also harmful to the micro-organisms that treat wastewater.

  • Use hand soaps and cleaning products that meet European eco-label requirements, such as the EU Ecolabel, Blue Angel, Ecocert or equivalent.
  • Reduce the amount of product needed by using only the right amount
  • Avoid using sprays as much as possible, as they are particularly harmful to health and the environment.
  • Avoid the following products: drain cleaners, bleach, toilet blocks, disinfectants, air fresheners, disposable cleaning wipes, etc.

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