SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT
Technomic consumer data reveals that the case for implementing more environmentally sustainable practices, while important, is not as black and white as it may seem. A well-meaning restaurant chain revamps its to-go packaging or swaps out plastic straws in the name of doing good for the en- MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY HEATHER LALLEY, MANAGING EDITOR, RESTAURANT BUSINESS
PERCENTAGE OF CONSUMERS WHO SAY THESE CHAINS DO A 'VERY GOOD JOB' OF SERVING NATURAL, ORGANIC OR SUSTAINABLE FOODS
vironment. Seems like those actions should be met with resounding applause by consumers, right? But that is not always the case. “There is a business case for sustainability efforts,” said Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research and insights at Technomic. “There are also risks with going too far with sustainability.” That doesn’t mean companies should forget about the environment— far from it. They just need to take a pause and be mindful before acting, according to the research. In surveying consumers, Technomic (the research arm owned by RB parent company Informa Connect), has found that sustainability is not a business driver in the way that craveability of food, order accuracy or overall cleanliness is, Byrne said. “A significant portion of the population doesn’t view sustainability as a worthwhile effort,” he said. “They’re more interested in the
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SUSTAINABILITY OUTLOOK 2025
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