Sustainability is becoming more and more important. casualfood has known that for a long time and is a forerunner when it comes to sustainability at airports and stations. Now, the travel catering firm is launching two pilot projects at Frankfurt Airport. From now onwards, RECUP returnable cups will be used at selected casualfood restaurants and stores. As part of a second collaboration, casualfood will also donate food which is still fit for consumption to the foodsharing.de initiative for further use and distribution.
“We all know how important sustainability is to protect our planet. As a forerunner in Germany’s travel catering sector, we think it is very important for us to live up to our role and test sustainable ideas and concepts at our restaurants and stores. If the initiatives are successful, we want to inspire more companies at airports and stations to take part,” say Stefan Weber and Michael Weigel, Managing Directors of casualfood GmbH.
Reducing disposable cups
From March onwards, RECUP cups will be used at seven casualfood outlets in Frankfurt Airport – MONDO Bianco, GOODMAN & FILIPPO, Hermann’s, two QUICKER’s and two Superfood stores. The circular deposit system can substantially reduce the use of disposable cups. Customers pay a deposit of €1 for a RECUP and get this money back when they return the cup. Following the successful completion of the pilot project, there are plans to expand it to all casualfood restaurants and shops at Frankfurt Airport. In addition to this, casualfood is working with the operator Fraport to involve other food-service partners in the initiative so as to achieve across-the-board acceptance. Subsequently, there are plans to use RECUP returnable cups at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and other airports.
Less food waste
In the future, casualfood will also work with the initiative foodsharing.de to waste less food and prevent it from being thrown away. As part of this collaboration, the charity’s volunteer food savers will initially collect products which are still fit for consumption from Frankfurt Central Railway Station and a QUICKER’s in Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport. The food will then be redistributed. If this proves successful, there are plans to extend the partnership.
casualfood steps up its focus on sustainability in 2022
casualfood is aware of its responsibility and has developed a sustainability strategy with an extensive package of measures for 2022. The two pilot projects will kick off the company’s campaign for the year; further sustainability measures will follow. casualfood has been paying close attention to sustainable corporate governance ever since it was established in 2005. It focuses on sustainable products and supply chains, close collaboration with primarily regional suppliers, offering numerous choices for healthy eating, and ensuring that packaging is constantly optimised and designed to be sustainable. On top of all this, the company is a fair, attractive employer which is committed to diversity and equal opportunities and also prioritises occupational health and safety.
About casualfood GmbH
casualfood develops and operates innovative food concepts for airports and stations under its slogan, “The taste of travelling”. Its 14 different catering and convenience store concepts serve a wide-ranging portfolio, from high-quality fast food to an Italo-American deli concept. The company’s proprietary concepts – QUICKER’s, Superfood, basta!, MONDO, MONDO Bianco, Hermann’s, Kilkenny, GOODMAN & FILIPPO, Brezel Lovers and Beans & Barley – the new concepts east side berlin, Berlin Pub and Deli Berlin, and the Kamps and ServiceStore DB brands which are run as franchises are a common sight at transport hubs. Thanks to its successful combination of an attractive product range and a clear brand profile, the owner-run firm has become a leading travel catering company. More information is available at www.casualfood.de.
About reCup GmbH
Established in September 2016 by Fabian Eckert and Florian Pachaly, reCup GmbH offers a simple, attractive and sustainable alternative to disposable packaging with its RECUP and REBOWL deposit systems, which are available throughout Germany. The circular deposit system is based on 100% reusable RECUP and REBOWL containers for takeaway beverages and food. More than 10,600 places throughout Germany hand out and take back the cups and bowls in exchange for a deposit. These outlets range from cafés and restaurants to bakeries, kiosks, company canteens and petrol stations. Trials are already under way with various food delivery service providers as well. Awarded Germany’s Blue Angel ecolabel, the company aims to make disposable packaging superfluous, further raise society’s awareness of packaging waste and encourage people to rethink their consumer behaviour in general. More information is available at www.recup.de.
About foodsharing.de
Since 2012, the foodsharing movement has been stopping tonnes of good food from going to waste every day. Our volunteers distribute it for free between private individuals, among friends, to neighbours, and to homeless shelters, schools and nurseries, or via the website foodsharing.de. Publicly accessible shelves and community fridges (“freedges”) are available for anyone to use. More than 373,000 people from Germany, Austria and Switzerland regularly use the website to share food instead of binning it. On top of this, more than 94,000 people now act as volunteer food savers by collecting surplus food from bakeries, supermarkets, canteens and wholesalers then distributing it. This happens continuously more than 500 times a day, with food being collected from 9,250 partners. More information is available at www.foodsharing.de.