Our core purpose at Peach is “Making Life Peachy”, for our guests, team, suppliers and planet. There is no Planet B, and as a team of Peachy folk, who care about the impact we have on our environment, continue to make changes each year to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Tackling waste is just one area that highlights our progress towards our Bigger Peach Promise 10, and you can read all about it here.
Over the years, we’ve embarked in other areas too, in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment, reuse more and recycle where we can. Back in 2018, we were at the forefront of removing plastic straws and stirrers off our bars, and the only plastic you’ll find in the fridge is in the form of a milk carton. In March 2020, we removed all plastic bottles from our bathrooms, and now only use refillable aluminium bottles, and the team no longer purchase plastic pens. Our toilet rolls are made 100% from recycled materials and are too fully recyclable along with all our napkins. Our team tee shirts are made from 60% organic cotton and 40% recycled polyester, and we continue to review ethical options available through our suppliers.
When it comes to our interiors, we strive to live our promise there too. From lighting, using recycled plastic bottles sourced from projects that help local communities get improved incomes, to chairs made from from recycled sea plastic and reupholstering rather than buying new.
In October 2020, our pumpkin project saw us rescue pumpkins that may otherwise have ended up as waste. Donating 520 pumpkins to local causes, and producing over 885 portions of soup to help feed those most in need, all with the help of donations from our veg supplier Reynolds.
Christmas 2020 saw the end of polyester Christmas hats, with a renewed focus on sourcing a more sustainable option for 2021, avoiding un-recyclable material ending up in landfill. Plus, we’re focused on reducing the amount of cling-film in our kitchens – with one pub trialing going completely clingfilm free (let’s see how they go).
We’re also proud to work with Olleco, who collect our used cooking oil and recycle it to create biofuel for transport. Each year, our Carbon Certificate shows the savings made, and in the full year of 2019, Peach saved 76,551KG’s of carbon as a result of Olleco recycling all of the UCO collected into green bio diesel. This equates to the equivalent of 329 average family cars being removed from the roads.
This year, our bars will also focus on reducing and reusing too – using squeezed lemons as garnish, and looking into ways we can use peels for syrups – with thanks to lockdown sustainability training, by Discarded Spirits.
We won’t be stopping there, and need your help on our journey. If you can help us reduce, reuse or recycle in more ways than we are doing now – let us know at hello@peachpubs.com.