Latest news with #Winnow
Euronews
4 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
How one Irish hotel is rewriting the rules on food waste
At The Lodge at Ashford Castle, a 19th-century villa in the wild green of western Ireland's County Mayo, dinner scraps don't go in the bin. They go into cocktails, canapés or compost. Over the past year, the hotel has slashed its food waste by nearly 60 per cent by weight and its food trimmings by 90 per cent. That amounts to 11.5 tonnes of food waste, nearly 50 tonnes of carbon and more than €16,000 saved annually. Much of it is thanks to a chef who was empowered to swap sustainability gestures for serious change. 'Instead of hundreds of tiny little initiatives, we decided to go after the stuff that would actually make a difference,' says executive chef Jonathan Keane, a sustainability advocate who leads the kitchen at the 64-room sister hotel to the magnificent, medieval Ashford Castle. Those initiatives have been quite an undertaking. On any given day, Keane and his colleagues can serve 500-plus meals and go through piles of produce. 'At this property, I have 650 kilogrammes of watermelon rind. What can I do with that?' From trimmings to transformation The answer, it turns out, is a lot – especially when you have dataon your side. Over the past three years, The Lodge's parent group – Red Carnation Hotels – has worked with UK-based food waste analytics firm Winnow to get a clearer read on their waste. The company's AI-powered tools and image recognition help Keane to measure and categorise what is being thrown away each day and why. 'I get an email every morning that tells me exactly what food went into the bin,' says Keane. 'If two kilos of onion skins went into the bin, I'll see a picture of that. Then I can investigate why that happened instead of [the skins] going into stock or treacle.' Armed with these insights, the kitchen team has learned to upcycle ingredients like trimmings, peels and offcuts into syrups, muffins, canapés and even welcome drinks. What little waste remains goes into a biodigester, which produces nutrient-rich fertiliser for the estate's sprawling garden – a pandemic project that Keane and his employers instituted to be more self-sustaining and environmentally-conscious. 'The garden became such a big project that it became phase one [of greater change],' says Keane, whose vision for The Lodge includes a tunnel greenhouse, a future distillery with its own orchard and aquaponics, a system that couples raising fish with hydroponic vegetable gardening. 'The long-term goal is to be fully self-sufficient.' Hospitality's hidden problem The hospitality sector has long accounted for a hefty portion of the world's waste. Restaurants, hotels and other venues generated more than 25 per cent of the world's 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste in 2019, according to the UN Environment Programme. Most ends up in landfills, releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. 'Much of it goes uncounted, so we don't even know the real scale,' says Vojtech Végh, Winnow's zero-waste culinary advisor who worked closely with Keane on The Lodge's transformation. 'Speaking from experience, it tends to be more than we would expect.' The first step toward addressing this murky problem, he explains, is to arm chefs and hotels with information. 'If we don't know what is in our bins, then everything else is just guesswork, which isn't effective or sustainable,' Végh says. 'Once we start to measure our food waste, we can then focus on what exactly we need to reduce. A growing shift across the industry Across the industry, hotels are slowly waking up to the environmental and economic costs that this failure to measure has created. At the Hilton Tokyo, chefs have begun reusing vegetable trimmings and fruit peels in soups, desserts and drinks. Novotel London Excel has also used Winnow's AI tools to cut waste by around 50 per cent in recent years. Other solutions have also started to take shape. In Southeast Asia, startups like Yindii have stepped in to connect hotels, restaurants and bakeries with local diners. Surplus food is sold at a discount through its app. The model has expanded across Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, where users can rescue meals for a fraction of the cost and prevent perfectly good food from being binned. Efforts like these are just the beginning. For food waste prevention to stick, Végh argues that kitchens must rethink how they operate at a systemic level. 'Zero-waste cooking is more about how we think when we cook rather than how we cook,' he says. 'If we embed food waste prevention into our processes – rather than build it on top – then step by step it becomes the new standard in any kitchen.' A culture shift from the kitchen out If you ask Keane, the real change starts even one level beyond processes. Sustainability, he says, has a lot to do with people, 'which isn't always high on the agenda in kitchens.' Keane has tried to create 'a fun place to work. We're nice to each other. We treat each other like adults, and we have the same approach with the ingredients and the produce.' Part of creating a more open – and open-minded – culture has involved getting his team of 18 kitchen workers out into nature more often. An avid forager, Keane regularly brings his colleagues into the forest to search for wild vegetables and mushrooms. He believes it builds morale while reinforcing the practices he wants The Lodge to embrace. He also brings hotel guests out on foraging tours, ever so subtly transmitting a message that he hopes will stick long after they check out. He says that these steps might help his hotel, and others like it, have a greater impact in the future. 'We're not preaching. We're bringing the customer along with us [at their own pace],' Keane explains. 'We want to leave a legacy.'
Mid East Info
18-06-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
ON THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF ATLANTIS ATLAS PROJECT, ATLANTIS DUBAI CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL ELIMINATION OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES ACROSS THE DESTINATION
This milestone marks a significant step in the resort's ongoing sustainability journey and reaffirms its commitment to driving responsible tourism and positive change in the region. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – In celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Atlantis Atlas Project, Atlantis Dubai proudly announces the complete elimination of single-use plastic water bottles across the entire destination – a major achievement in its ongoing sustainability journey. Launched in 2021, the Atlantis Atlas Project is the resort's long-term commitment to operating responsibly and creating a lasting positive impact for both people and the planet. The initiative is structured around four key pillars – Responsible Operations, Conservation & Animal Welfare, Education & Awareness, and People & Culture – and continues to drive meaningful, measurable progress across each. As part of this commitment, Atlantis Dubai's latest milestone has resulted in the annual elimination of approximately 3.7 million single-use plastic water bottles. This has been made possible through the installation of 18 filtered, chilled water dispensers across pool and beach areas and Aquaventure World, providing drinking water to both guests and colleagues. Additionally, the resort's on-site water bottling plant, launched in 2022, currently produces almost 5,000L of filtered water daily. Filled in glass, reusable bottles, the plant services rooms, suites, selected restaurants, event spaces and banquet operations with filtered drinking water, further reinforcing the resort's ongoing efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste at scale. The elimination of single-use plastic water bottles is just one of many actions driven by the Atlantis Atlas Project. Another such example is Atlantis Dubai's partnership with UAE-based Seafood Souq – the region's first platform dedicated to transparency in seafood supply chain, enabling end-to-end tracking from sea to serving. As of December 2024, 100% of all contracted seafood, including feed for over 65,000 marine animals, is now fully traced through Seafood Souq's Trace technology, providing Chefs with greater visibility enabling more responsible sourcing decisions. Kelly Timmins, Executive Director of Sustainability and Marine Animal Operations, Atlantis Dubai, commented: 'Over the past 4 years, sustainability has become an integral part of every facet of our operations. From procurement to guest experience, we are integrating responsible practices that drive meaningful impact across our entire business through the Atlantis Atlas Project.' The Atlantis Atlas Project continues to drive forward sustainability at Atlantis Dubai with notable milestones achieved, including: Solar panels installed in December 2022 have resulted in the avoidance of 1,748 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions to date —the same carbon sequestration capacity of approximately 35,942 trees. Since June 2022, Winnow food waste technology has been activated across three buffet restaurants and one colleague restaurant at Atlantis Dubai, leading to an average 53.8% reduction in edible food waste compared to pre-implementation levels. Atlantis Dubai partnered with Goumbook's 'Save The Butts' campaign through the installation of two permanent cigarette butt collection stations. To date, over 4.6 million cigarette butts have been recycled into innovative building materials. In partnership with UNISOAP UAE and Gumboot, the resort also collects discarded soap from guest rooms, which is repurposed into new bars of soap and distributed among vulnerable communities across the UAE. Since the initiative began in October 2023, more than 579.83 kg of soap has been recycled to date. Atlantis, The Palm and Aquaventure World have each achieved EarthCheck Gold Certification, while Atlantis The Royal earned EarthCheck Silver Certification just one year after the opening. EarthCheck is recognised as the world's leading scientific benchmarking, certification, and business advisory group focused on travel and tourism. It helps businesses, communities, and governments to evaluate their environmental footprint, improve sustainability and ultimately enhance business performance. As part of its commitment to marine conservation, Atlantis Dubai released three Honeycomb Stingrays and 20 Arabian Carpet sharks into the Arabian Gulf over the past 12 months, bringing the total number of releases to 58 sharks and 10 rays since 2019. About Atlantis Atlas Project: Atlantis Atlas Project is Atlantis Dubai's commitment to do business in ways that are good for both people and planet, by focusing on Responsible Operations, Conservation & Animal Welfare, Education & Awareness, and People & CultureAtlantis Atlas Project endeavours to be a leader in responsible tourism, ensuring that Atlantis Dubai stands above the rest, whilst providing guest experiences that are more extraordinary than ever. The destination provides immersive experiences and opportunities for guests to learn about the local environment both in and outside of the resort. From inspiring young explorers and families to learn about marine conservation through educational programmes to offering 100+ locally and responsibly sourced dishes across restaurants and cafes around the resort, guests are actively encouraged to participate in Atlantis Atlas Project. Atlantis Dubai is also dedicated to supporting the local community and contributes a portion of earnings from every marine animal experience and Green Events to projects which make measured impacts on conservation and sustainability Atlantis, The Palm and Aquaventure World carry EarthCheck Gold certified status with Atlantis The Royal gaining EarthCheck Silver just one year after opening, recognising its contributions to social and environmental sustainability. Atlantis Dubai is also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the internationally-recognised gold standard for animal welfare and care. About Atlantis, The Palm: Located at the centre of the crescent of The Palm in Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm is the first entertainment resort destination in the region. Opened in September 2008, the unique ocean-themed resort features a variety of marine and entertainment attractions, as well as 22 hectares of waterpark amusement at Aquaventure World, all within a 46-hectare site. It is home to the biggest waterpark in the world and one of the largest open-air marine habitats, with more than 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers Aquarium, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis. Aquaventure World features 23.5 million litres of fresh water used to power 105 thrilling waterslides and attractions, including several world record-breaking slides, and two river rides featuring tidal waves and pools, water rapids and white-water chargers. Dolphin Bay, the unparalleled dolphin conservation and education habitat, and Sea Lion Point were created to provide guests with a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about some of nature's most friendly mammals. The resort boasts an impressive collection of luxury boutiques and shops as well as extensive meeting and convention facilities. Atlantis, The Palm is also known as the culinary destination in the region where guests can take their pick from a collection of 38 world-renowned restaurants including the one Michelin star rated Hakkasan and Ossiano, as well as celebrity chef outposts Bread Street Kitchen & Bar by Gordon Ramsay and Nobu. Atlantis is also home to a buzzing nightlife scene with entertainment destination Wavehouse offering something for everyone, while WHITE Beach is the perfect place to unwind with a drink as the sun slips into the Arabian Sea. About Atlantis The Royal: The new iconic landmark of Dubai, Atlantis The Royal welcomes guests to an experience that will completely redefine their perspective of luxury. Crafted by the world's leading designers, architects and artists, this is a destination where everything has been designed to challenge the boundaries of imagination. Atlantis The Royal ignites the horizon with a collection of 760 elegant Rooms, Suites and Signature Penthouses. Featuring stunning views of the Dubai skyline and Arabian Sea, 44 of them have private infinity pools. The resort delivers a curated array of awe-inspiring experiences, inviting guests to swim amongst the clouds in sky pools, be dazzled by fountains that breathe fire or dine at more celebrity chef restaurants than anywhere else in the world. Guests are taken on a journey of the impossible, with artful masterpieces, iconic entertainment and beautiful craftsmanship at every turn, where the highest level of service will set a new standard in excellence. About Aquaventure World: Aquaventure World is a fully-fledged aquatic theme park at Atlantis Dubai, featuring The World's Largest Waterpark, The Lost Chambers Aquarium, the Dubai Balloon, Dolphin Bay, Sea Lion Point, Aquaventure Beach, and watersports. Following an expansion in March 2021, the Middle East's number one waterpark is now even bigger, a third bigger to be exact. With the addition of the brand-new Trident Tower, Splashers Lagoon and Splashers Cove, Aquaventure is now home to over 28 additional rides and attractions, bringing the total number to over 105 slides, rides and attractions across the 22.5-hectare park. With several record-breaking slides and firsts in the region, thrill-seekers can enjoy Odyssey of Terror; the world's tallest waterslide with a Double TornadoWAVE®️, Shockwave; the longest family rafting water coaster in the world, Medusa's Lair; the first duelling PIPElineBLAST®️ Water Coaster slide in the region and Immortal Falls; the first Cliff jumping in the region. Guests can also enjoy 1km of private beach, motorised and non-motorised watersports and 26 marine experiences including Dolphin Bay, Sea Lion Point and the Shark Lagoon. Aquaventure World also comprises one of the largest open-air marine habitats in the world, with more than 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers Aquarium, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis. Voted the number one waterpark by TripAdvisor, it is a leader in aquatic theme parks.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why your buffet breakfast croissant is getting smaller: How hotels are using AI bins to slash food waste
If you've noticed your hotel breakfast croissant looking a little daintier lately, you're not imagining things—and no, you're not being short-changed. The pastries have been reduced to a petite 28g portion as part of a wider effort by Hilton to tackle food waste with the help of AI powered smart bins. Recognising that food waste is a significant problem in the hotel industry, Hilton has deployed a waste-tracking system created by British technology company Winnow in nearly 200 hotels. The smart bins—equipped with cameras and weighing scales—monitors what guests throw away tracking everything from leftover scrambled eggs to half-eaten melons. The bins photograph the waste each time food is discarded, identifying the type and quantity. Real-time data can be viewed by kitchen staff while a detailed report on food waste is compiled for the next day. The data collected helps hotel kitchens identify problem areas and allows chefs to adjust portions sizes and prepare accordingly. 'We discovered the biggest culprits were exactly what you'd expect—pastries, bread, and the fruit ends,' said Niki Walsh, a senior director of food and beverage marketing at Hilton. 'So, we started adjusting. Croissants are now smaller. Fruit is cut differently, more artfully, to reduce leftovers. Even the plates are smaller to encourage mindful serving.' Data highlights that plate waste mainly consists of bread, pastries, beans, grains, vegetables and fruit ends. As a result, the chain has reduced pastries to 28g portion sizes – a drastic reduction on the larger options which can weigh as much as 90g. Other changes include smaller serving pots for offerings such a yoghurt, more cook to order stations and stopping pre-mixed salad waste by dressing them only at service. Hilton is now also offering doggy bags in some hotels to encourage guests to take leftover pastry items away with them to eat later in the day. One resort - the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah and Hilton Dubai The Walk – has seen a 70 per cent reduction on waste after embracing the Winnow technology. The AI data has also revealed seasonal trends with food waste spiking sharply during Ramadan and Christmas. Through campaigns such as Green Breakfast and Green Ramadan, Hilton has already seen huge reductions in waste at the buffets. The Green Ramadan initiative saw 26 per cent reduction in post-consumer plate waste this year from 102g to 64g per cover in just 4 weeks. The month-long effort helped avoid more than 2.6 tonnes of food waste, the equivalent of more than 6,000 meals. Building on the momentum of previous years, the programme marked the initiative's biggest rollout yet, scaled across 45 hotels in 14 countries in EMEA and APAC. Emma Banks, vice president, food and drink strategy and development, Hilton, EMEA said: 'At Hilton, we are actively reducing food waste across our portfolio and are proud of the progress made through our Green Ramadan and Green Breakfast initiatives. 'From testing behavioural nudges and analysing waste trends to holding regular coaching sessions with our kitchen teams during these campaigns, we've put sustainability at the forefront of our operations and have gathered data which will empower us to take meaningful, scalable action across our hotels, without compromising on guest experience.'
Trade Arabia
16-04-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Novotel Deira Creekside launches NOVO25 campaign
Novotel Deira Creekside and Novotel Suites Mall Avenue are launching their NOVO25 campaign, inspired by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's declaration of 2025 as the Year of Community in the UAE. The yearlong campaign aims to foster connections, create positive change, and strengthen family ties. The hotels are collaborating with Project REEFRAME, led by FREESTYLE DIVERS, to restore and rebalance ocean and coral reef ecosystems, contributing to marine biodiversity preservation and raising awareness about ocean conservation. 'We're incredibly excited to launch NOVO25 and invite our guests to join us in a year of meaningful experiences designed to help families and friends unwind, bond, and create lasting memories,' said Nishan Silva, Regional General Manager, Dubai & Emirates North, UAE 'This campaign reflects our deep passion for sustainability in hospitality and our unwavering commitment to fostering a sense of community. NOVO25 goes beyond offering fun and surprises; it is about nurturing relationships, championing sustainable practices, and playing our part in shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for both our guests and the world around us.' 'Project REEFrame has been a community project from the outset', said Darryl Owen, CEO of Freestyle Divers and founder of Project REEFrame. 'By educating and training people of all ages, including corporate teams, families, children, students, divers, and citizen scientists, we have not only been able to create awareness about the challenges facing the coastal marine ecosystems in the UAE, we also are providing concrete opportunities for the community to create genuine impact on our projects. Our coral reef project in Dibba Fujairah is a shining example of what can be achieved when we bring passionate people together. Every week our science and conservation team is working with our sponsors, partners, and the public to create measurably positive environmental impact'. To further their commitment to sustainability, the hotels recently hosted 15 young minds and sustainability champions from various schools for an insightful field trip across both properties. The students saw how food waste is converted into compost for agricultural use and learned how the hotels are leveraging innovative AI systems like Winnow to minimize food waste, reduce carbon footprint, and enhance sustainable operations. The Balance the Ocean Art Exhibition will showcase local artists' creative talents, inspiring guests to reflect on the importance of preserving our oceans and reinforcing the hotels' dedication to artistic expression and sustainability. Novotel's Tea Cooking Classes offer guests the opportunity to learn the culinary potential of tea, from marinated meats to flavorful sauces. To build lasting family memories, children celebrating their birthdays on the 25th of any month can win a fun-filled celebration at one of the hotels. Parents can join in the fun by following the hotels on social media.
Khaleej Times
26-03-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
GCC food waste 14% above global average: How UAE is tackling the crisis
Food waste in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region average 150kg per capita annually which is 14 per cent higher than the global average of 132 kg. A recent paper titled Tackling Food Waste In The GCC Grocery Market by Oliver Wyman highlighted that food waste levels in the GCC surpass those of many developed economies, exceeding European Union (EU) figures by 38 per cent and nearly doubling Japan's per capita waste. While retail food waste typically accounts for only five per cent to 15 per cent of total waste in most countries, the GCC's retail sector sees 38 per cent more waste than the global average. The paper also revealed that the retail sector in the GCC wasted approximately 1.3 million tonnes of food in 2022. This corresponds to an annual loss of approximately $4-7 billion, which is enough to provide an iftar meal for 70 per cent of all Muslims around the world throughout Ramadan. Given the GCC's heavy reliance on imported food, excessive waste further strains resources and intensifies sustainability challenges. How UAE is tackling the crisis Despite the statistics, the UAE remains committed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 by reducing food loss and waste by 50 per cent by 2030 and beyond. It continues to lead the regional movement for change through the collaborative efforts of ne'ma, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative. Ne'ma is partnering with Taste of Dubai to enhance food waste reduction efforts within the UAE's event industry. Building on the success of their initial collaboration at Taste of Abu Dhabi 2024, ne'ma helped divert 310kg of food waste from landfills, prevented 775kg of CO2e emissions, and generated 62 kg of compost. When Khaleej Times reached out to food business operators in the UAE to understand what waste reduction strategies are implemented in their establishments, several proprietors highlighted that restaurants here systematically 'track food waste data' through digital monitoring tools and staff logs. Thomas Schmelter, Area General Manager, IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City said, 'We actively track and analyse food waste using the Winnow system, which allows us to measure waste by value and weight. Through this, we've observed that targeted improvements — such as adjusting portion sizes and reducing overproduction — significantly lessen waste volumes. These insights have enabled our teams to make smarter decisions daily.' Schmelter noted that the hotel also works closely with local charities to donate surplus to support the community rather than going to waste. Culinary teams creatively transforms leftover or surplus items into new menu components. Abdulla Al Abdulla, chief operating officer and general manager of Central Hotels and Resorts, said: 'We have a structured system for repurposing surplus ingredients into new dishes. The final destination for waste is a new 'waste-to-energy' facility introduced by the Dubai Municipality. With the help of our service partner, we systematically track food waste data through digital monitoring tools and staff logs. Trends observed include higher waste during peak seasons and buffet setups, allowing us to refine menu planning and optimize food preparation accordingly.' Tracking data, optimising portion, refining menu Based on data analysis and guest feedback, restaurants also optimise portion sizes and refined menu offerings to minimise waste, while maintaining guest satisfaction. 'Our à la carte menu includes flexible portion options, and we use seasonal ingredients to avoid excess inventory. We proactively manage ingredients nearing expiration by repurposing them into soups, sauces, and special dishes. Additionally, we donate safe and consumable food to local charities and ensure that unavoidable waste is composted or sustainably disposed of,' added Abdulla. Meanwhile, the paper also focused that finding the right balance between availability and food waste is one of the key challenges in food retail. Sagar Khanna, Operations Head, Querida, a Mexican restaurant said, 'We have done specials in the menu when we have surplus ingredients: flautas, enfrijoladas, empanadas, rice. We can make new dishes for the day and offer to our guests more variety of food. When something like this happens, we stop ordering from another dish so we can finish our surplus and not having wastage in the restaurant.' He added: 'In case it is an ingredient that we cannot work out in the menu we have a lot of nationalities in our restaurant and they for sure can make something for staff meal and we can all enjoy the delicious options from different parts of the world.' Select items across restaurants are batch-cooked and frozen for future use as well. Additionally, F&B owners pointed out that menu flexibility allows restaurants to respond to consumption trends while keeping waste low. Isheeta Sharma, Founder, Daftar DIFC said, 'We follow FIFO (first in, first out) protocols, label ingredients for accurate tracking, and design our menu to utilise common ingredients across multiple dishes. This ensures optimal usage and reduces the likelihood of spoilage or discard. Near-expiry items are repurposed into daily specials.'
