As consumers demand sustainability practices from their restaurant and foodservice operators, new research aims to help restaurants better comply.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and Georgia-Pacific Professional have teamed to identify best practices in the areas of recycling and sustainability, both of which are key components of profitability for the restaurant industry.
“Georgia-Pacific Professional’s commitment to supporting our ‘Sustainability & Social Responsibility’ imperative is instrumental in advancing the goals of the National Restaurant Association and the industry at large,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the NRA and the NRA Educational Foundation.
Through an unrestricted research grant from Georgia-Pacific Professional, the Association will conduct an in-depth study of consumer perceptions related to restaurant operator recycling practices and the correlating effects on consumer traffic and restaurant sales.
The study will also examine current recycling practices of restaurant operators and provide a gap analysis between consumer recycling demand and current best practices of restaurant operators.
“Consumers are putting increasing demands on restaurants to be more active in managing their environmental impact, and restaurant owners have consistently shown that they want to meet this challenge while continuing to be cost competitive,” said John Mulcahy, vice president–strategy and category vision for Georgia-Pacific Professional.
The research is part of the new enterprise partnership between the NRA, the NRA Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and Georgia-Pacific. The partnership also includes Georgia-Pacific’s support for the NRAEF’s scholarship initiatives, the NRA’s Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show 2011, May 21-24 in Chicago, and NRA advocacy initiatives.
