Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce, reuse, recycle

We are committed to reducing the amount of material resource we use to operate our business and follow the principle of reducing, reusing, and recycling wherever possible.

Reduce

We recognise that reducing the volume of waste created in the first place is the most sustainable way to operate. Over the past year, we have tested and implemented a number of initiatives.

We have been working with our beverage partner Britvic to trial a new premium tonic dispenser in four of our London pubs. The dispense unit supplies a number of styles of tonic from the London Essence range. Introducing this unit has helped to significantly reduce the number of glass tonic bottles used in these sites. During the four site trial, we were able to reduce the number of glass tonic bottles by 35,000 – avoiding 6.7 tonnes of glass waste and reducing delivery road miles by 27,000km. We are looking to implement this solution into a number of sites in the coming year.

In September 2022, we introduced a reusable cup scheme with event solutions experts, Green Goblet. The scheme was launched in partnership with two of our key drinks suppliers, Asahi and Sipsmith. The cups are being used in our pubs during major events such as the Six Nations, the Boat Race and football match days. We will also utilise them in our gardens during the summer. The reusable cups will replace single use plastic cups which have historically been used for large outdoor events where glassware isn’t suitable for operational and health and safety reasons. Using the Green Goblet cups will save tens of thousands of single use plastic cups being used during these events. We trialled the reusable cups in some of our popular rugby pubs, near Twickenham Stadium, during the Autumn Internationals in November 2022. By doing so, we saved over 65,000 single use plastic cups from being used – across just five pubs. Green Goblet will also ensure the cups are professionally washed and dried after each event – saving time, energy and water for the pubs. It is a simple solution to eliminating one form of single use plastics.

After the Government’s recent announcement on the imminent banning of single use plastics in England, rolling out the Green Goblet cups means we’re ahead of the curve. This solution also demonstrates Fuller’s commitment to being an environmentally responsible organisation in reducing waste, encouraging reuse, and pushing towards a circular economy to reduce our impact on the planet.

Reuse

In order to keep our pubs and hotels in great condition, we are continuously carrying out refurbishments of our existing estate as well as acquiring new sites such as The Willow in Bourton-on-the- Water. We keep many unwanted items taken from our pubs and use them in new properties rather than sending them off for recycling. Where relevant, we will remove, refurbish and repair existing items for use in future projects.

To help reduce the use of single use water bottles, all of our pubs and hotels are Refill Stations – where anyone can fill their water bottles for free. Our pubs appear on the Refill app so users can easily see where their nearest Refill Station is located.

Recycle

In March 2022, Fuller’s moved its waste management to Veolia, to significantly increase access to recycling for our pubs and hotels. The majority of our sites now have access to mixed, glass and food recycling – which has seen our recycling rate increase from 35% to 57%.

Veolia’s team is working closely with our sites to encourage better segregation of waste and looking at innovative ways to recycle more. We are also pleased to confirm that 100% of the waste collected is being diverted from landfill.

Several of our sites have taken the initiative to collect used coffee grounds and offer them to some of our customers who are keen gardeners as an alternative to compost. The nitrate levels in the coffee act as a natural soil improver and it’s an opportunity for this waste product to be used in a more sustainable way.

Many of our sites work with our oil recyclers Olleco to collect waste cooking oil. Olleco recycles this oil creating a biodiesel product used to fuel vehicles. Over the past 12 months, it has collected 285,258 litres of oil from our pubs and hotels. This product reduces emissions from vehicles by up to 88%.