A Toolkit for Communicating Food Waste to Guests

This toolkit was put together by WWF to provide better tools and resources for communicating with guests about food waste. Food waste is an industry-wide challenge in the hospitality sector, and chances are you’ve seen the scope of the problem yourself. Reducing food waste is one of the most effective ways the hospitality sector can make a positive environmental impact, but the effect goes beyond just sustainability. It also impacts your bottom line and shapes your brand image; guest research tells us that people prefer brands that are actively trying to go more green – especially luxury brands!

The information and assets included in this toolkit are designed to create awareness of the problem and gently shift guest behaviors. It uses insights gathered over several months of research, and talking with and observing dozens of guests at hotels, resorts, and cruise ships in North America. More importantly, the concepts and messages have been tested with real people, so we can say with confidence: it works!

If you would like to learn additional strategies and recommendations for tackling food waste on your property, please check out hotelkitchen.org. The platform, published by WWF in 2016, offers comprehensive guidance for addressing operational food waste. Hotels piloting this program have shown a reduction of food waste of up to 38%.