Sustainability
As a small organisation, we are very aware of sustainability and the impact our business will have on future generations. With Scotland considered to be one of the world leaders and Glasgow’s sustainable tourism plan, it feels the right time to be actively looking at our own sustainability policies fuelling our ambitions to become more sustainable by taking steps to reduce our own carbon footprint, in line with Scottish Government’s targets to become net-zero by 2045, and the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, ambition for responsible growth.
Key areas for consideration:
We will work in collaboration with our suppliers. Reinforcing practices through researching the best suppliers, buying procedures, and promoting relationships with environmentally aware suppliers.
Increase our vegetarian and vegan offering across our menus.
Reducing our own carbon footprint by reviewing our energy and water efficiency procedures across the business.
Food wastage and how better to optimise our procedures.
Utilising ecologically friendly chemicals in our cleaning processes.
Packaging – from takeaway to menu printing.
Recycling – continue implementing the procedures currently in place.
Educating our staff with staff training days to learn and discuss our sustainability policy.
Promoting sustainable methods of transport for staff and guests - public transport, electric car, car share, bikes and walking.
The Lomond Leisure Group has taken the decision to focus on 7 of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as can be seen later.
We will implement conscious actions in our decision-making process when sourcing products for our business, where it is viable to. The disruption caused by COVID-19 has encouraged us to find ways to ‘build back better’ by developing new products, exploring new markets, and implementing innovative ways of working.
It has also taught us that this is an opportunity to do things in a better way by looking at the efficiency of our business with a reduced impact on the environment.
An energy audit has been carried out with Resource Efficiency Scotland and GSM Associates. Internally we already use smart metres and energy-efficient lighting within the buildings. We optimise our refrigeration systems within our kitchen and bar areas and encourage our staff to follow simple measures that save on energy, for example ensuring all non-essential lighting is switched off at night and ways in which we can improve on our heating and cooling costs.
Our Ethos and USP has always been to use locally sourced and produced food and drink for our business embracing Scotland’s natural larder and we already have a policy in place to buy Scottish and local produce where possible including local suppliers MacSweens Haggis, The Fish People, Rodgers the Butchers, Braehead Foods, Graham’s Dairy, Crolla’s Ice Cream, Tennent’s who supply a large selection of Scottish drinks Innis & Gunn and many more.
We have stringent recycling measures in place with all cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, and food waste being recycled and we do not use any single-use plastics. Our recyclable plastics and food waste are handled by regulated waste operators.
We are also looking into smarter packaging for our takeaway side of the business and have moved to Bagasse packaging which is pulp made from extractions of juice from sugarcane. We will be moving all our takeaway packaging to this company over the coming months.
Unique Circular Value Proposition
The Lomond Leisure Group’s unique circular value proposition over the medium to long term is to be leaders as a tourism hospitality business by continuing to form unique partnerships and collaborations.
We want guests to receive the highest levels of hospitality with a differentiated offering using locally sourced, home cooked food whilst focusing on sustainability across the businesses.
The focus is on quality over price, in turn increasing revenue through sales and good reputation.
Technology will play a key role in the future of hospitality.
Charity support has always been at the forethought of the business with the directors actively involved with Scottish charities for the past 15 years. We also support many local causes with vouchers and prizes. Our charity focus will continue to be a key part of the business.
Future Commitment
The Lomond Leisure Group has invested its commitment to becoming more sustainable by signing the Tourism Declares Pledge (Lomond Leisure Group, Mharsanta and Van Winkle) as well as applying for the Visit Scotland ‘Taste our Best’ Quality Assurance scheme (Mharsanta)
We are very much at the beginning of our sustainability journey and recognise this is a long-term vision that they are committing to over the next two decades and looking into future trends in tourism and hospitality when making the decisions to become more sustainable.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
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Introduction
The Lomond Leisure Group will begin to work towards the following UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Goal 3
Goal 3 is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. Lomond Leisure Group invests heavily in their staff and well-being, which will be a key focus over the mid-term plan of the business.
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Goal 7
Goal 7 is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Lomond Leisure Group will carry out an energy audit with Zero Waste Scotland across all venues in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy over the coming months and years.
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Goal 8
Goal 8 is to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
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Goal 9
Goal 9 Inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, together with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate employment and income. They play a key role in introducing and promoting new technologies, facilitating international trade, and enabling the efficient use of resources.
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Goal 11
Sustainable cities and communities
The world’s population is constantly increasing. To accommodate everyone, we need to build modern, sustainable cities. For all of us to survive and prosper, we need new, intelligent urban planning that creates safe, affordable and resilient cities with green and culturally inspiring living conditions.
Lomond Leisure Group will work on creating dining experiences that educate our guests by working in collaboration with other tourism industry professionals.
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Goal 12
Goal 12 is to ensure responsible consumption and production. It includes a target to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, and recycling by 2030. Implementing actions to achieve this target could help save money. A simple audit to see where money is being spent, what waste it relates to and what you can do to prevent it is the first step for developing a reduction plan for the Lomond Leisure Group.
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Goal 13
Goal 13 is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. We can actively do a few small things to take responsibility for our carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. We can work with those in our supply chain to make conscious environmental business decisions as well as creating a Sustainable policy on our websites and take part in the Tourism Declares Pledge with a view to working on an action plan. The key will be educating our staff and guests as well as an energy audit as outlined in SDG 7 at The Lomond Leisure Group.
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Goal 17
Goal 17 encourages partnerships for the goals. Collaboration is something that the Lomond Leisure Group already focus on. Now it is time to work with local partners and their sustainability policies. The Lomond Leisure Group support several local charities and have done for the past 15 years with the directors of the business being actively involved with three key Scottish charities.