Client

Areas is one of the leading operators in the restaurant sector in the world of travel (airports, motorways, train stations, etc.). Each year it receives 348 million customers in its 1900 restaurants spread throughout 10 countries.

 

The company’s goal was to identify opportunities and sustainability strategies to improve users’ service and experience by reducing disposable plastics as well as finding out the environmental impact of the packaging depending on the material, traceability, and the design to prolong the product’s lifespan. SUP (Single-Use Plastics EU), as well as to find out the environmental impact of packaging depending on the material, traceability and design to extend the useful life of the product.

Challenge

Move towards reducing the consumption of single-use packaging, in particular, avoiding the use of plastic packaging through prevention and reduction strategies and by changing materials, ensuring that changes do not lead to a greater environmental impact.

What was done?

The “Circular Journey” project was developed from a holistic perspective, with a 360º vision. The materials, users and workers’ habits, facilities, waste management, communication, regulations, and market trends were all included.

Strategies were created at the point of sale to avoid the use of consumables in the consumption of food and beverages and, in addition, an environmental and economic validation of these changes in the references was carried out.

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Results

4

Lines of action: exchange of materials; decree for the reduction of single-use products; reuse pilot tests; and signposting for the correct management of waste.

10%

Reduction of the environmental impact per customer.

2

Groups of users analysed: users who consume on the premises and users who order takeaways.

Conclusions

As well as finding out the environmental impact of single-use plastics and user experience, one of the opportunities of the “Circular Journey” for the company was to take advantage of calculations made during the project as a communication strategy as a differentiating factor in the market and to create marketing campaigns geared towards the sustainable initiatives implemented.

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