Environment and sustainability

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LEADING THE WAY IN SUSTAINABILITY

Plastic pollution remains to be a pressing issue in Southeast Asia, in which China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka are the world’s top 5 account for 60% of plastic waste choking the oceans, rivers and piling up on land. Recognizing the threat of plastic pollution and the need to act on sustainability, Autogrill VFS F&B has pioneered numerous programs under the banner of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. Since launching early this year, the programs have been excellently practiced by all associates across 5 branches and fully supported by our customers. It again creates a positive point of difference at our locations and has been well received by our partners.

SAY NO TO STRAWS, LIDS, AND BAGS

Every year, each Vietnamese discharges an average of 41kg of plastic waste (in 2015), and the figure is predicted to rise to 45kg by 2020. Plastic wastes are easy to be found in popular tourist attractions, especially on some famous beach destinations that we are doing business. Plastic products are an indispensable part of our lives thank to its convenience and ubiquity. However, they are the primary source of pollution in our environment since it can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Moreover, it is worth realizing that not every plastic can be recycled. Items which are smaller than 2 inches such as plastic straws and utensils fall into the machinery system, making them difficult or impossible to recycle.

Autogrill VFS F&B is one of the first organization in Vietnam has run "Say No To Straws, Lids and Bags" program strongly and consistently nationwide. We stop serving plastic straws, lids and bags to our customers. We provide paper straws to those extremely need it and control paper packaging the best we can. As a pioneer, we got some hesitation and confusion from the team and customers at the start. But thanks to our sincere, patience and enthusiasm, customers get more idea and later on feel appreciated with what we are doing.

SERVING REUSABLE DRINKWARE FOR DINE-IN CUSTOMERS

Most of us like to think we’re doing the right thing with the empty cup, and throw it into the bin marked “recycling”. The fact is that only 1 out of 400 coffee cups are recycled, the rest are end up in landfill sites for centuries. Another fact has recently been revealed that not only plastic cups but also paper cups cause pollution, even more harmful. While the plastic cups can be recycled through recycling machine, paper cups require more complex process. Because a paper cup includes a layer of polyethylene, that very few recycling facilities can separate out or break down the paper and plastic.

Consequently, for environmental sustainability replacing disposables with drinkware and cutlery that can be reused multiple times is the best way to go. At our 85 stores around 5 airports, Autogrill VFS F&B started to serve our products in ceramics, glasses and unbreakable cups for dine-in customers. In some landside outlets, we also switch the plastic cutlery to stainless steel ones. The impact of this program is amazing as below chart, sales heading up, while disposable plastic consumption heading down.

GETTING INTO THE RECYCLING HABIT

Tan Son Nhat team has been running a pilot program ‘sorting waste at source’, separating wastes before sending them to garbage collectors. Multiple bins have been placed in the kitchen and all associates have been told to dump the waste in the right one. Waste separation at source is a key component in the concerted effort to diverse waste from landfills and to maximize the recovery of recyclables. In Vietnam, persuading people to separate their waste is still a challenge as it has not got recycling rules regarding sorting yet. However, the team has been very proactive and hands-on on getting everyone involved in the program. This is a nice initiative of Tan Son Nhat raising awareness of waste sorting and environmental protection, that worth being amplified to other branches as well.