Peggy Chan
After a career as a plant-based chef and regenerative agriculture advocate, Peggy Chan realized that chefs and consumers alone can’t drive the transition to chemical-free agriculture. “The demand-driven organic model is broken and too slow,” says Chan. Real change, she believes, must come from farmers, many of whom are eager to adopt regenerative practices but don’t know how, or cannot afford to take the risk.
In 2021, Chan launched the Southeast Asian branch of Zero Foodprint, a US nonprofit dedicated to funding regenerative agriculture. Zero Foodprint Asia partners with local restaurants, which pledge 1% of each bill to provide farmers with knowledge and financial support, including buybacks and prepayments, to facilitate a smooth transition to chemical-free cultivation and regenerative farming. “Our mission is to create an environmental shift and a social and economic transformation to grow better, affordable food for everyone,” says Chan.
ReFED
ReFED is a US nonprofit organization working exclusively on food loss and waste, launched in 2015 from a research project between industry, nonprofit and government leaders, called Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data. “After the report was published, the authors realized they had the data, but there was no centralized organization that could accelerate action,” says Jackie Suggitt, VP of business initiatives & community engagement at ReFED.
Nearly a decade later, as food waste takes center stage in sustainability discussions, ReFED has developed the most comprehensive US dataset on the issue. “It’s not perfect, but we’re very transparent, and constantly improving it,” says Suggitt. “Our focus is on packaging decision-ready data to enable action.”
ReFED has positioned itself as a key convener in the food waste space. A notable result is the US Food Waste Pact, a collaboration co-managed with WWF that unites restaurants, retailers, and manufacturers to accelerate progress toward their waste reduction targets.
Ana Roquero
Cookplay CEO and founder Ana Roquero has built an international reputation with her minimalist tableware, designed to blend ergonomics with nature-inspired shapes. Cookplay’s pieces are now found in restaurants and stores across 60 countries, counting chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Martin Berasategui and Jordi Roca among its customers.
In 2019, Roquero launched CookplayEKO, a range developed specifically for catering and takeaway, with plates, miniatures, cups, lidded bowls and cutlery made from 100% compostable sugarcane fibre. CookplayEKO has quickly become a core part of Cookplay’s business, with over three million pieces sold annually. CookplayEKO’s customers include notable names such as David Muñoz’s food truck, the Dani García Group, and the Michelin Gala cocktail event.
Danielle Nierenberg
Danielle Nierenberg’s journey as a sustainable agriculture advocate began after university, volunteering in the Dominican Republic. “Working with farmers, I realized they weren’t to blame for environmental problems. They were stewards of the land,” says Nierenberg.
In 2013, she co-founded Food Tank, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting innovative ideas on food system issues. “There were stories of hope and success on farms worldwide, but most organizations were very doom and gloom. We wanted to shine a spotlight on what was working,” she adds. Food Tank has since partnered with organizations, including the UN and the White House, on initiatives to alleviate hunger and the climate crisis. “Along with other groups, we put food at the center of the climate discussion,” says Nierenberg. “For too long, the focus was on energy and transportation, but agriculture emits a third of greenhouse gases. Food must be part of the solution.”
MAX Burgers
For a fast-food burger chain that publicly aims to sell less beef to meet its carbon neutrality targets, sustainability is clearly more than just a buzzword. The Swedish chain MAX Burgers, with around 180 locations across Sweden, Norway, and Poland, has committed to cutting CO₂ emissions to 0.66 kg per 1,000 kcal by 2050, a reduction of more than 50% on the current 1.9 kg. With 54% of its value-chain emissions coming from beef, the chain’s target is to generate at least 50% of its sales from vegetarian options. To support this, it expanded its Green Menu with several plant-based options made from pulses.
MAX Burgers’ commitment to sustainability dates to its founding in 1968, with early initiatives including fryer oil recycling. Current efforts include transitioning to renewable energy sources, minimizing food waste, and carbon offsetting.
Silo
Silo’s slogan, “a restaurant without a bin,” is as radical as it sounds. The London restaurant only works with raw ingredients and makes everything from scratch, including butter and flour. All ingredients are delivered in reusable crates, while furniture and fittings are upcycled from waste such as plastic bags and brewer’s grains.
For founder Douglas McMaster, developing its zero-waste philosophy was neither quick nor easy. It began in Australia when he met Joost Bakker, the environmental activist McMaster calls the “Zero Waste prophet.” In his book, Silo: The Zero Waste Blueprint, McMaster admits he initially had no idea what sustainability meant. The concept’s first test was Silo by Joost, a small café in Melbourne, that McMaster decided to develop further. Today, Silo stands as an award-winning, globally recognized model of sustainability in foodservice.
The Agrarian Kitchen
Located in New Norfolk, Tasmania, the Agrarian Kitchen was founded in 2008 by Rodney Dunn and his wife. The concept combines a restaurant, kiosk, and culinary school, and is centred on hyperlocal self-production. At its heart it is a one-acre, no-dig fruit and vegetable garden that provides 90% of the produce used. They make their own bread, kefir, and cheese, incorporating whey from cheesemaking into non-alcoholic drinks. Leftover wine and cider are repurposed as vinegar.
While he acknowledges inspiration from River Cottage for the self-production model, Dunn – also a cookbook author, former apprentice to chef Tetsuya Wakuda, and food journalist – has integrated advanced sustainability practices, such as creating compost from food scraps, bones, and paper towels, sourcing whole carcasses from small-scale free-range farms, avoiding bottled water, and using compostable takeout packaging.
Andrea Tolu
