For information relating to allergens, please see our disclaimer on the menus page.
As an award-winning restaurant serving the finest steaks from around the world, we know the challenge this poses when talking about decarbonisation and in achieving our ambitious impact and sustainability targets. Since 2016 we have partnered with the ‘Not For Sale’ movement to fight modern-day slavery and since 2019 invested in their global re-forestation projects, to offset the carbon footprint of our beef production. We continue to put our aspirations into action and find ways to make better choices for what to put on our menus.
This is why M is proud to have partnered with climate accounting experts Klimato to calculate the carbon footprint of each dish on our Group Dining Menus. Through the Klimato platform, we can obtain insights into the environmental impacts of the food and beverages we choose to use, in particular the carbon emissions associated with each ingredient.
We have calculated the carbon footprint of each of our three Group Dining Menus and, as part of our sustainability strategy to tackle the carbon emissions already in the atmosphere from these menus, M is proudly investing in additional offsetting projects with ‘Not For Sale’ providing access to employment for vulnerable individuals through our tree planting projects, which remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere and in doing so make our Group Dining Menu options sustainable and carbon neutral.
Looking to the future, this partnership with Klimato will enable us to make real strides towards our net zero targets, using the platform when designing menus across all our restaurants to reduce the average carbon footprint of a dish across all our menus to our target of 2kgs by 2030.
We are excited for the coming months to see what more we can achieve with the help of Klimato! You can find out more about their work here.
Regenerative agriculture is a hot topic in the world of sustainability right now. Although there is no clear, universally accepted definition, it describes farming and grazing practices that can improve the land’s health, and biodiversity, and improve the carbon-storing abilities of soils. It is widely believed to hold many of the answers to how we can reduce carbon emissions from agricultural practices.
At M, we have been exploring what the benefits of Regenerative Agriculture could be for the hospitality sector. It all began with a conversation with industry friend ‘Honest Burger’ who have worked to overhaul their entire beef supply chain to be regeneratively farmed to reduce the carbon footprint of their beef. This led us to their supplier, ‘The Ethical Butcher’ who supply a range of meat and poultry products that come from UK farms practising Regenerative Agriculture.
After a trip to one of ‘The Ethical Butcher’ farms where we met farmer Neil who owns the first farm in the UK to be certified ‘Regenerative’ by certification body RegenAgri, and after sampling some products to ensure it’s high quality we pride ourselves on, we have introduced two cuts of regeneratively farmed beef to our menu: sirloin prime cut and ribeye on the bone.
To understand more about why we have done this, let’s explore what Regenerative Agriculture is all about.
What are the principles of Regenerative farming?
What is the difference between ‘regenerative’ and ‘organic’?
While there are many crossovers between the practices used in two types of farming, organic produce must go through a certification process in order to use the word on packaging and marketing, while regenerative currently does not. Organic includes a specific set of metrics that farms must adhere to in order to be certified, this is a fundamental difference between the two farming systems and one reason why ‘Regenerative’ is still universally undefined.
Unlike organic, the idea of regenerative is to treat each piece of land in different areas and climates around the world as individual entities, meaning that no single solution – a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach – can be used to achieve sustainability. Each farm needs to be looked at individually to understand its specific needs when deciding what practices to implement, therefore there are no set metrics and KPIs and the focus instead is on the outputs, such as carbon sequestration potential.
What is carbon sequestration?
Simply put, carbon sequestration refers to the removal of carbon dioxide molecules from the air, storing them in plants and trees – otherwise known as carbon sinks. Forests, jungles, woodland areas and even the seabed are important for this, as they are our largest natural carbon sinks on the planet. Healthy soils are vital for plants to grow which is why there is such a strong emphasis on soil health in Regenerative Agriculture. Improving soils and increasing the right kind of plants and crops on agricultural land will improve the ability of the system to capture carbon and will go a significant way in the journey to lower emissions in agriculture.
M is proud to showcase these two cuts of regeneratively farmed beef on our menu, alongside our carbon-neutral Argentinian beef. M is also pleased to be a member of the Zero Carbon Forum’s working group on Regenerative Agriculture, to discover what advances we can make within the hospitality industry, and how scaling up this type of production could be possible not only in the UK, but also around the world.
In 2019, we became the first eco-friendly restaurant in the UK to offer ‘Carbon Neutral Steaks’. This month Martin Williams CEO travelled to Peru to see how our reforestation projects affect the lives of potential victims of modern-day slavery and sex traffickers. This was all in partnership with the ‘Not For Sale’ movement. At Rare, we have great pride in bringing you a truly eco-friendly eating experience at our restaurants in London and throughout the country. We hope you will continue to read about our ethical projects in our Impact blog.
What does it mean to be an eco-friendly restaurant?
It’s our ambition that our restaurants are empathetic, curious and courageous. Since founding M and becoming CEO of Gaucho, we have sought to create values-driven, eco-friendly restaurants at the heart of their communities. This community does not just include the location of the buildings, but also the suppliers around the world. We have numerous examples of how we display this, one of which is our commitment to raising both awareness and consistent financial contributions for the ‘Not for Sale’ movement.
Since 2019 we have contributed to multiple eco-friendly community projects across the globe (mostly South America) which support local communities to work with us on our reforestation programmes. This is one method that enables us to make our supply chain carbon neutral, and helps these communities in the process by creating a reliable living out of rainforest produce. This continues to protect these indigenous tribes and villages in danger of becoming victims of sex trafficking and modern slavery.
Our journey to become a net-zero restaurant and the impact we have on global society is a great source of pride to everyone at Rare Restaurants. This year alone we have planted over 25,000 trees, all to make sure that the steaks in our restaurants are eco-friendly. All in all, our partnership with the ‘Not For Sale’ Movement has improved the lives of over a thousand people.
How restaurants can help combat modern slavery
NFS is an organisation that fights modern slavery and sex trafficking around the globe, founded in 2014. Its founder, David Batstone, explained that his motivation for creating the movement was after he shockingly discovered that his favourite restaurant was made of forced workers. This included both waitresses and chefs, all being exploited by the owner.
For many people, our favourite restaurants are a huge part of our lives, so it’s important that our brand choices reflect the values of those who work and dine in them. I believe when a restaurant goes beyond food, drink and hospitality, it creates an incredible sense of loyalty and pride. Why? Because at their very best, a restaurant is not just a place to eat great food, it’s an organisation that enhances communities and brings about societal changes. At their very worst, like in David Batstone’s discovery, it represents shocking injustice.
My personal passion for restaurants comes from a desire to offer high-quality, eco-friendly eating experiences enjoyed by both a community of like-minded guests and the extraordinary staff who serve them. But more importantly, to contribute to a deeper purpose.
That’s why, since 2015, M restaurants have supported NFS through our ‘M Is Not For Sale’ initiative. This helps fund a project named ‘Dignata’ in Amsterdam, which takes forced sex workers out of the red light district, into the safety of restaurant employment.
Reforestation and plant projects in Peru
I recently travelled to Puerto Maldonado in Peru to witness the impact of two major projects. The first is the reforestation work of ‘Not For Sale’ with Camino Verde, and the second is to visit a village called Boca Pariamanu — a 5,000-hectare plantation (one hectare is around 2.5 acres, so it’s pretty big).
Percy Leva is the leader of the Camino Verde project, which involves growing new saplings from seed. The modest ‘farm’ (if you can call it that) grows around seventy different types of trees, twelve of which are in danger of becoming extinct. The plantation of these trees has an intricate roadmap – a strategy to plant them over a decade. Many of these special trees produce food, medicine and essential oils. All of this produce is vital to support the local ecosystem, and is needed for insects, bees, birds, animals and even human life to survive.
In the company of Percy and his spirited Camino Verde friends, I found a surprising new appreciation for the power of a plant. Who knew?
Reforestation and farming projects in the Amazon
Our ‘Not For Sale’ partnership projects also support nine villages and indigenous people of the Amazon, in Brazil. Illegal mining and ‘logging’ has caused deforestation, meaning the resulting devastation surrounds local villages. Many of these communities live in terrible poverty, so when offered ‘employment opportunities’ by miners, narco-traffickers or loggers, these desperate young people often choose to leave their families. They do this in the hope of providing for their loved ones financially. However, these situations are often far from what is promised, and they end up being raped, abused, or forced into slave labour camps and even prostitution.
The ‘NFS’ movement here has spent twenty years building trust with the villagers. Investing in various transport, reforestation and farming projects has given these communities not only a sustainable existence, but has also allowed them to profit from the natural produce of the forest. This is mainly from the cultivation and commercialisation of produce like brazil nuts and cacao, but also through entrepreneurial projects such as research tourism, jewellery and perfumes. All this means the young people in the community are no longer compelled to be tempted by illegal miners and loggers. Fernando, the leader of the tribe, gave me a tour of their land and introduced me to dozens of happy villagers. They are delighted by their self-sustainability and are always seeking more opportunities to enhance their quality of life even further. Amazing stuff!
Eco-friendly restaurants are the future
In the coming years, each company will embark on a path to become net-zero. We began ours in 2019. There are many ways to approach this, but at Rare Restaurants, we have found a holistic route to provide an eco-friendly eating option for our guests. With the help of partners like ‘Not for Sale’, we have also found a way to improve the planet and the lives of many people. The projects discussed above are evidence of this, and having spoken to many of our employees, this provides a great source of pride and internal community.
The ‘Sustainable Steak Movement’ (SSM) was created in 2021 to share the findings of our scientific research investments in multiple areas. This includes carbon footprint calculations, our findings on best practices in animal husbandry, sequestration, regenerative farming techniques, the decrease of carbon at source and options to reduce greenhouse gases. We have welcomed our invitation to join the SSM, and are working alongside the ‘Zero Carbon Forum’ to encourage other similar organisations to join and begin their own journey to become a net-zero restaurant. If we all work together, this exciting movement has incredible potential.
Welcome to our summary blog for 2022. At M, last year was packed full of projects, events, new initiatives and new openings. Did you know we were the winner of the R200 best new opening of 2022? But we want to be known for much more than just this, especially when it comes to our impact.
With our new and improved impact strategy, we made real progress in 2022. With staff education, new partners and engaging our suppliers with our net zero ambitions, we made genuine strides to achieving our eco-friendly goals.
Let’s look back at the year, what we achieved and what’s in store for 2023.
London Climate Change Events in 2022
In the summer we outlined a whole host of London Climate Change events, including London Climate Action Week, Sustainable Events Show and Net Zero Week. Attending such events was a prime opportunity to build relationships with partners and potential suppliers, all who share a similar mindset around restaurant sustainability. You can be sure that London’s best restaurants of 2022 were there.
Becoming an eco-friendly restaurant
Last year saw us step with our actions in becoming an eco-friendly restaurant. In a letter from our founder, we outlined our goal for empathy, curiosity and courage. Since the genesis of this restaurant group, we have sought to create values-driven, eco-friendly restaurants at the heart of their communities.
And we have set real goals to back this up, aiming to be a net zero business by 2040. While this is ambitious, we believe that by doing more every year, we can achieve this goal of achieving net zero across Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030 and Scope 3 by 2040.
We are committed to sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. In 2022, the restaurant group undertook several initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and waste, while also providing impact awareness training for its staff. Let’s take a look.
Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) and Food Made Good
We were excited to become a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) in 2021. The SRA works with businesses across the foodservice industry, industry bodies, campaign groups and suppliers to accelerate change towards an environmentally and socially progressive sector.
In this process, we were awarded a One Star Food Made Good sustainability rating last year, assessing our commitments in sourcing, society and environment. Our highest overall score was achieved in the environment category thanks to a number of initiatives, including:
● A zero-waste-to-landfill policy.
● All food waste going to anaerobic digestion.
● A 75% recycling rate across all restaurants.
Zero Carbon Forum (ZCF)
ZCF encourages its members to reach sustainability targets with better efficiency, speed and effectiveness. These guys helped us identify carbon emission hotspots and priority areas to tackle.
As part of working with the ZCF, we investigated the benefits of regenerative agriculture; one of the many initiatives to help decarbonise the supply chain. For more information on how we used this, see an article written from the London Economic on how we ‘put regenerative farming on the map with carbon-neutral beef’.
Increased food supply from local producers
As highlighted in our Food Made Good assessment, we needed to do some work on increasing food supply from local producers. So we did.
We recently formed a new partnership with supplier The Ethical Butcher: an organisation that prides itself on providing beef from UK farms that practise regenerative agriculture. This means they use farmers that honour natural systems and farm in ways that increase biodiversity and regenerate the land, having a good impact on the British countryside.
Then there’s Crate to Plate. This is an incredible organisation that harnesses state-of-the-art hydroponics technology, using purpose-built containers that allow us to fully control the farming conditions – in Canary Wharf. What does this mean for your dining experience? Well, if you order M’s Crate To Plate salad as a side, you’ll be dining on leaves grown less than 20 minutes’ walk away. How cool is that?
While on the topic of Canary Wharf, last year we began supporting Canary Wharf’s Biodiversity Action Plan and became a stakeholder in the Canary Wharf Climate Action Working Group. Who knew Canary Wharf was such a vibrant place for sustainability initiatives?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
We partnered with The Carbon Group who analysed the life cycle carbon emissions of our signature Argentinian beef to generate a carbon footprint and to assess the environmental impacts of the whole supply chain. The insights gained from the LCA have helped the restaurant group identify opportunities for reducing the carbon footprint and improve our supply chain.
Not For Sale
Not For Sale is one of our most active charity partners, and were extremely proud of what they achieved in 2022. Last year, the projects we invested in as part of M, offset an estimated 213 tonnes of CO2 emissions from our beef. Not only this, but the projects also provide income and employment opportunities for communities at risk of modern-day slavery or trafficking.
Impact Awareness Training for staff
Last year we created a new Impact Awareness training program for all our staff, aimed at educating them on sustainability concepts and principles. This is to ensure everyone in the business is aligned with our sustainability goals.
Sustainable energy use
We have been purchasing 100% renewable electricity for several years, but in 2022 the restaurant group took steps to be more energy-efficient by reducing unnecessary electricity usage during closed times. The Save While You Sleep initiative allowed us to measure and reduce electricity usage during closed time by improving shutdown and opening practices, and identifying inefficient equipment to replace.
BREEAM Certified Building
Our M Newfoundland building is BREEAM certified, achieving 4 out of 6 stars for sustainability in construction. This assesses things like low impact design and carbon emissions reduction, design durability, adaptation to climate change and biodiversity protection.
What’s happening in 2023 at M Restaurants?
Supply Chain Decarbonisation
One of our priorities for 2023 is to engage with our supply chain to enhance the decarbonisation process, with a focus on creating a formal carbon reduction strategy based on the recommendations from the LCA. The restaurant group will also be auditing its entire supplier network to ensure their sustainability priorities are in line with our own.
Staff Training
M is also improving its staff training this year, with a spotlight on waste management, energy efficiency, and food waste reduction. We will be measuring food waste across the restaurants and using our position as signatories of the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap with the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) to support our chefs with food waste reduction goals.
Further projects
We will continue to support our many charity partners, including Not For Sale. By investing in various transport, reforestation and farming projects has given these communities not only a sustainable existence, but has allowed them to profit from the natural produce of the forest.
The restaurant group will also calculate site-specific carbon footprints to target certain restaurants and set more specific reduction targets. The more targeted a problem is, the easier it is to solve.
That concludes our yearly review and why we made the best steak in London. For more information on our sustainability initiatives, check out our Impact blogs and follow us on our Instagram @mrestaurants. The restaurant group is passionate about sustainability, working with the community, and serving delicious meat.
M is proud to partner with NOT FOR SALE, a global organisation that works to end human trafficking. All profits from M IS NOT FOR SALE, supported by OpenTable, will raise money for Dignita, a restaurant group in Amsterdam which works as a social enterprise model running culinary training programmes to rehabilitate those who have experienced exploitation or trafficking. The survivors are trained in employment skills to grow their confidence to re-enter the work force. The limited edition menu designed by M’s Executive Chef, Mike Reid, takes inspiration from Peru, Vietnam, Thailand and USA, 5 of the 9 countries where NOT FOR SALE projects have funded the building of homes and creating a support structure to free children and adults from sex trafficking and the slave trade.
What Is beverage sustainability?
Welcome back to part seven of our Impact blog series at M. If you haven’t already, check out our other editions where we explored topics such as restaurant social responsibility.
If you’re from the UK, you’ll not need to be told that we’ve seen some of the highest recorded temperatures this past month. And no, before you make any presumptions, we aren’t here to lecture on the relevance to climate change or global warming. Rather, we are just looking to highlight beverage sustainability, wine sustainability and eco friendly wines. So open up a bottle, sit back and enjoy as we discuss sustainability in the beverage industry.
How do you make sustainable wines and beverages?
Whether it’s looking at supply chain, manufacturing, ingredients, packaging, logistics or disposal, there are a myriad of ways to drink sustainably. For M Restaurants, we started our ‘sustainable serves’ initiative. This is where we have dived deep into our suppliers and wineries, all to enhance our understanding of their eco-conscious processes. By vetting our suppliers, this means we can be more stringent in the selection process, only choosing partners who have credible and sustainable practices. In Glass Half Full, we have great pride in announcing that we stock truly sustainable beverages.
As a way to showcase our biodynamic, organic and natural partners, we’ve pinpointed them on each of our menus. Moving forward, we aim to enhance such initiatives, particularly when it comes to things like sustainable ingredients in cocktails. We also try to avoid importing items.
How do you drink sustainably?
We all want to make good choices when it comes to eco-friendly beverages, but it can be very difficult. With an eco-conscious mindset ever more present in the global sphere, businesses can no longer be caught slacking when it comes to their beverage sustainability initiatives. Customer demand will not allow it. To support businesses that do want to make a change, look out for their actions. Even simple things like providing sustainable cups and glasses go a long way to showcasing intent.
Are there such things as zero-waste cocktails?
Designing an environmentally friendly cocktail around zero-waste principles means ensuring there is as little waste as possible. In other words, that nothing ends up in the bin that doesn’t need to. Garnishes are a large part of the allure of cocktails. But they aren’t always edible, and are often made out of plastic – all to provide a bit of jazz to the experience. But they aren’t necessary and they aren’t sustainable, since they often just get thrown in the bin. To be more eco-friendly, try to only use garnishes that are edible. Think juicy yellow lemons, citrusy limes, and decadent chocolate. Even bits of marshmallow or sweets can do a job too. In short, there are plenty of ways to dress up cocktails in a way that doesn’t create unnecessary waste.
What does being ‘certified sustainable’ mean?
‘Organic’ and ‘Biodynamic’ are certified credentials that wine and drinks suppliers can achieve to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. What do they represent? Well, these credentials indicate that the companies put environmental principles at the forefront of their farming practices. Here are the requirements they need to meet in order to be eligible for ‘Organic’:
Promotion of good healthy soils through land management, encouraging biodiversity
Protecting soils from erosion, planting additional crops and hedgerows that prevent it from drying out in the sun
Biodynamic is a next level accreditation. Why? It means that the supplier goes the extra mile when it comes to organic requirements. It’s actually has a definition: ‘a spiritual-ethical-ecological’ approach to agriculture, gardens, food production, and nutrition. For a vineyard to have this accreditation, they need to be seen as a part of nature and not a piece of land with the function to mass produce grapes. They are a seamless part of the environment, causing no harm, and even enhance the greenery. In short, the biodynamic certification shows that businesses prioritise sustainability above their commercial goals. That’s pretty cool, don’t you think?
How do you spot wine sustainability?
When it comes to wine sustainability, this refers to bottles that are created in eco-friendly vineyards. What makes such a vineyard? The main considerations are water conservation, energy conservation, and ecosystem preservation to local wildlife. To discover sustainable wine companies, all you need to do is look at the label and check for organic or biodynamic logos. If the place has been authenticated, you’ll see them there. Producers that prioritise wine sustainability are keen for you to know about their conscious practises, and often direct their audience towards their accreditations. So if you want a glass of sustainable red wine with your consciously-sourced steak, check the label.
What type of packaging allows you to drink sustainably?
Although it’s a functional necessity, sustainable packaging is a challenge. This is because transporting drinks with a variety of packaging has an affect on the drinks inside and their quality. Glass is an interesting one when it comes to sustainable packaging. Although glass can be easily recycled, the sheer weight of transporting the glass creates higher transport emissions and costs. This is a serious thing to consider, as the heavier the item, the more fuel it requires to move. For sustainable wines, glass is a must-use in order to maintain the quality of the drink.
Aluminium cans are also easy to recycle. They are also lightweight, sturdy and commonly used. However, some organisations don’t like to use this metal as some consumers see it as lower quality.
Finally, plastic bottles are the easiest to recycle. But the problem is, not all of them are. This is because there is complexity in making them out of different types of plastic. The other problem is that plastic is not biodegradable, and causes many problems in terms of ocean waste.
Why is sustainability in the food and beverage industry so vital?
To prioritise sustainable beverages and food, it is all about being resourceful in the source and supplier part of the princess. With an increasing population, decrease in land space and degradation in soil quality, it’s paramount that all industries consider introducing more eco-friendly sustainable practices. None more so than the food and beverage industry.
Climate change has a direct impact on agriculture. With the frequency of natural disasters like floods, droughts and extreme temperatures, food production has suffered. And due to more global demand, these issues are made worse by inconsiderate land management. Nutrients in our soil are lessening, which means the fertile status of land is decreasing with such pace that much of it cannot be used for farming ever again.
What’s the solution then? Enhance sustainability in the food and beverage industry by reevaluating our agriculture and land management practices. The first step to better practices alongside technological developments and regenerative farming is to heighten the esteem of organic certifications. While we have pride in our impact and sustainability efforts so far, we know that there’s still much work to be done. Going forward, we are looking to create a new project with our wine suppliers that will evaluate their eco-friendly practices. This will be done for every winner. Ultimately, we hope this will increase the number of sustainable beverages we can offer our customers.
Restaurant Social Responsibility
Welcome back to the Impact blog, where today we reach number six in our series. We’re so happy to have reached half a dozen and provide more content to our loyal readers. We love to know that we have helped build an avid community of conscious consumers, all sharing our passion for positive action.
From January we have explored a range of topics. These include our involvement with the SRA, low carbon beef farming, sustainable sourcing and sustainability events happening in London. This we are delving deeper into the crucial role charity partnerships have in our Impact remit. For instance, one of our partners, ‘Not For Sale’, works worldwide with communities most at-risk of exploitation. They are a contemporary anti-slavery charity who fight the causes of exploitation at source.
At M, we know the vital need to support and promote charitable organisations. While working alongside six partners, we have grasped the opportunities they have provided. This includes gaining access to an abundant network of contacts, bringing employment to news groups and fulfilling diversification and inclusivity goals within our workforce.
Who are Not For Sale (NFS)?
45.8 million people live in slavery worldwide. NFS’s goal is to end the dire lack of economic opportunity, as well as remove the environmental degradation that causes exploitation. It believes that it’s possible to create a world where people and our planet exist together in harmony — a world where no person is for sale.
To do this, Not For Sale aims to understand the root causes of slavery by liaising with local experts. NFS partners with local entrepreneurs to organise projects that give education, empowerment and income for the most vulnerable and at risk, all in their effort to discover where the vicious cycle can be disrupted.
Both Gaucho and M restaurants have a committed partnership with Not For Sale, and have pledged to raise and donate £1 million over the next decade. In a variety of campaigns, including the annual ‘M Is Not For Sale’ fundraiser and a pop-up experience at M Victoria, we have helped support and provide for the NFS mission. We are extremely proud to be enhancing our support further with significant investment into NFS initiatives aiming to offset carbon emissions.
Offsetting Carbon with Not For Sale (NFS)
Through this charity partnership, we are focusing on a long-term strategy to reduce the emissions at source on our farms in Argentina and throughout our supply chain, as well as working to tackle our historic emissions, such as reforestation or afforestation initiatives, we are also directing our investments in community projects that have a carbon offsetting potential. For example, we planted 4,056 trees in South America In January 2021, which offsetted a massive 1,464 tonnes of CO2eq. This kind of project is how we aim to and we have offset the last six months of our beef carbon emissions.
We are now also facilitating work in nine countries where we source beef for our Gaucho and M restaurants. In this project, over 17,500 trees will be planted. This will offset nearly 4 million tonnes of CO2eq. Incredible.
Projects in Peru
Planted tree species Aniba canelilla 340 trees planted Each tree offsets around 14kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? craftwork, construction timber, carpentry, essential oils, medicine
Planted tree species Bertholletia excelsa 387 trees planted Each tree offsets around 20kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? beekeeping, construction timber, cosmetics, aids land reclamation and soil restoration
Planted tree species Hura crepitans 193 trees planted Each tree offsets around 8kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? Resin, medicine, aids land reclamation and soil restoration
Planted tree species Theobroma cacoa 1,284 trees planted Each tree offsets around 8kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? chocolate Projects in Brazil
Planted tree species Carapa guianensis 279 trees planted Each tree offsets around 40kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? Cosmetics and traditional medicines
Planted tree species Enterolobirum contortisiliquum 1,573 trees planted Each tree offsets around 24kg of carbon per year What will they be used for? wood for construction, medicine, ornamental
Restaurant social responsibility is a crucial focus for both Gaucho and M Restaurants. When it comes to sustainability and core values, our charity partnerships play a crucial role. We’re ecstatic to be partnered with so many incredible charities, each one with their own mission to inspire and action positive impacts on our planet. In particular, we would like to give a heart-felt and genuine thank you to Not For Sale. We are so extremely proud of the work we have done together, and we’re excited to see what’s next.
There are a few tanned faces walking around Rare Restaurants HQ this week, which can only mean one thing… The annual Argentina trip has been and gone, bringing with it a wave of new energy and excitement, having explored the farms that supply our restaurants with the best quality steak. In this post we explore the potential for sustainable farming through regenerative and holistic land management.
What is sustainable farming? Sustainable agriculture means operating with the environmental, social, and economic impacts taken into consideration, meeting food needs without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. The purpose of the Argentina trip is to connect with our farmers and understand how they are operating within this capacity. The team visited two farms that supply us with our much-loved Aberdeen Angus Argentinian steak: Santa Maria del Recuerdo in Saladillo and Santa Elena in Rojas, both situated in the famous La Pampas region.
Santa Maria del Recuerdo
Santa Maria is a family-owned, natural grasslands farm. Francesco and his brothers became administrators in 2016 with the intention of disrupting the traditional farming methods to become economically efficient, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable. To achieve this, they have adopted new processes, which consider genetics, nutrition and animal welfare.
They have taken the genetic information of their cattle and studied the soil profile of their 4,000-hectare farm to understand which parts of the farm are best suited for the various aspects of farming. The type of grass that cattle graze on during the fattening stage is important for the marbling and quality of the meat, however, seasonal variations affect the quality and type of grass that is available throughout the year. Rye grass is crucial for achieving good marbling but is of low quality during the winter months, and so it is complemented with corn that the farm grows itself. Argentinian law prevents the use of any imported feeds supplements; therefore, the farm must take this into account when managing the land
Santa Maria operates holistic land management practices, where cattle spend five days grazing in each area of the farm before being moved on to the next. After the grasslands have been grazed on, they need a minimum of 30 days to recover before livestock can be reintroduced, which gives the native grasses time to recover and regrow. Ranchers are also exploring the options for planting more grasses and legumes, to improve the soil and sequester more carbon. Alfalfa, soy and corn are particularly good for this, while introducing cover crops, such as clover, can also aid the digestion of the cattle, which plays a role in reducing the methane emissions from cows themselves.
Santa Elena – Rojas
Unlike at Santa Maria, Juan and his team at Santa Elena use the land predominantly for agriculture rather than livestock grazing simply because the quality of the soil is so good, particularly compared to areas around it, and so is mainly used to grow crops for supplementing feed on cattle farms. They also operate a rotation system across the farm by separating out areas based on the quality of the soil. This also enables those areas of the farm that have a lower soil quality to be improved through the planting of species, such as alfalfa, which “fixes” nitrogen into the soil to boost the fertility of the soil, reducing the need to use synthetic or chemical fertilisers.
Despite this farm being over 6,000 hectares in size, very few cattle are reared on site. They are kept on the lowland areas where the soil is of lower quality and not good enough to grow crops. For those they do rear, keeping stress levels to a minimum is extremely important towards the end of their life. Cattle are transferred to a special area of the farm where they are given the freedom to make their own decisions about what needs they want to fulfil such as eating, drinking, sheltering, or ruminating. Alongside being a key indicator of ethical rearing practices, high animal welfare standards can also help to mitigate environmental pressures along the supply chain. Once at the slaughterhouse, any meat that shows signs of bruising is discarded as low quality and is a core contributor to food waste.
At Rare Restaurants we know that sustainable livestock farming can be a part of the climate change solution and so place it at the heart of our business. The annual Argentina trip helps to keep our sustainability efforts and the origins of our brands fresh in our teams’ mind, while bringing us closer to our farmers and understanding their practices. We take great care to ensure sustainable methods in all aspects of the supply chain, from farm to our restaurant tables.
Our journey towards becoming a zero carbon business
Welcome back to the fifth edition of the Impact blog series. If you haven’t yet seen our last blog on sustainable farming, please check it out. If you have been keeping up with our posts, you’ll know that we’ve been documenting our mission to become a carbon-neutral business. Previously we’ve explored sustainable food sourcing, sustainable agricultural practices, charity partners, new internal initiatives, and our accolades and awards. This time we’re looking at all the sustainability and climate change events taking place in the capital this year.
25th June – 3rd July: London Climate Action Week (LCAW)
London Climate Action Week (or LCAW) is a yearly event that gathers together London’s most prominent climate professionals and communities. It allows these experts to showcase their thoughts on climate change to a worldwide audience. Not only does LCAW encourage conversations across multiple sectors, it facilitates businesses to work together and explore new solutions to tackle these issues.
The Sustainable Supper Club was hosted by us to coincide with the event. Among the attendees were, CRATE TO PLATE one of our eco-friendly suppliers who grow salad leaves, micro herbs, and vegetables in hydroponic and aeroponic farms around the disused spaces around London. Using some incredible technology and expertise, their produce is grown without the use of soil in an entirely pesticide-free environment. They also use 95% less water than on conventional farms. Our guests were given the opportunity to chat with Crate to Plate representatives, and even try their products during the dinner.
2nd July – 8th July: Net Zero Week UK
The United Kingdom became the first major economy to pass into law a commitment to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Net Zero Week (NZW) is an annual awareness week with the mission of helping businesses achieve their unique commitments towards this goal. It allows us to explore the challenges on a more granular level.
Again, with experts in attendance, those who come are encouraged to ask questions to get the most out of the experience. This is all to help us take part and do our bit, framing the mission as a collaborative effort rather than an individual business one. During the week M restaurants take the opportunity to attend webinars and events, embedding these new learnings into our own net-zero strategy. We also look to share this with our value chain so they too can adapt and improve their own strategy.
25th November: Sustainable Events Show
Hosted by Wesley Mendy and Dan Bearpark, this is a one day event that helps to curate relationships with like-minded parties who share the same worldviews and goals when it comes to sustainable practice. It is a platform for everyone to discuss and brainstorm new ideas.
With 80 environmentally friendly venues, event service suppliers and event technology companies, the goal is for each participant to share their thoughts, knowledge and expertise. By learning how each of us are tackling our own problems, the idea is that others may learn how to improve their own processes by learning about the experience of others. In 2022, the event is to be held in The Barbican centre in the heart of London. With it;s beautiful conservatory, the green exhibition space with 1,500 species of plants and trees is an ideal setting for the event.
7th September – 8th September: Sustainability LIVE, London
Sustainability LIVE merges senior industry leaders and expert analysts for keynote addresses, discussions, and general networking. Streamed online or attended in person, the two-day exhibition is to be held in the Business Design Centre in Islington. With over 100 speakers and 20 interactive panels, this is the ideal platform for experienced and conscious leaders to have discourse on how they are taking action on climate change issues.
At M, events like these have always been a top priority. Over the next year we are keen to create new ideas or our environmentally conscious guests. Stay tuned to see them in future posts.
