Sustainable event catering – making the right choices

We believe great event catering and sustainability can go hand in hand.

From the ingredients we source to the way we serve, transport and dispose of food, we’re always looking for practical ways to reduce waste and make more responsible choices.

We’re not going to claim that event catering can have no environmental impact. It can’t. But we can make considered choices about the way we work – and we’re continually looking for ways to do better.

Sustainable catering for exhibitions and corporate events

Are you planning an exhibition stand, conference or corporate event in London? Your catering is one more opportunity to make responsible choices without compromising the experience.

Ideas Box has been providing event catering at London’s major exhibition and conference venues for more than 30 years. Our coffee carts, food tricycles and catering stands are designed specifically for exhibitions and conferences, giving you an engaging food and drink experience with a relatively small footprint.

We can help you make more considered choices about ingredients, serving equipment, food quantities and waste without compromising on the quality of the experience.

Our approach to sustainable event catering

Sustainability isn’t about one big change. It’s about lots of smaller decisions that, together, can make a difference.

Locally sourced ingredients

Wherever possible, we source ingredients from local suppliers we know and trust.

Our seafood comes from Moxon’s Fishmongers in Clapham South. Our meat comes from local butchers in Northcote Road and Wimbledon. Our fresh fruit and vegetables are sourced from New Covent Garden Market, less than two miles from our Battersea base. We buy coffee beans Assembly Roasters in Brixton – again local to us – and milk comes from The Estate Dairy, another B-Corp supplier. All our milk is from UK farms.

We also source our ice cream from Oddono’s Gelateria in Wimbledon and even collect our croissants on foot from our local bakery, Jack and Beyond, on Battersea High Street.

Supporting local businesses helps us source fresh, quality ingredients while keeping our supply chain close to home.

Compostable catering supplies

For events where disposable catering equipment is required, we use Vegware compostable plates, cups and cutlery made from plant-based materials such as sugar cane.

Compostable catering supplies can cost more than conventional disposable alternatives, but we believe they’re a worthwhile choice when we need to use single-use service ware.

We also work with our clients to choose the most appropriate serving options for their event, rather than automatically using disposable products.

Reducing food waste

Food waste is an important part of making event catering more sustainable.

We plan quantities carefully and try to avoid unnecessary over-ordering.  We’re also looking for opportunities to make good use of surplus ingredients and produce.

Where we have suitable excess food and ingredients, we donate them to local organisations and charities, including Vauxhall City Farm.

It’s a simple approach: buy carefully, use what we can and waste as little as possible.

Recycling and responsible waste management

What happens after an event is just as important as what happens during it.

We separate cardboard and food waste for collection and recycling, and our excess cooking oil is collected and recycled rather than simply thrown away.

We also look for ways to reduce unnecessary packaging and waste when preparing and delivering our catering.

Renewable energy

Our Battersea premises are powered using renewable electricity through Yu Energy’s Green Plan, backed by the Ofgem-administered Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme.

As you might expect, we’ve also switched our office lighting to energy-efficient LED bulbs.

It’s not a lot, but we’re working to reduce the environmental impact of our day-to-day operations, as well as the events we cater for.

ULEZ-compliant vehicles

Our catering vehicles are ULEZ compliant, allowing us to continue operating across London while meeting the required emissions standards.

Our Mercedes-Benz vans are also under 10 years old and meet current emissions requirements.

Because our catering equipment is designed to travel with us, we can bring food and drink experiences directly to your event rather than relying on a permanent catering facility at the venue.

Sustainable doesn’t have to mean boring

Being more environmentally responsible doesn’t mean your event or stand has to look or feel worthy.

Our food tricycles, mobile coffee carts and catering stands are designed to create an experience that people actually want to visit.

You can serve great coffee, freshly prepared food, ice cream, sweet treats and drinks while making more thoughtful choices about where your ingredients come from, what you serve them in and what happens to the waste afterwards.

Because ultimately, sustainable event catering should still be good food, beautifully presented and enjoyable for your guests.

Looking for sustainable event catering?

Planning an exhibition, conference, corporate event, product launch or private party?

Tell us what you’re looking to do, and we’ll help you choose food and drink options that work for your event, your guests and your sustainability priorities.

Let’s talk about your event.

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