Hyatt IndoCluster Project
Four Hyatt properties adopted FIT & The PLEDGE™ to reduce food waste, setting an example for others in Indonesia to follow in FW prevention.
Implementation Period
2023 (Start):
Four Bali-based Hyatts were gathered together in February 2023 to commit to reducing food waste. Adopting both the FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech to track and reduce food waste during operations and taking The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste, a 3rd-party audited, benchmarking certification aligned with the UN SDGs Guides chefs towards zero food waste, cutting costs, and enhancing their competitive standing through sustainability.
Four Bali-based Hyatts were gathered together in February 2023 to commit to reducing food waste. Adopting both the FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech to track and reduce food waste during operations and taking The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste, a 3rd-party audited, benchmarking certification aligned with the UN SDGs Guides chefs towards zero food waste, cutting costs, and enhancing their competitive standing through sustainability.
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2024 (End-Ongoing):
After a 9 month-journey, the four properties overall achieved these results,
After a 9 month-journey, the four properties overall achieved these results,
🟢 98,621 kilograms food saved
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 USD equivalent saved
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 USD equivalent saved
Each received the Gold-Certified level, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to food waste prevention.
They continue to implement FIT in their daily operations and are continuing their adherence to the rigorous 95 Criteria of The PLEDGE™. Alila Ubud, Alila Manggis, and Park Hyatt Jakarta serve as examples who have implemented FIT during and after the project, indicating the strong business case to adopt food waste prevention solutions.
Location (town/city)
Bali
Stakeholders and Partners
Wise Steps Consulting—which supports the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and Indonesia tourism towards climate positive through decarbonization and ecotourism program—provided training and support with Matteo Bierschneider onsite.
Themes
- Waste prevention
- Waste reduction
- Consumer behavioural changes
- Circular economy and 9Rs1
- Finance
- Awareness and sensitization
- Sustainable production and sector policy reform;
How this initiative contributes to zero waste.
By bringing 4 Hyatt propertiestogether into taking and getting Certified The PLEDGE, as well as subsequent hotels adopting the FIT tech solution to track and prevent food waste & associated costs, the project demonstrates the compelling case in reducing and preventing food waste for the hospitality & tourism sector as global travelers are seeking more commitments from their accommodations to align towards sustainability, and as an incentive to reduce operating costs.
By changing the kitchen team's mindset & providing the tools through FIT, as well as guiding the restaurants through the comprehensive 95 Criteria for the PLEDGE on Food Waste, the four Hyatt properties made these holistic achievements in a 9-month journey.
🟢 98,621 kilograms food saved
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 total savings equivalent
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 total savings equivalent
Reducing food waste ensures zero waste to landfills, which contributes to CO2 emissions that further fuels Climate Change.
This project also serves as a proven case study and success for others in the Indonesian region and beyond, demonstrating the feasibility and recognition achieved by implementing food waste prevention solutions.
How this initiative contributes to the relevant SDGs associated targets.
SDG 2 Zero Hunger:
• Awareness raising sessions highlighted how much food could have been saved or redistributed to better nourish communities. The participating restaurants, by procuring less food to avoid surplus waste, may inspire customers and surrounding restaurants to follow suit, increasing the likelihood of food costs and availability being more accessible to areas and individuals with less food security.
• Awareness raising sessions highlighted how much food could have been saved or redistributed to better nourish communities. The participating restaurants, by procuring less food to avoid surplus waste, may inspire customers and surrounding restaurants to follow suit, increasing the likelihood of food costs and availability being more accessible to areas and individuals with less food security.
SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production:
• The project fundamentally revolves around providing the incentive structure, tools and change of mindset to effectively prevent food waste. Food waste prevention through technology and consulting with human-centric lenses engages the F&B members into the process during production, reinforced & rewarded by messaging their successes & achievements to drive the momentum. And in regard to sustainable consumption, nudging customer behavior can be achieved through 'sign displays' with "Love Food? Don't Waste It" being placed along buffet tables, for example.
• The project fundamentally revolves around providing the incentive structure, tools and change of mindset to effectively prevent food waste. Food waste prevention through technology and consulting with human-centric lenses engages the F&B members into the process during production, reinforced & rewarded by messaging their successes & achievements to drive the momentum. And in regard to sustainable consumption, nudging customer behavior can be achieved through 'sign displays' with "Love Food? Don't Waste It" being placed along buffet tables, for example.
SDG 13 Climate Action
• Landfills have proven to be a significant source of GHG emissions, and thus the project's aims to prevent food waste aligns seamlessly with combating Climate Change. By tracking and reducing food waste whether by procuring less to avoid surplus food or creating 'Zero Waste Dishes' with edible foods, less food waste is diverted to landfills. We also make a strong case to incentivize the four Hyatt properties in being responsible businesses by combating Climate Change, in line with the United Nations SDG 13 and their Corporate Social Responsibility goals (in this case: The Hyatt World of Care program)
• Landfills have proven to be a significant source of GHG emissions, and thus the project's aims to prevent food waste aligns seamlessly with combating Climate Change. By tracking and reducing food waste whether by procuring less to avoid surplus food or creating 'Zero Waste Dishes' with edible foods, less food waste is diverted to landfills. We also make a strong case to incentivize the four Hyatt properties in being responsible businesses by combating Climate Change, in line with the United Nations SDG 13 and their Corporate Social Responsibility goals (in this case: The Hyatt World of Care program)
SDG 17 Partnership for Sustainable Development:
• We have worked with a plethora of partners of varying sizes over the 11 years in food waste prevention. With this project, we approached the executive leadership in the Hyatt Hotels Corporation whose CSR goals, embodied in the Hyatt World of Care program, meant that individual Hyatt properties would have an incentive to align with it.
• We have worked with a plethora of partners of varying sizes over the 11 years in food waste prevention. With this project, we approached the executive leadership in the Hyatt Hotels Corporation whose CSR goals, embodied in the Hyatt World of Care program, meant that individual Hyatt properties would have an incentive to align with it.
We worked with Wise Steps Consulting who also provided training to the four Bali based properties. They support the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, which identifies Bali as the key area for spearheading sustainable tourism development, and Indonesian tourism towards climate positive through decarbonization and ecotourism program.
Background, Challenges and Objectives
According to a 2021 study, up to 70% of the waste entering landfills in Indonesia is food waste. The unsustainable business-as-usual in a populous and growing tourist destination fuels Climate Change and induces operational costs on F&B businesses as a result of not tracking their inefficiencies are or implementing a change in mindset on the kitchen team or guests.
When our Hyatt APAC Pilot Program in 2022 demonstrated how eight Hyatt properties in China, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan could adopt FIT into their operations and achieve results such as one restaurant preventing 44,465kg of CO2 emissions over the course of 4 months, the Hyatt Hotels Corporation selected us as an official solutions provider.
This allowed us to expand considerably into the APAC region and beyond.
The four Bali-based Hyatt properties: Andaz Bali, Grand Hyatt Bali, Alila Seminyak, and Hyatt Regency Bali, were approached due to:
• Their proximity as a cluster situated in the thriving tourist destination hotspot of Bali.
• Our status as an official Hyatt solutions provider as a result of our successes in the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program (2022) facilitated the initiation of our solutions.
• Our Founder & Managing Director Benjamin's then-location and his network established in Indonesia during 2022.
• The success of getting four properties Certified The PLEDGE™ in Indonesia's main tourist destination of Bali would amplify the success story for other properties in the region to follow suit in adopting FIT and/or taking The PLEDGE™ to gain a competitive advantage in embracing sustainability into their operations & establishments.
• Our status as an official Hyatt solutions provider as a result of our successes in the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program (2022) facilitated the initiation of our solutions.
• Our Founder & Managing Director Benjamin's then-location and his network established in Indonesia during 2022.
• The success of getting four properties Certified The PLEDGE™ in Indonesia's main tourist destination of Bali would amplify the success story for other properties in the region to follow suit in adopting FIT and/or taking The PLEDGE™ to gain a competitive advantage in embracing sustainability into their operations & establishments.
As we've experienced across the F&B and hospitality sectors, the difficulty was not unique to Bali or Indonesia. Since 2011, we discovered that these international properties required the strong financial incentive towards the executive leadership, the practical tools, methodologies, and a change in mindset to engage the kitchen team members into the process.
Actions and Implementation
1) The first major stage occurred in February 2023 where the four Bali-based properties were gathered together for an unprecedented workshop of that scale where the executive chefs and their staff were provided onsite raising awareness sessions on the costs of food waste, why it matters, and how it can be tackled to cut costs and strengthen their standing in the landscape.
This was then followed up with our Founder & Managing Director Benjamin Lephilibert directly performing a hands-on bin-diving session to engage and reveal how much food is being wasted. Finally, the workshop concluded with all participants witnessing the food waste being 'laid across' on the floor to take in the scale of what is being wasted and how the participants can prevent this going forward.
2) Following this public gathering and collective commitment, the four Hyatt properties begin adhering to the 95 Criteria, which is articulated around 7 key pillars that includes the Process Documentation, Employees Commitment, Food Waste Monitoring System, Food Handling Before Preparation, Food Preparation and Offering, Customer Engagement, and Post Consumer. Throughout the journey, they document their progress which is then uploaded their documentation onto the Compliance platform for the audit in the end.
3) At the end of the journey, after the four Bali-based properties requested an audit, an Audit Report is produced with each of the 7 Key Pillars being scored with an overall score of up to 100, and the auditor's remarks provided to justify each section. This finally translates into the restaurants receiving their certificates with their respective scores and certification-levels which are provided in digital and physical form, the latter ideally to coordinate with their marketing teams to organize photo sessions featuring the chefs & their kitchen staff, craft inspiring success stories as captions, and amplify these as a success story on social media and other platforms.
This was then followed up with our Founder & Managing Director Benjamin Lephilibert directly performing a hands-on bin-diving session to engage and reveal how much food is being wasted. Finally, the workshop concluded with all participants witnessing the food waste being 'laid across' on the floor to take in the scale of what is being wasted and how the participants can prevent this going forward.
2) Following this public gathering and collective commitment, the four Hyatt properties begin adhering to the 95 Criteria, which is articulated around 7 key pillars that includes the Process Documentation, Employees Commitment, Food Waste Monitoring System, Food Handling Before Preparation, Food Preparation and Offering, Customer Engagement, and Post Consumer. Throughout the journey, they document their progress which is then uploaded their documentation onto the Compliance platform for the audit in the end.
3) At the end of the journey, after the four Bali-based properties requested an audit, an Audit Report is produced with each of the 7 Key Pillars being scored with an overall score of up to 100, and the auditor's remarks provided to justify each section. This finally translates into the restaurants receiving their certificates with their respective scores and certification-levels which are provided in digital and physical form, the latter ideally to coordinate with their marketing teams to organize photo sessions featuring the chefs & their kitchen staff, craft inspiring success stories as captions, and amplify these as a success story on social media and other platforms.
Outcomes and Impacts
As a result of the human-centric onsite and online training & consulting on the FIT Technology, and The PLEDGE™'s comprehensive 95 Criteria that is audited to determine the kitchen team's adherence to the best practices and standards set, the four properties have achieved remarkable overall results,
🟢 98,621 kilograms food saved
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 USD equivalent saved
🟢 197,242 meals saved equivalent
🟢 246,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions not emitted
🟢 $340,815 USD equivalent saved
Each received the Gold-Certified level, demonstrating their commitment to food waste prevention.
These four properties continue to implement FIT in their daily operations and are continuing their adherence to the rigorous 95 Criteria of The PLEDGE. Alila Ubud, Alila Manggis, and Park Hyatt Jakarta serve as examples who have implemented FIT in the Indonesian region during and after the project, indicating the strong business case to adopt food waste prevention solutions.
Both FIT and The PLEDGE™ are continuous solutions, with the former providing in-depth daily, weekly, etc. insights and consulting support to read the client's data & provide rooms for growth. The latter, if the clients are eager to maintain their establishment's standing to their customers, can request to be reevaluated and thus receive materials such as the certificate that displays the relevant year.
Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing embodies the model for "long term transformation" of a client who has been implementing FIT since 2022 as part of the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program (which began in April 2022) and recently became Certified The PLEDGE™, achieving the Gold-level Certification.
Replicability and Scalability
With 11 years of experience and iteration upon our solutions to adapt to new challenges and requirements by clients, amounting to FIT users in 21 countries and "pledgers" in 13 countries, the Hyatt IndoCluster project, despite being unprecedented for four properties simultaneously taking The PLEDGE™, serves as further evidence of our established expertise and the effective application of our solutions, and what was learnt from the Mauritius Project in 2021 and Hyatt APAC Pilot Program in 2022.
The success of the Hyatt IndoCluster project was not an isolated success. These solutions have been designed to be scalable from the start, such as our FIT Technology running on generic devices (iOS, Android) and not requiring any additional investments in proprietary hardware that may discourage F&B services from opting into food waste prevention due to the entry-costs concerns.
With our solutions, we have worked with hotels, government & destinations, higher education, development agencies, catering, restaurants, and consulting firms. We are also looking to expand our services to the aviation industry and develop & roll out a variant of FIT first in the United States market which would be better scaled towards small to medium restaurants. With The PLEDGE™, the long term aim is to streamline the 95 Criteria, making The PLEDGE™ more accessible to take.
The key lessons of the Hyatt IndoCluster Project for parties interested in replicating is to provide the financial & business incentive to the executive leadership and approaching the kitchen staff team with hands-on training to [incite] a change in mindsets, getting each member engaged in the process. The right mindset with the right tools methodologies, and consulting support serves as a recipe for success in reducing food waste, adopting best practices, and positioning their outlets in a stronger, sustainable-minded position.
In 2022 to 2023, our efforts culminated in a 300% increase in adoption of FIT and active in 21 countries (with the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program and being selected as an official Hyatt Solutions Provider) and an increase of "pledgers" from 23 to 83 establishments in 13 countries.
The success of the Hyatt IndoCluster project was not an isolated success. These solutions have been designed to be scalable from the start, such as our FIT Technology running on generic devices (iOS, Android) and not requiring any additional investments in proprietary hardware that may discourage F&B services from opting into food waste prevention due to the entry-costs concerns.
With our solutions, we have worked with hotels, government & destinations, higher education, development agencies, catering, restaurants, and consulting firms. We are also looking to expand our services to the aviation industry and develop & roll out a variant of FIT first in the United States market which would be better scaled towards small to medium restaurants. With The PLEDGE™, the long term aim is to streamline the 95 Criteria, making The PLEDGE™ more accessible to take.
The key lessons of the Hyatt IndoCluster Project for parties interested in replicating is to provide the financial & business incentive to the executive leadership and approaching the kitchen staff team with hands-on training to [incite] a change in mindsets, getting each member engaged in the process. The right mindset with the right tools methodologies, and consulting support serves as a recipe for success in reducing food waste, adopting best practices, and positioning their outlets in a stronger, sustainable-minded position.
In 2022 to 2023, our efforts culminated in a 300% increase in adoption of FIT and active in 21 countries (with the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program and being selected as an official Hyatt Solutions Provider) and an increase of "pledgers" from 23 to 83 establishments in 13 countries.
Inclusive and Innovative
This project saw different levels of stakeholders involved to make this possible and successful.
As a result of our successful relationship with the executive leadership and Hyatt Hotels Corporation following the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program in 2022, this made a compelling case for the four Bali-based Hyatt properties to participate in this unprecedented simultaneous commitment to The PLEDGE™.
We worked closely with the executive chefs and their kitchen staff team members, involving them all in the awareness raising sessions & witnessing the food wasted through bin-diving sessions to drive the impact of food waste home.
The project saw training provided by Matteo Bierschneider, an Accredited Consultant for The PLEDGE™ and co-founder of Wise Steps Consulting, in support of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and Indonesian tourism towards climate positive through decarbonization and ecotourism program.
We believe what makes our practices distinct and effective is our signature human-centric approach to food waste prevention training. Technology requires the intimate and engaged involvement from users, and therefore we've continued to provide the onsite training and designing our online trainings to be as engaging as the onsite presence.
The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste addresses a demand in the market for more sustainable dining options by providing a comprehensive 95 Criteria for restaurants looking to position themselves in a prestigious light.
As a result of our successful relationship with the executive leadership and Hyatt Hotels Corporation following the Hyatt APAC Pilot Program in 2022, this made a compelling case for the four Bali-based Hyatt properties to participate in this unprecedented simultaneous commitment to The PLEDGE™.
We worked closely with the executive chefs and their kitchen staff team members, involving them all in the awareness raising sessions & witnessing the food wasted through bin-diving sessions to drive the impact of food waste home.
The project saw training provided by Matteo Bierschneider, an Accredited Consultant for The PLEDGE™ and co-founder of Wise Steps Consulting, in support of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and Indonesian tourism towards climate positive through decarbonization and ecotourism program.
We believe what makes our practices distinct and effective is our signature human-centric approach to food waste prevention training. Technology requires the intimate and engaged involvement from users, and therefore we've continued to provide the onsite training and designing our online trainings to be as engaging as the onsite presence.
The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste addresses a demand in the market for more sustainable dining options by providing a comprehensive 95 Criteria for restaurants looking to position themselves in a prestigious light.
Accountability and sustainability
Our solutions have been designed to ensure compliance and transparency in our clients' operations upon implementation, training, and certification.
FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech:
• FIT continuously tracks the kitchen's performance in recording and provides consulting services in analyzing their data to match against their baseline, identify behaviors and (in)consistencies over a variety of different factors from shifts to food waste categories and more in weekly reports tailored towards them.
• FIT continuously tracks the kitchen's performance in recording and provides consulting services in analyzing their data to match against their baseline, identify behaviors and (in)consistencies over a variety of different factors from shifts to food waste categories and more in weekly reports tailored towards them.
The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste:
• The PLEDGE™ is a global certification and benchmarking system with a comprehensive 95 criteria articulated around 7 pillars, where successful “pledgers” are audited and then granted the coveted bronze, silver, gold or ALL-STAR certified status to position themselves differently from the crowd.
• To encourage clients to adhere to their The Certification explicitly displays the date in which the audit is provided. This audit is performed by an external third-party auditor who reviews the Criteria and then provides the final Certification score. One of the cases where a restaurant requested reevaluation years later was Momo Cafe by Courtyard Bangkok, which in 2020 attained the Gold-level Certification at a score of 91%, now achieved the All Star-level certification at a score of 100% in 2023.
• The PLEDGE™ is a global certification and benchmarking system with a comprehensive 95 criteria articulated around 7 pillars, where successful “pledgers” are audited and then granted the coveted bronze, silver, gold or ALL-STAR certified status to position themselves differently from the crowd.
• To encourage clients to adhere to their The Certification explicitly displays the date in which the audit is provided. This audit is performed by an external third-party auditor who reviews the Criteria and then provides the final Certification score. One of the cases where a restaurant requested reevaluation years later was Momo Cafe by Courtyard Bangkok, which in 2020 attained the Gold-level Certification at a score of 91%, now achieved the All Star-level certification at a score of 100% in 2023.
Budget and Resources Allocation
Budget for the Initiative:
• 22,000 USD (for 4 hotels)
• 22,000 USD (for 4 hotels)
What internal resources (for example, human resources/staff, technical expertise etc.) have been allocated?
• Human Resources
• Food Waste Prevention expertise
• Human Resources
• Food Waste Prevention expertise
What other resources, such as data and technology, have been utilized?
• FIT Food Waste Monitoring Technology
• LightBlue's consultancy service to support on analyzing data and achieving the PLEDGE of Food Waste Certification
• FIT Food Waste Monitoring Technology
• LightBlue's consultancy service to support on analyzing data and achieving the PLEDGE of Food Waste Certification
Key Implementer Information
Further Information and Media
