3 Easy Ways To Make Your Food Business More Sustainable

Julie Starr • May 21, 2020



As a food business, sustainability should be at the heart of your brand. Customers and diners are savvier than ever with an acute need to know where the food that they are eating is coming from. They don’t want to be eating New Zealand lamb that has a mammoth carbon footprint when they know that you can source lamb from the farm an hour’s drive away. Being eco-friendly is a vital part of business nowadays, and it’s no different for the food industry. Take a look at how you can ensure that your food business is as sustainable as possible.

Street Food

The most on-trend food businesses at the moment are those that use local, often organic produce, that emulates authentic cuisine. Street food is seen as a rustic and accessible form of catering that many different sorts of diners are tapping into. The variety of food on offer is exciting – Mexican tacos, Vietnamese pho or vegan gyros. To maintain sustainability, think about the sort of mobile unit you may use. By following this ultimate guide for custom canopy tents , you can market yourself and your brand effectively while having a sturdy, resilient and reusable outlet for your food. Think about your ingredients and link up with fellow sellers at the events and foodie markets that you attend. Local cheesemongers and butchers will relish being part of your enterprise and it will save the food miles. Push this facet of your business to your diners as they will appreciate your eco-credentials.

Packaging

The worst way to be unsustainable is by using excess packaging and packaging that is damaging to the environment. If you are selling burgers, open sandwiches or meals, there are plenty of recyclable plates and tubs that you can serve from. You could even source biodegradable packaging for your cuisine . You also need to consider the packaging of the ingredients you buy. Plastic does real damage to the environment so you need to steer clear of this as much as possible. Encourage reuse amongst your customers. If you serve coffee, have a money off incentive to encourage your customers to enjoy your caramel latte in their own reusable cup.

Respect Workers

If you are sourcing ingredients from overseas because there is no local alternative such as chocolate, raw cacao, coconut or spices, don’t just ensure the food and packaging is eco-friendly. You also need to respect the workers that are producing your product. Research the farms, plants, and companies you deal with and ensure that they pay their workers a fair wage. You don’t want to be funding or contributing to the harm or mistreatment of human beings. While this may feel a little abstract, you need to remain socially conscious.

Being part of the food industry can be challenging in these uncertain times. The economy is looking less stable than in previous years and you need to ensure that you can show off the benefits of your enterprise to your diners. With a sustainable attitude, your business can thrive.

 

Can AI Support Environmental Sustainability? 5 Ways It's Already Making an Impact

By Julie Starr • May 12, 2025
As conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) evolve from hype to implementation, many sustainability professionals are beginning to ask: Can AI actually support environmental goals—or is it just another tech distraction? At Taiga Company, we believe this is exactly the right kind of question. New tools should be approached with thoughtful inquiry and grounded optimism. While there’s plenty of noise in the AI space, we’re also seeing early signals that AI, when applied responsibly, may offer significant benefits in advancing sustainability strategies. Below are five science-backed ways AI is already being used to support environmental sustainability—with links to explore the data behind each. 1. Optimizing Energy Use and Efficiency AI can analyze and forecast energy needs, detect inefficiencies in real time, and automate building and grid-level energy decisions. Google, for example, used DeepMind’s AI to reduce the energy used for cooling its data centers by 40% —a significant operational and environmental win. 2. Enhancing Climate Modeling and Prediction AI improves the accuracy and speed of climate models by processing vast datasets (like satellite data and atmospheric readings) faster than traditional tools. This can help scientists and policymakers better anticipate extreme weather, sea level rise, and other climate-related risks. 3. Enabling Smarter Agriculture and Resource Use In agriculture , AI supports precision farming—using data to guide decisions around water use, fertilizers, and pest management. These tools can reduce resource consumption and emissions while supporting food security. 4. Accelerating Circular Economy and Waste Reduction AI is being used to automate waste sorting, track materials through supply chains, and improve transparency around recycling and reuse. These innovations support circular economy goals and help reduce landfill and emissions. 5. Monitoring Ecosystems and Biodiversity AI-powered sensors, drones, and satellites can track deforestation, monitor endangered species, and even detect illegal activity in protected areas—helping conservation efforts scale more efficiently. What This Means for Corporate Sustainability For corporate sustainability leaders, these examples show that AI is not a magic solution—but it might be a valuable tool in the toolkit. Like any technology, its value depends on how it’s implemented, what data it's trained on, and whether it’s integrated with strategic goals. This is where communications plays a vital role. At Taiga Company, we help organizations articulate how technologies like AI fit into their broader environmental and business commitments. Whether through thought leadership, stakeholder education, reporting language, or digital engagement, our communications support helps make new tools understandable, actionable, and credible. We focus on: – Translating complex innovation into clear, values-aligned messaging – Engaging internal and external stakeholders on their learning journey – Showcasing measurable impact while aligning with evolving standards and frameworks – Sharing best practices in a way that encourages collaboration and informed adoption AI is not just a technology story—it’s a communication opportunity. It invites sustainability leaders to educate, inspire, and engage stakeholders around how they are navigating this next chapter.

What You Call It vs. What You Do: Communicating Impact Beyond ESG Labels

By Julie Starr • May 5, 2025
As the world continues to prioritize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, a new technological movement is quietly reshaping how companies communicate their sustainability efforts: Web3. Web3—the next evolution of the internet built on decentralized technologies like blockchain—offers powerful new tools for ESG storytelling. At Taiga Company, we believe Web3 represents a transformational opportunity to enhance digital transparency, expand decentralized sustainability initiatives, and bring fresh credibility to corporate ESG communications. Web3 Unlocks Digital Transparency for ESG In an era where stakeholders expect greater accountability, Web3 provides an immutable, verifiable way to share ESG metrics. Blockchain technology enables companies to record sustainability data—such as carbon tracking, water usage, or supply chain emissions—directly on decentralized ledgers. This creates a new level of digital transparency that can bolster trust with investors, customers, and regulators. At Taiga Company, we help businesses translate these complex technical capabilities into clear, accessible communications. Our services bridge the gap between advanced Web3 solutions and everyday ESG storytelling , making decentralized reporting meaningful to broader audiences. Decentralized Sustainability and Regenerative Finance (ReFi) Beyond transparency, Web3 is giving rise to decentralized sustainability models. Projects in regenerative finance (ReFi) are using blockchain tools to incentivize environmental restoration, carbon sequestration, and climate-positive activities. These initiatives align with emerging ESG expectations that go beyond ‘do no harm’ and focus on regenerative impact. We work with companies to integrate these new paradigms into their sustainability narratives—highlighting how innovative approaches like ReFi contribute to broader environmental goals, align with ESG criteria, and showcase leadership in a rapidly changing landscape. A New Era for ESG Storytelling Traditional ESG reports often feel static, data-heavy, and disconnected from stakeholders. Web3 offers a dynamic, participatory model where audiences can engage with real-time sustainability data, track progress directly, and even contribute to decentralized initiatives. Our services specialize in creating communications that reflect this evolution. By combining our expertise in sustainability strategy with a growing understanding of Web3 trends, we help organizations: Translate decentralized sustainability efforts into compelling, credible stories Align carbon tracking and digital transparency initiatives with stakeholder expectations Position ESG leadership within the emerging Web3 economy The Path Forward Web3 won't replace traditional ESG frameworks, but it will significantly enhance them. Companies that start integrating decentralized transparency, carbon tracking, and regenerative finance into their sustainability communications today will be better positioned for tomorrow's expectations.  Ready to evolve your ESG communications for the Web3 era? Let's connect.