Lindley Group awarded ‘one star champion' Sustainable Restaurant Association status
The Lindley Group has achieved one star champion status with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).
Last year it was announced that the Lindley Group and Bartlett Mitchell were the first foodservice operators to sign up to the organisation's new model rating system designed specifically for contract caterers.
Bartlett Mitchell was awarded two stars from the SRA in April but the scale of Lindley's operation meant the process took longer to complete.
The company performed very well across the SRA's three sustainability pillars of sourcing, society and the environment and was commended for its work with charities, waste reduction strategies and sustainable sourcing.
Anna Standen, Lindley's corporate & social responsibility manager, said: "Becoming one of the first two contract caterers to join the SRA was an external reinforcement of our commitment to operating the Lindley Group business in a sustainable and an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
"We were keen to be at the forefront of an initiative which enables contract caterers to benchmark their operation against industry best practice whilst identifying areas where further improvements can be made and providing practical advice and guidance on how this can be achieved.
"We are proud to have been accredited as One Star Sustainability Champions and are now aiming to have each of our sites individually accredited whilst working towards achieving Two Star Sustainability Champion status for the Group as a whole."
SRA managing director Mark Linehan congratulated the Lindley Group for its "tremendous achievement", given the size, scale and complexity of the business.
He said: "We have been impressed by a number of the initiatives and the procedures and processes Lindley has in place and we are confident that with their passion and enthusiasm for making a positive contribution to the local communities in which they operate, and their commitment to reducing the footprint their business leaves on the environment that they will quickly achieve their ambition of being awarded Two Stars."