A Sustainable Dining Future for the Philippines

To highlight the achievements and impact of the project, a celebratory closing event titled “The Final Course: Celebrating Sustainable Dining in the Philippines” attended by more than 100 leaders, was organized in July in partnership with the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation.

Several initiatives were successfully launched during the project period, such as the creation of a local food waste reduction ordinance in Cebu City, a food surplus reduction law, and various measures to reduce and divert food waste in restaurants and hotels. Melody Melo-Rijk, project manager of the Sustainable Diner Project, emphasizes the importance of building partnerships to meet the project’s goals.

Our team in the Philippines worked with local government agencies to implement policies that led to the mainstreaming of sustainable consumption and production strategies, particularly in the food and beverage industry. To achieve change in the private sector, we worked with 24 restaurant and hotel partners to initiate their sustainability journey, and trained and empowered more than 1,000 employees.

The project set out to change consumer behavior and consumption patterns. The engagement within the project was a starting point, though there is still much to be done to achieve sustainability in the restaurant industry. The role of all parts of society – from government to businesses and consumers – cannot be overstated, it is a vital part of the equation. German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel and Climate Change Commission Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman underscored this message and emphasized the importance of collective action.

Over the last four years, the Sustainable Diner project developed materials and tools to assist both consumers and institutions in their own initiatives to promote and adopt sustainable dining practices.

A cost-benefit analysis with a monitoring tool and a series of training modules were developed for restaurants that want to integrate sustainability into their business operations.

Teaching manuals for primary and secondary teachers and complementary materials for university courses in the field of food services provide educators with the information they need to teach the younger generation about sustainability. Balay Kawayan, an interactive game, and various other educational materials such as videos, webinars, and infographics were created by the Philippine project team.

Melody Melo-Rijk expressed her hope that the project will inspire a movement to adopt sustainable principles as a way of life. For her, securing a sustainable future depends on making conscious choices: