Why become a FiG restaurant?

We have analyzed peer-reviewed scientific articles, and worked with experts, to define what an eco-friendly restaurant really is.

We award points to each sustainable action implemented by the restaurant, based on its real impact on the environment.

When we think about sustainability, we think organic, locally-sourced, or zero-waste. But what is actually important for a restaurant to be sustainable? To answer, we studied this question in depth: we analyzed restaurant carbon footprints, read peer-reviewed articles, and asked questions to nutrition and sustainability experts.

Scientific data shows that food has a very variable impact on the environment.

For example, meat has a strong impact, both because of the amount of cereals needed to feed the animals, but also because of animal digestion (methane release for beef, manure for pork and poultry). Eating one vegetarian meal a week makes more of a difference for the environment than eating a 100% local diet, as shown here. This is true even with local meat from small farms.

This is why our scoring values first plant-forward menus, with small amounts of meat and fish, as recommended by the EAT-LANCET commission report. This report defines the sustainable diet, that would allow the Earth to feed 10 bn inhabitants, optimizing their health, without depleting resources.

Respecting the seasons is the next most important action, in order to avoid heated greenhouses that waste energy and to limit transportation.

Choosing locally-sourced produce contributes to the vitality of the local producers. Favoring organic produce protects biodiversity and a safer environment for all, by limiting fertilizers and pesticides.

For a restaurant, these are the essential actions.

Other actions revolve around waste in order to avoid wasting food, to compost food scraps, to avoid plastic and bottled water. While these actions have less impact on the restaurant’s environmental footprint, they are essential when we think about plastic in the oceans, or about one third of food being wasted globally.