Hospitality News & Business Insights by EHL

Commitment to Sustainability as a Member of United against Waste

Written by EHL Insights | Jun 28, 2019 9:11:06 PM

EHL Passugg plays a pioneering role in the education against food waste and for the reduction of food waste. It was the first Swiss Hotel Management School to join the association "United Against Waste".

What does the United Against Waste organization stand for?

Studies show that in Switzerland 290,000 tonnes of food waste in consumption outside the home is produced each year, which could be avoided. This food waste not only places a completely unnecessary burden on our limited resources, but also generates high costs. The association United Against Waste would like to take active action against this situation and halve the amount of food waste in the hospitality industry. Together with partners, projects are being developed to reduce food waste.

Raising sustainability awareness for the next generation

EHL Passugg trains the hosts of the future. Not only the location of the campus is unique, but above all the innovative curriculum. It is the only Swiss Hotel Management School where students can choose between two majors, Culinary Arts or Spa & Wellness Management.

Great importance was attached to trends and expert know-how when developing the majors. The topic of sustainability not only moves today's youth, it is also one of the strategic pillars of the EHL Group.

When I was invited to develop the major in Culinary Arts at EHL Passugg, I became aware at an early stage that the subject of food waste should not be missing. It is very important to us to sensitize future managers in the hospitality industry to this important issue. Thanks to the cooperation with United Against Waste, we have been very successful in doing so.

Gion Fetz, Executive Chef at the EHL Passugg


Joint projects: Food Waste Workshops and first test runs of the App

Gion Fetz, responsible at EHL Passugg for the Major Culinary Arts addressed United Against Waste in order to establish joint projects as one of the first partners of the hour. In the following a workshop was developed to sensitize future hospitality managers to the food waste issue. In the workshops, effective goals and measures for Food Save Management are discussed.

The EHL Campus Passugg was also one of the first partners to test the Food Save App. This app is an important source of inspiration and provides valuable impulses for the optimization of kitchen processes, the design of the offerings or the recycling of leftover food.

United Against Waste also appreciates the direct exchange with EHL students. On the one hand, the joint workshops provided an insight into the practical side of the business, and on the other hand, the students were able to give the association direct feedback on current projects, such as the app. Apart from this direct indicator, the workshop showed one thing above all: the next generation of hosts has Food Waste on their radar and many ideas how to tackle this problem!

The main learning objectives

All hospitality management courses at EHL Passugg are based on the vision of Affective Hospitality. This is based on the assumption that the guest and his or her values have changed. The host of the future understands his counterpart, knows his needs and can respond to them. This requires new skills, especially in the interpersonal area.

Together with United Against Waste, workshops will be held to train new skills such as creative problem-solving, critical thinking, mindfulness and a high level of awareness of ecological, social and ethical issues. The promotion of soft skills and emotional competence is one of the main concerns of EHL Passugg.