Vera Widermann's BIOMAT concept allows diners to exchange food waste for discounted menu items at participating restaurants. Customers bring their own biodegradable food waste where the restaurant weights them for their energy value, and then offer a discount voucher to be used in that restaurant. For every donated kilogram of waste, the costumer receives one Euro off.
This concept debuted at the Vienna Design Week in early October 2013. The restaurant recycles the biodegradable items into a biogas that can be used for cooking once the waste has broken down.
The ability for restaurants to exchange food waste is an incredible step forward for conservationism. Hopefully this concept will make its way across the Atlantic, where food waste is quickly filling landfills and causing environmental problems.
Food Waste Discounts
Diners Exchange Food Waste for Reduced Restaurant Rates
Trend Themes
1. Food-waste Exchange - Opportunities for businesses to implement cost-saving tactics through food waste exchange programs.
2. Sustainable Practices - Increasing options for sustainable practices as a potential way for businesses to reduce operational costs while enabling customers to participate in environmentally-minded initiatives.
3. Collaborations - Rise of collaborations between businesses and customers for sustainable practices could be a disruptive innovation in the restaurant industry.
Industry Implications
1. Restaurant - With pioneering restaurant programs offering discounted meals in exchange for food waste, other restaurants can follow the trend in order to reduce waste-related costs.
2. Waste Management - With more restaurants increasing food waste reduction efforts, waste management companies can explore new opportunities for biogas processing and efficient waste disposal.
3. Sustainability - The concept of food waste exchange at restaurants can be adapted to other industries to create a more sustainable and eco-friendly offering for consumers.