By: Dr. Rulia Akhtar

The restaurant industry contributes significantly to the production of waste, consumption of fossil fuels, unsustainable water management, improper sorting of wastes, and recycling activities. As a result, the catering sector contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. This has resulted in global climate change and is affecting ecosystems and natural habitats around the world, thus posing a serious threat to the health and safety of humans. Therefore, world leaders have introduced Sustainable Development Goal 12: “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” To accelerate the attainment of SDG-12, the Malaysian government plans to achieve a 20% rate of Government Green Procurement (GGP) throughout the country, according to the MyHijau initiative, outlined in the 11th Malaysian Plan. Although attaining this target will be challenging, it can be achieved through various undertakings.

The green cafeteria model is recommended as a part of the GGP activities in Malaysia to lessen the negative impact of the food and beverage industry on the environment. A green cafeteria model can be described as a café/canteen that is environmentally sustainable. Green restaurants gained popularity in the 1990s in several parts of the world, following their disproval of being too expensive to run. Most restaurants implement green practices to enhance their business performance (i.e., reduce operational expenses, improve corporate image and increase customer satisfaction.

However, an observation of the restaurant industry in Malaysia reveals that green cafeterias are still fairly new in the market. Very few restaurants in Malaysia have adopted and are practising green practices, such as recycling, proper disposal of food wastes, etc. When there is greater consciousness among businesspeople and the general public, complete government guidance and support, and professionals who can oversee the use of green practises, operators of restaurants in Malaysia are more likely to adopt them.

Similar to the US where the GRA exposed restaurant operators to the incentives and benefits of running a green restaurant, a body/action plan should be made available to provide incentives to restaurant operators. The Malaysian government implemented the GGP, which is aimed at improving the efficiency of government procurement towards greening the Malaysian economy. The GGP acts as a catalyst towards the adoption of an even greener economy, which includes the implementation of more green restaurants across Malaysia.

Green Cafeteria model must be portrayed as a successful green initiative that serves to remind the cafeteria patrons about little efforts that can be applied to care for our environment and also motivate them to singlehandedly undertake them through observational learning, which is a great tool to promote a green cafeteria model. This green cafeteria model focuses on sustainable and responsible consumption and production patterns.

The proposed green cafeteria model that can be used to construct a green cafeteria and contains six dimensions in total. First, the restaurant sector as is well known utilizes a lot of energy in its everyday operations and activities. As a result, conservation efforts are critical to reducing the energy use in this industry. In this regard, the restaurant business must primarily resort to the use of sustainable energy sources, such as solar panels and photovoltaic cells (PV). Aside from that, they might also engage in some sort of energy-saving activities such as switching off inactive appliances, using high-performance equipment, maximising natural lighting during the day and only using artificial lighting at night, employing good kitchen practices, and using energy-efficient light bulbs, such as halogen bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps, and light-emitting diodes. Second, waste management in restaurants is a very crucial issue in Malaysia. Since Malaysians are food lovers and are fond of eating out, food wastage is further aggravated. According to estimates, Malaysians throw away about 16,688 tonnes of food every day, which is enough to feed about 2.2 million people three times a day (SWCorp). This implies that the level of consciousness to food waste management is relatively low among Malaysians. Therefore, it is essential to efficiently manage food and kitchen wastes by recycling, sorting wastes, preventing plastic wastes, avoiding single-use plastics, donating food to organizations and properly disposing of wastes. Third, restaurants use a significant amount of fresh water in their everyday operations. Water-saving techniques are required to lower the costs of treating both waste water and water as well as the energy required for pumping, warmth and treat the water. Regular maintenance of oil and grease traps, the connection of garbage to sewer lines, ensuring absence of water leakages, offering refill stations, construction of rainwater collection systems for external use, and installation of water-efficient appliances are just a few examples of effective water and waste management. Fourth, an important factor to reducing food wastes in cafeterias is by offering a high-quality and healthy menu. To reduce plate wastes, restaurants should strive to provide healthy and hygienic meals to its customers. Fifth, to support the initiatives of the GGP, Green Cafeteria model to encourage consumers and operators to go green and also instil awareness of sustainability and responsible consumption and production into them. Lastly, eco-friendly interior design of restaurants can significantly impact human psychology and encourage people to engage in green consumption. This design may encourage individuals to engage in environmentally friendly consumer behaviour practices.

Green procurement and sustainable health practices in the cafeteria industry have utilized the greening effort as a point to remain unique and display social responsibility. Amidst the lingering pandemic, operators of green cafeterias are burdened, and multiple stakeholders involved in green procurement and sustainable health practices have a pivotal role to play in preserving the environment. This approach will also improve business performance through environmental performance. Cafeteria workers are generally aware of healthy cafeterias, but additional training is required. Aside from that, providing the proper understanding, knowledge, practises, and “many ways of healthy eating” promotions will foster a healthy eating attitude among the restaurant employees. However, a number of restrictions faced by food service providers must be considered and have been highlighted along with suggestions. The information can be utilized by the government and policymakers to determine the best solutions in earnest. To develop a successful practice of the Green Restaurant initiative in Malaysia, some changes are required to motivate restaurant operators.

In Malaysia, the establishment of a Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is highly required to guide restaurant operators on ways to effectively run green restaurants in the Malaysian demography to appeal to Malaysians in the diaspora. A regulated body like the GRA will aid in the development of green restaurants and also unify them throughout Malaysia. Other than the establishment of a regular body like GRA, the GRA should also be open to other societies/support groups to enable green restaurant operators to assist one another. To avoid food wastage, food spoilage, electricity and water wastage, societies and support groups could aid green restaurant operators in their everyday management. By doing so, healthy cooking techniques can be administered, culinary nutrition can be improved, and sustainable menus can be introduced in Malaysia. The GGP policy highlights the concept of public accountability under its procurement principles. By contributing to the GRA and the societies/support groups that will be formed, the principles listed in the GGP will be attained. The Federal Government can safely express support in the promotion of green restaurants via its platforms and programs amidst the pandemic on social media, news and through the use of other advertising initiatives. The government should also constantly provide overarching support to green restaurant operators in Malaysia and safeguard their interests and survival, especially amidst the pandemic.

_{The author is a Research Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies (UAC), Universiti Malaya.}