Bringing Circularity and Zero Waste Into the Bar Industry

On 22nd October, we’re bringing the UK bar industry together at Tate Modern to launch the Zero Waste Bar Guide and introduce The Last Straw Collective — a new community reshaping how the industry tackles packaging waste and builds circularity into bar operations.

Called ‘The Last Straw: Bringing Hospitality Together to Talk Zero Waste Behind the Bar’, the event will focus on how bars can move away from single-use items, cut down unnecessary packaging and create resilient, low-impact and circular systems behind the bar. The Zero Waste Bar Guide has been designed as a practical toolkit and call to action for the sector — a living blueprint shaped by collaboration and experimentation.

This trade-only event is your chance to meet The Last Straw Collective, explore practical solutions for running a zero-waste bar and connect directly with the suppliers driving change across the industry. Register here!

Alongside the showcase, the morning will include a panel discussion, networking opportunities and a supplier showcase featuring Sustainable Wine Solutions, East London Liquor Company, Pillars Brewery, Fgttn Spirits, Necense Soda, and BE WTR — all offering practical, low-impact alternatives to support your work behind the bar.

• When? Wednesday 22nd October, 10am to 12:30pm 
• Where? Members Room, Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern. (The entrance is around the back of Tate Modern via Sumner Street. More detailed directions can be found on Tate Modern’s website.)

What to expect

• 10am: Guest arrivals (tea and coffee provided)
• 10:10am: Welcome from Muriel Chatel (Sustainable Wine Solutions) & Marta Mendonça (Porto Protocol)
• 10:15-11am: Panel discussion moderated by our Managing Director, Juliane Caillouette Noble
• 11am-12:30pm: Networking and supplier showcase featuring Sustainable Wine Solutions, East London Liquor Company, Pillars Brewery, Fgttn Spirits, Necense Soda and Bewtr.

Attendance is free, but spaces are limited. Please RSVP early — and if your plans change, kindly release your ticket so that someone else can join. This is a B2B event, ideal for hospitality professionals responsible for bar operations who want to learn how to run a truly low-waste bar.

You can book your place here.

About the Zero Waste Bar Guide

Led by The Porto Protocol and Sustainable Wine Solutions and supported by our team at The Sustainable Restaurant Association, this Zero Waste Guide is a toolkit and call to action for the industry to move away from single-use items, tackle waste, lower its footprint and build a more circular, resilient hospitality sector.

Dynamic by design and guided by the motto “Always complete, never finished,” the Guide is more than a set of best practices — it’s a living blueprint shaped by experience, collaboration and experimentation. Think of it as a practical foundation you can adapt, build upon, and make your own. You can download your copy of the Zero Waste Guide here.

Introducing The Last Straw Collective

To further drive change across the sector, Sustainable Wine Solutions has founded The Last Straw Collective — a community of supply chain activists offering zero waste solutions to the industry.  The collective aims to serve a distinct gap for the market: though many venues want to reduce waste, there was no single supplier offering a complete, low-impact drinks portfolio. The Collective now brings together wine, beer, spirits and non-alcoholic serves in a full-service, low-impact portfolio, and is continuing to grow into a wider network of suppliers and activists pushing for a waste-free future behind the bar.

Meet the collective:

• Sustainable Wine Solutions – pioneers of wine-on-tap and a bottle return system, replacing single-use bottles with closed-loop models.
• East London Liquor Company – an independent distillery offering locally produced spirits with refill and reuse options.
• Pillars Brewery – London’s first craft lager brewery, reducing waste through efficient brewing, local sourcing, and refillable kegs.
• Fgttn Spirits –  transforms surplus into premium spirits, using precision cold extraction and ultrasonic cavitation to capture intense flavours from second-life ingredients sourced from UK farms, producers and manufacturers. 
• Necense Soda – crafting natural sodas from whole fruit, minimising food waste and unnecessary packaging.
• Bewtr – providing filtered water systems designed to eliminate single-use plastic bottles in hospitality.

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