Real Talk: What Does Circularity Look Like for Restaurants?

Juliane: I'm Juliane Caillouette Noble, the Managing Director of The Sustainable Restaurant Association, and I'm so delighted to be joined by you this morning, Lara, to have a conversation about circularity in restaurants and, in particular, to share some of the brilliant things that you guys are doing at SEM in Lisbon. So, Lara, could you introduce yourself for us? 

Lara: Hey, Juliane. Such a pleasure to be here. I'm Lara. I'm one of the founders and Impact Director at SEM Restaurant in Lisbon. 

Juliane: Brilliant, thank you. So, let's get started this morning by talking about what this whole idea of circularity means to you guys at SEM. 

Lara: Well, I think I'll start by saying that waste is a creation of the industrialised system, right? In nature, there is no waste. Everything happens in harmony. All these elements come together to produce things. A seed gets nourished, grows into a tree, bears fruit, provides nutrition and energy and then goes back to feed the soil to create new life. So, there’s no loss of value in this process. That’s circularity to me. 

When we create waste in an industrialised system, we suddenly have this unintended consequence: there’s a loss of value in the chain. In an industrialised system, waste is almost perfectly designed, almost Machiavellian in the way it works, because it has this transient, illusory presence. It exists only while it’s in front of us. The moment a bin is taken out, it disappears from our conscious mind. That’s why it’s so perfectly designed — to suddenly vanish, so we don’t perceive the consequences. 

The consequence of having this linear system — where we extract, destroy while extracting, and then inefficiently use what we’ve extracted — is really costing us our future. So, circularity for us means trying to mimic nature’s process, where we keep value in the system. 

For restaurants, this is critical. Restaurants hold such an important place in the food system; they are drivers of both demand and supply. Understanding this position is not just a responsibility — it’s a huge opportunity to create change. That’s why circularity is a critical element of how we work at SEM. 

Juliane: Brilliant. I think you're so right that a fundamental point in this conversation is recognising that circularity is a mindset. It requires breaking free from the idea of the linear, and instead, embracing the understanding that nothing has a beginning or an end — it all comes back to build and maintain value. 

You’re exactly right — restaurants are fundamental because they create a dialogue with the customer. So much of our food system has lost that opportunity for conversation, and restaurants bring it back. They can provoke diners into thinking differently and expose them to a different way of perceiving the world around them. That’s a really valuable opportunity, especially in a beautiful place like SEM. 

Starting from the beginning, could you tell us a little bit about how you've taken these principles of circularity and put them into practice when designing SEM? 

Lara: Absolutely. The whole model was designed around circularity. In an industrial system, food processing creates byproducts, and those byproducts are invisible to us — we only see the final product. At SEM, we start by getting whole ingredients, which we process in the restaurant. Instead of letting by-products lose value, we apply creativity. Can they serve more than their original purpose? Can they add value? Can we transform them into something else? 

Sometimes it’s simple, like turning woody asparagus bottoms into vinegar or fermenting tomato skins into seasoning. Other times it’s more complex, like creating a fermentation from egg whites to add depth to a dish. We apply these preservation techniques, using micro-seasonal ingredients and all the flavouring comes from things that were once seen as waste. 

Beyond our internal system, we also look at broader imbalances in the food system. Three critical areas we focus on are invasive species, heritage ingredients and wild foods. Invasive species exist in excess because of human intervention and have huge economic, social and environmental consequences. On the other hand, heritage ingredients have been cast aside for industrial varieties with high yield but little nutrition. Wild foods, whether invasive or heritage, represent an underutilised resource. Foraging, when done responsibly, isn’t just a chef’s hobby — it’s a conservation strategy. 

We also take the same approach to material waste. We ask, can it be refused? Does it need to exist? If it does, can it be repurposed? Can it be upcycled? And as a last resort, can it be recycled? Recycling is inefficient and often just downcycling. Plastic, for example, rarely gets fully recycled. 

Juliane: Exactly. It’s great to hear how you're thinking about the waste hierarchy at every step, starting with refusing waste. That leads me to another question: have you found it easy to refuse packaging from your suppliers? How have those conversations gone? 

Lara: It’s easier with fresh produce because we work with local suppliers who share our values. They prioritise regenerative agriculture and ecosystem recovery, so they’re generally willing to adapt. Sometimes, logistical challenges make it harder, like with fresh cheese. Our cheesemakers couldn’t deliver without packaging, so we took on the risk. We bought returnable containers and swapped them out with each order. Now, they’re offering this solution to other restaurants too. 

We did the same with vinegar, using jerry cans that we swap out rather than discard. It lowers costs for suppliers and removes single-use packaging from the system. 

Juliane: That really speaks to the importance of collaboration in a circular system. It’s great to hear how these solutions create wider ripple effects. Beyond food, how does circularity play a role in other aspects of your space, like dining room design and uniforms? 

Lara: Our principle was ‘nothing new’. We partnered with a local woodworker using invasive acacia wood, a Portuguese company making floors from recycled tennis shoe soles, and another using upcycled plastic for tabletops. Our curtains are made from zero-waste Portuguese wool, supporting a social project that revitalised a rural economy. Even our napkins are made from deadstock hemp and organic wool, designed to be smaller than industry standards to reduce washing energy. 

We also use overstock ceramics from Studioneves, a highly sustainable ceramicist, and our light shades are made from upcycled paper from supermarkets. It’s all about finding creative ways to use what already exists. 

Juliane: That’s so inspiring. Every choice you make is an opportunity for creativity, collaboration, and connection. What challenges have you faced along the way and what’s next for SEM? 

Lara: We face challenges every day. Logistics can be frustrating — like when transport companies use single-use plastic tape despite our requests. Some materials, like wine wax, are difficult to upcycle, so we’re still looking for solutions. But partnerships and collaboration are key. Sustainability in hospitality can’t be competitive — it has to be about shared solutions. 

Our next step is data-driven. We’re tracking how much plastic enters our system, how much we upcycle and how much is actual waste. We recently switched from paper menus (even though they were made from hemp textile byproducts) to digital tablets to eliminate that waste. It’s about continuously tightening these loops and improving the system. 

Juliane: Absolutely. Sustainability isn’t a checklist — it’s a lens through which you view every decision. To close, what advice would you give restaurateurs who want to embrace circularity? 

Lara: Treat sustainability as an operating model, not a concept. The food industry has a lot of problems, but it’s also built on creativity. If you apply that creativity to sustainability, you’ll find endless opportunities to innovate. 

Juliane: Brilliant. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your thoughts. We’re so inspired by the work you’re doing and excited to see what’s next!