New "Hospitality Rising" Sustainability Insights Show Global Progress
THE SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION’S NEW REPORT, “HOSPITALITY RISING: GLOBAL CHALLENGES, LOCAL SOLUTIONS”, HIGHLIGHTS EXAMPLES OF BEST PRACTICE AND CREATIVE INITIATIVES FROM BUSINESSES ACROSS THE GLOBE.
We're so proud to announce the launch of a new style of global sustainability insights report. Titled “Hospitality Rising: Global Challenges, Local Solutions,” the report discusses the latest trends shaping the sector and celebrates a wide variety of sustainability initiatives from hospitality operations of all shapes and sizes around the world.
With restaurants, hotels, bars, universities, caterers, cafés, train networks, airport lounges, cinemas and more in 43 countries and territories using its unique sustainability certification, the Food Made Good Standard, we have access to a wealth of stories from the entire breadth of the sector.
In this first-of-its-kind report, we're bringing these stories together to show that real change is happening, in big ways and small, in hospitality businesses of all types across the globe. This is a snapshot of where the sector stands today; in collating creative and impactful initiatives from across the globe, the report delineates the most important issues for the industry to align upon and signposts where we can — and should — go from here.
By sharing “Hospitality Rising”, we hope to illustrate what's possible, celebrate the hospitality businesses who are already doing great things and inspire others to take similar action. The goal is to highlight creativity, leadership and action in foodservice businesses of all types, inspiring operators everywhere to distil these real-life examples into the actions they can take in their own businesses, in 2026 and beyond.
Join us for the online launch of “Hospitality Rising”
We're marking the launch of all three volumes of “Hospitality Rising: Global Challenges, Local Solutions” with a series of webinars on Thursday, 26th March, designed to facilitate three different global time zones. During each session, CEO Juliane Caillouette Noble will present the key findings from the report, sharing some of the most interesting stories and insights from interviewees and from across The SRA’s global network.
- 8am to 8:45am (GMT) – Australia & Asia
- 12pm to 12:45pm (GMT) – Europe, Africa & Middle East
- 4pm to 4:45pm (GMT) – USA & South America
These sessions are free to attend; simply register below to secure your place.
A sector on the front lines
The global hospitality sector sits on the front line of many of the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges. From climate volatility, food system shocks and supply-chain fragility to ever-evolving ESG expectations, regulatory uncertainty and shifting customer behaviour, businesses across the industry are experiencing unprecedented pressure, all while trying to stay afloat under incredibly tough economic conditions. In this volatile moment, our team is regularly asked whether sustainability even matters anymore — but, as the stories in this report prove, it is critical for building long-term resilience into both individual businesses and the industry as a whole.
Importantly, the report reveals that the most impactful solutions to these global challenges are those that are tailored to fit local nuance. Threading throughout the report’s three volumes is a common theme: community, collaboration and knowledge-sharing at a local and regional level are the most successful strategies for building a stronger, more resilient sector. The most difficult of times often represent the greatest opportunity for transformation, and now is a pivotal moment. By using sustainability as a playbook for change, we can create and bring to life a new, enriched vision for what hospitality can look like, now and into the future.
CEO of The Sustainable Restaurant Association, Juliane Caillouette Noble, said, “We are so pleased to share the first edition of ‘Hospitality Rising’, a new biannual report that points the way to a stronger, better future for the sector. This report is something we have been striving for since becoming a more globally focused business. Because, at The SRA, we’re in daily contact with chefs and operators everywhere, we know that this is an incredibly tough time to be in foodservice. What we hope to show through this report is that the solutions to many of these challenges already exist, and that they’re already changing the game in restaurants, hotels, catering companies and other F&B businesses across the globe. These leaders aren’t just waiting for a better future: they’re building it, inside their operations and beyond. By compiling these stories and highlighting clever, creative, localised solutions to complex global challenges, we hope to inspire others in hospitality to follow suit.”
Co-Founder and Chairman of The SRA, Giles Gibbons, said, “These global reports from The SRA prove that positive change is not only possible, but vital for the hospitality sector to create a world we all want to live in and enjoy, whilst at the same time helping them become better, more resilient businesses.”
What to expect from the report
Hospitality Rising is published as a three-volume series that mirrors the pillars of the Food Made Good Framework: Sourcing, Society and Environment. Designed to encompass every facet of what sustainability should mean for a modern hospitality business, Food Made Good is a global framework that responds to the question, “What does it mean to be a restaurant that is good — good for the supply chain, good for people and good for the planet?”
- Volume I: Plate explores how operators can move from passive buyers to active system-shapers. By consciously making procurement choices that protect the environment, support natural ecosystems and ensure fair treatment of everyone involved at every stage from field, forest or fleet to fork, the hospitality sector can actively build a better food future for all of us. In supporting responsible suppliers and being diligent about how their ingredients are grown, caught or produced, and by whom, businesses are embedding resilience at every level — not only within their own operations and throughout their supply chains, but upstream across the food system itself.
- Volume II: People looks at the relevance of social sustainability for foodservice. More than any other sector, people sit at the very heart of what makes hospitality special. This volume explores the numerous ways in which our industry interacts with and impacts society and culture, from providing our customers with access to good, nutritious food to building a sector that protects and champions its workforce, ensuring that employees can grow and thrive in the long term. Finally, it explores how restaurants and other food spaces can support and nourish their communities in tangible and important ways, illustrating that the real value of our industry goes far beyond what is on the plate.
- Volume III: Planet focuses on environmental impact. Hospitality sits on the front line of environmental risk, exposed to climate volatility, water stress, fragile supply chains and uneven waste infrastructure. At the same time, the sector itself has an enormous environmental impact, giving operators the power to help shape their own future by adopting better, smarter practices. In this volume, you’ll learn why long-term resilience now depends on site-level decisions. Water security, waste, biodiversity, data and design choices determine whether hospitality merely reduces environmental impacts or goes further, actively restoring the ecosystems it relies on to ensure a secure future for the sector.
Within each of these volumes, the report explores the key global trends and most pressing environmental and social issues shaping the hospitality sector in 2026. In each chapter, dedicated ‘Impact in Action’ sections highlight smart, effective real-life initiatives from businesses across the world. Some of these practices are increasingly common across the sector and swiftly becoming a new ‘normal’. Others are at the very forefront of innovation, offering an exciting new vision of what best practice can look like for hospitality.
“Hospitality Rising: Global Challenges, Local Solutions" is available now and can be downloaded here:
Interested in joining this global movement? You can learn more about the Food Made Good Standard here and find our FAQs here. If you’re interested in how the Standard can help your business, drop us a line at hello@thesra.org!
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