Partnerships and transparent communication

We rely on impact-oriented governance and open communication of our key sustainability figures.

Dörte Bachmann

Head of Sustainability

Partnerships and certifications

For the development and implementation of our sustainability activities, we rely on partnerships with WWF Switzerland and the Swiss Animal Protection STS, among others. This ensures that we select the most important areas of action and the most effective measures. We also set targets with our partners, the achievement of which is monitored and discussed annually. This form of partnership is unique in our industry.

Our partners

Thanks to our cooperation with organizations such as Max Havelaar and IP-SUISSE, we make our shopping basket transparent. We also have ourselves externally certified. Central to this is the comprehensive ISO 14001 certification of our environmental management system and the annual assessment via the EcoVadis supplier platform.

In 2020, we also joined the Swiss Triple Impact Assessment (STI) to assess our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 2022, we responded to the urgent call of the Science Based Targets initiative and joined the global movement of leading companies. As part of the "Business Ambition for 1.5°C" campaign, these companies are committed to limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by helping to halve global emissions by 2030.

Our facts on partnerships & certifications

Since working with WWF Switzerland, we have been able to reduce CO2 emissions in our restaurants by 17% between 2013 and 2020
Our goal is to reduce emissions by a further 17% by the end of 2023 (compared to 2018)
We received the silver medal in the EcoVadis sustainability rating in 2021
2020 Connection to the Swiss Triple Impact Assessment (STI)
2022 Connection to the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi)

Training

A sustainable offering can only be guaranteed if it is lived by our employees in the restaurants and supported by the guests. We therefore continuously train our employees in sustainable and healthy nutrition, culinary expertise and food trends. All of our chefs attend training courses at the Hiltl Academy to ensure that they can offer delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Our facts about training

1121 participants in the Hiltl training course since 2013

Raising awareness

By adapting our diet, we can all make a contribution to sustainability. However, we do not want to patronize our guests, but above all reach them with an attractive offer that speaks for itself - true to the motto: "Make the healthy choice the easy choice". The healthy and environmentally friendly choice should be made as appealing and as simple as possible.

Our measures

With our latest partner Beelong and its ECO-SCORE® method, we support our guests in choosing the most environmentally friendly menu in our restaurants. This evaluates all the products used in our menus and ranks them on a simple traffic light scale from A+ to E-.

In addition, we work with small nudges, for example by placing healthy drinks at guests' eye level or giving vegetables the leading role on the plate.

We continuously inform our guests about the benefits of a sustainable and healthy diet using various communication tools, guided tours and discussion groups.

Our facts about sensitization

Since 2010, we have had a department dedicated to healthy eating and, since 2016, a department dedicated entirely to sustainability issues
With the help of the ECO-SCORE® by Beelong method, we accompany our guests on the way to the most environmentally friendly diet possible.
Food n'play: our nutrition expert conducts cooking courses, playful workshops or product tastings for our customers
For customers whose employees are working from home, there are webinars on the topics of "Healthy cooking in the home office" and "Sustainable cooking at home"

Transparency

We work according to the principle of the "transparent shopping basket". This means that all the food we buy can be traced and we have detailed information about its origin, transportation method, nutritional value and label. We can also create a sustainability profile for each restaurant. This allows us to show our customers and guests that we keep our promises and are constantly improving. However, the transparent shopping basket is not only relevant for customers and guests. Every year, we disclose to WWF Switzerland and Swiss Animal Protection STS where we stand in terms of achieving our agreed targets.