Six Senses joins the UNEP and UN Tourism “Recipe of Change” | News

Six Senses has joined Recipe of Change, a global initiative of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and UN Tourism to unite the tourism sector in a shared commitment to halve food waste by 2030. A living expression of the brand’s sustainable ethos and Eat With Six Senses philosophy, Six Senses shares its long-learned operational and behavioral solutions through open conversations with guests and industry peers to address the nearly one-third of all food produced worldwide that is never eaten*.

A tool, not a trend

For Six Senses, sustainability has been driven by collective action since its founding in the mid-1990s. It flows through the veins of teams across all 27 sites and more are joining us, working hand in hand with local environmental organizations. From chefs to gardeners, spa managers to housekeeping, beekeepers to botanists, and coral babysitters to the surround-sound engineers of the chicken coops, everyone plays a role.

Guests and hosts taste the fruits of this labor through the Eat With Six Senses program, the brand’s guiding culinary philosophy based on the principles of natural ingredients, local and sustainable, and less is more. The aim is to help them reconnect with food, safe in the knowledge that everything they eat or drink is as good for them as it is for the world around them.

Jeff Smith, VP Sustainability at Six Senses, said: “Reducing food waste is an ongoing cycle that is lived, breathed and constantly evolving within our hotels and resorts around the world. It starts long before anything hits the plate and is a true example of the relationship between sustainability and service. Over the past 30 years, we have built a clear understanding of what works in practice – from designing waste-conscious, plant-forward menus to the provenance of our products, to with returning nutrients to the soil that nourishes us The Recipe of Change with the UNEP and UN Tourism Initiative reflects the collective action needed to accelerate progress. We are honored to be part of it and look forward to continuing to learn from others.

The food ecosystem

Introduced in 2017, Earth Labs offers dedicated spaces within all Six Senses for guests and hosts to engage with sustainability in a light-hearted and practical way, rolling up their sleeves to create everything from lip balms to pickles and compost with leftover organic ingredients.

In the kitchens, daily waste measurement and immediate corrective action occur in real time through occupancy-based production planning and continuous menu realization to rotate low-consumption items. Smaller batch cooking methods and standardized portion sizes help reduce plate waste to the point where no food waste is reported at all in Six Senses Vana’s host canteens.

Creative solutions, from core to crown

From London to Laamu Atoll, all Six Senses kitchens follow the simple rule: don’t waste anything. Whether it concerns the dish or the decor, every part of the ingredient counts. The Scrap Challenge – an internal initiative – inspires ingenuity and sustainable solutions from within.

In Bali and Thailand, all parts of a homegrown pineapple are used, from juices for breakfast to the crowning glory of table decorations; papaya, mango and avocado seeds sprout into living green decorations; And the leftover coffee grounds are even mixed with coconut peat to make DIY dining tables, or returned to the soil as compost to support a diverse soil and gut microbiome. At Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman, where 80 percent of organic and glass waste is recycled or upcycled on site, 84 kilos of citrus peels per month are turned into candied garnishes and welcome gifts.

At Six Senses London, a Fermentation Lab repurposes otherwise wasted kitchen items into tasty preserves and gut health heroes that return to the menu in new guises as things like sauerkraut, kimchi, yoghurt and kefir. Chefs share these basic principles of fermentation with guests through alchemy experiences.

Local farmers are reimagining how food gets from the ground to the plate, choosing Six Senses Rome kitchens to order, delivering same-day delivery in reusable plastic-free packaging. At Six Senses London, the milk arrives in reusable containers and the coffee is shipped by sail.

Harvests from our own soil and sea

Often within walls or adjacent fields, Six Senses farms bring an abundance of homegrown produce to the table. In addition to rows of seasonal products for the hotels, relationships are growing with pioneers in the field of regenerative agriculture and wellness experts to share knowledge and experience. Six Senses Zighy Bay operates a 7,300 hectare farm in nearby Dibba, and Six Senses Ibiza’s local farm, Can Tanca, has become a thriving community. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay’s Solar FreshCuts initiative places the resort’s garden under 800 solar panels, a concept that has received the ‘Global Low-Carbon Scenic Spot’ award from the Global Forum on Human Settlements, an award supported by UNEP.

Farm on the Hill at Six Senses Samui may be a small farm, but it adds purpose and value and benefits the local community. The farm was established to address landscaping needs, including a large amount of organic waste generated, unused gray water and a lack of nutrient-rich soil. The farm is now equipped with chickens, goats and a gray water collection system and produces organic eggs, goat’s milk and fresh vegetables.

At sea in the Maldives, a team of ten marine biologists from Six Senses Laamu work with the government and local fishermen to support sustainable fishing practices and eliminate unnecessary and unethical catches.

Setting the standard, increasing the impact

In addition to its properties, Six Senses works with local NGOs, schools and hospitals to strengthen community services and improve access to essentials such as clean water and education. The group is one of the first signatories of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the United Nations Environment Program and UN Tourism. Six Senses also partners with the United States Coalition on Sustainability and SustainChain™.

Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of Industry and Economics at UNEP, said: “We welcome Six Senses’ commitment to join Recipe of Change and take action to reduce food waste in the tourism sector. Food waste is both an environmental and economic challenge that requires systemic change. With food waste accounting for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the tourism sector has a critical role to play in driving solutions at scale. Via Recipe of Change stakeholders move from commitments to implementation by measuring waste, applying practical solutions and engaging. This collective effort is essential to accelerate progress toward halving global food waste by 2030.”

Today, all 27 Six Senses hotels and resorts in 20 countries report environmental and social impacts inside and outside the property, with a focus on driving systemic change. This work contributed to certification by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).