The recession could leave a legacy of improved resource efficiency in the catering and hotel sector as UK businesses adopt an increasingly thrifty mindset, according to a report published this week by government-funded advisory service Envirowise.

The Envirowise Business Thrift Shift report, encompasses responses from more than 500 UK companies, reveals that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of businesses surveyed have developed a more detailed knowledge of their spending and resource use as a result of the recession. This includes everything from investment in raw materials, transport and energy, to staffing, equipment and professional services.

For the catering and hotel industry, reduction of water and energy use was the biggest area of cut back (75 per cent), with a large number also minimising spend on raw materials and consumables. And this thrift shift is set to continue when the recovery comes, with 79 per cent of respondents citing a greater emphasis on energy efficiency in particular as a possible legacy of the recession.

Matthew Rowland-Jones, Envirowise catering and hotel specialist said: “The hotel and catering sector has been facing some serious challenges as a result of the recession and this is perhaps reflected in the number of survey respondents reducing staff costs during this period (59 per cent). However, it is also clear that for many companies this period of economic difficulty has stimulated a more resource-conscious mindset, galvanising environmental commitments that had perhaps been lower down the business agenda.

“We know from experience that resource efficiency goes hand-in-hand with profitability, so it is encouraging to see better management of raw materials, energy and water forming an important component of the business response to recession in the UK.

“Such an approach does not only lead to financial savings; it can also equip businesses to face increasing levels of environmental legislation and provides an important competitive advantage as customers become more environmentally conscious. These companies are not only more likely to survive the recession in the short-term, but are also better placed to thrive when the economy begins to recover.”

Philippe Rossiter, ceo of the Institute of Hospitality agreed. He said: “ “In many ways the survey demonstrates what we have always known; namely, that resource efficiency makes sound business sense. It is unfortunate, however, that it has required the worst recession in decades to galvanise businesses into action, forcing them to re-learn some old lessons.”

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