Sustainable Food Strategy

Scottish, Seasonal, and Sustainable

At the SEC, food is more than fuel, it’s an experience crafted with care for both people and the planet.

This is why we have joint with Levy UK+Ireland, the in-house catering partner at the SEC since it opened in 1985.

The Sustainable Food Strategy was introduced ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), hosted at the SEC in 2021. The legacy from that event now informs and inspires our menu development process.

By creating a Sustainable Food Strategy, we are taking an important step in making a long-lasting and crucial change within the event industry. Levy’s dedicated team are committed to a plant-forward approach, using Scottish-sourced and UK in-season produce, as well as working with suppliers committed to net zero.

80%

or more locally sourced produce from within 200km radius from the SEC.

50%

plant-forward menus, guided by EAT Lancet principles.

50%

reduction in food waste by 2030.

100%

seasonal sourcing for all menus.

80%

carbon emissions decarbonised by 2027.

20%

carbon emissions neutralised by 2027.

100%

conscious of our responsibility for a better tomorrow.

Our local suppliers

Around 90% of emissions come from supply chain, so if we are going to make a real difference, we need to start at this stage. This is why we aim to have 80% or more of our suppliers be within 200km radius from the venue. We are also working with suppliers who have high welfare standards and who are putting sustainability at the heart of their business.

Foodmap of Scottish suppliers of fruit and veg.

Carbon impact transparency

We have partnered with food data experts Foodsteps to calculate the carbon footprint of our food. We aim to inform our customers about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, encouraging them to make healthier and more planet-conscious choices.

The Foodsteps labels indicate from ”A” to “E” the carbon emission of each dish, with “A” having the least emissions. The rating considers environmental impact of ingredients, farming practices, production, transport, and cooking method.

SEC food portfolio detailing the Foodsteps labels from A-E.

Reusable Cups

One Cup is part of Event Cup Solutions, the UK’s only carbon-neutral reusable cup system and a ClimatePartner certified company.

The One Cup System offers a simple 3-step process for customers to experience their event in the most sustainable and hassle-free way: Buy your drink > Enjoy your drink > Return your cup - it's that simple!

Returned cups are cleaned and prepared for reuse at future events, minimising waste and maximising sustainability.

We've estimated around 400k One Cups used per year for all conference and exhibition events. Whereas around 1.8 million One Cups are used per year at the OVO Hydro alone.

Biodegradable packaging

We are proud to partner up with Notpla whose novel food packaging shows that the solution to the 14 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans each year may also lie in our ocean, too.

Notpla uses seaweed to replicate the qualities of plastics, replacing millions of items of single-use plastic packaging with a 100% biodegradable solution.

Thankfully, this milestone partnership is enabling Notpla to drastically scale up the speed at which it can turn back the tides on plastic pollution, and enables us to truly make a positive impact on our planet.