Making your business sustainable
On this page:
In business, sustainability refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole.
Business can move toward sustainability in a range of ways.
Reducing energy usage
This can include initiatives such as
- Switch your lights to LED
- Install solar panels
- Draught proof your building
- Insulate your building
- Switch to GreenPower
- Turn off your coffee machine
- Install a fridge timer
For more information on available support and subsidies go to the Zero Carbon Merri-bek website.
Reducing single-use plastic
We want to support Merri-bek food businesses to keep reducing single-use plastic.
On average single-use plastics are used for less than 12 minutes before being discarded. In response to rising plastic pollution, in 2023 the Victorian Government introduced a ban on plastic straws, cutlery, plates, polystyrene take-away containers and polystyrene cups.
While this has been an important step, there are still many opportunities for businesses to further reduce single-use packaging and help customers make more sustainable choices. Creating change starts with exploring alternatives and finding what works best for your business.
What you can try
- Offering reusable cup options
- reducing disposable cups is a simple and effective step. Introduce a reusable cup ‘swap’ system. Consider programs such as
- HuskeeSwap – a reusable system for cafes
- Skip Zero – a swap cup system that is changing the way we do BYO
- reducing disposable cups is a simple and effective step. Introduce a reusable cup ‘swap’ system. Consider programs such as
- Introducing a container swap program
- replace takeaway packaging with reusable containers, explore options such as
- Retub – a container exchange program for cafes
- Returnr – reusable alternatives to single-use packaging
- For larger precincts or multiple businesses, view Sustainability Victoria’s detailed guide (PDF 507Kb).
- replace takeaway packaging with reusable containers, explore options such as
- Accepting BYO cups and containers
- Encourage customers to bring their own cups or containers for takeaway food
- Benefits:
- Helps reduce single-use waste
- Supports customers to make sustainable choices
- Can build customer loyalty and encourage repeat visits
- Want to learn more?
- Non-profit organisation, BYO Containers offers practical tips to get you started.
- Our BYO containers information sheet (DOCX 10Mb) explains
- Food safety requirements
- How to comply with the Food Standards Code
- The benefits of supporting re-use
Reducing waste with Responsible Cafes
Does your business want to reduce the impact of single-use coffee cup waste on our environment, or promote other waste initiatives you're doing?
Then add your café to the Responsible Cafes map, run by a non-profit organisation fighting the war on waste. The map promotes cafes with sustainable initiatives; whether your business offers a discount for BYO coffee cups, supports customers to use reusable containers, uses organic produce or other initiatives.
To join Responsible Cafes
- there is no cost
- join online, and be placed on their online map
- download posters for your cafe or be part of Responsible Café’s campaigns.
Reducing single-use plastic at cafes on Sydney Road
As part of our work supporting hospitality businesses reduce single-use plastic, we partnered with Boomerang Alliance in 2021 to trial the Plastic Free Sydney Road initiative. The program supported businesses along Sydney Road in Brunswick and Coburg find more sustainable solutions to single-use plastic.
Over the 14 months trial, more than 370, 000 pieces of plastic were eliminated. Read more about the trial outcomes on our Reducing Waste page.