Carbon FOODprint web-based software application

FirstCarbon Solutions and Compass Group have launched the software tool being used to support Compass Group’s Carbon FOODprint toolkit. This web-based tool, powered by FirstCarbon Solutions, is designed to help lower environmental impact and operational costs.

An easy-to-use toolkit, Carbon FOODprint allows chefs and managers to create customised strategies to reduce their operations’ carbon footprints by decreasing waste disposal and energy and water use. Foodservice managers can make up to 185 strategic choices across five key areas, including menu engineering, kitchen operations, kitchen services, site equipment and facilities.

Developed by FirstCarbon and hosted as part of its Sustainability Workbench platform, the web-based software application is an integral part of the Carbon FOODprint toolkit. This online technology allows cafes to benchmark and measure the improvements made throughout the cafe, which can be shared with clients for annual reports, sustainability indexes and disclosure to public programs such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

As part of the design and collaboration, FirstCarbon collected thousands of pieces of data on the production, packaging and transport of individually purchased food items, serving materials and cleaning chemicals required to manage a foodservice operation “from cradle to customer.” The company coupled this information with site-specific operational data from individual cafes to provide up-to-date dashboards on the carbon, energy, water and wastes associated with all aspects of a foodservice operation (facilities, kitchen operations, kitchen services, and menu engineering).