* Communication skills
* Creativity
* Knowledge of the circular economy and packaging regulations
* Entrepreneurs:inside with heart, head and hand
* Stamina
* Willingness and readiness for change
A waste-free ice cream parlor is an illusion? We believe it is possible.
Become a zero-waste hero with your ice cream parlor. To do this, you need to start with a benevolent analysis of all raw/recyclable materials used in the ice cream parlor.
As a rule, these are: cups, wafers, ingredients for the ice cream, containers, advertising materials, crockery, but also downstream items such as the energy used, water, cooling systems, etc.
Then draw up a list of potential areas for improvement and divide them up into easy-to-implement topics and big issues. It is important not to overwhelm yourself and your staff in the first few meters of the journey - because it is a process.
Involve your employees as well as customers and suppliers in the decision-making and transformation process (by asking for their wishes and perspectives and perhaps in the form of surveys).
Then take one easy-to-implement topic and a thick board from your list. Once this has been completed, move on to the next most important topic.
Celebrate your interim successes.
Here are some topics that we believe are easy to implement:
- Use reusable cups instead of disposable cups, e.g. VYTAL, RECUP (and similar reusable systems) for drinks or REBOWL for ice cream etc., alternatively: edible cups
- Switch to a green electricity provider
- Use organic materials for spoons, in-house stainless steel cutlery
- Become a refill station and dispense tap water free of charge
Thick boards could be, for example:
- Design suppliers' containers to be waste-free
- CO2-optimized delivery, pay attention to short distances
- Switch to organic, fair and regional ingredients
It is important in this process that you take your customers, employees, suppliers and the public along with you with a good communication concept and thus turn them into your supporters.
Here you can find more information and inspiration on the Zerowaste Heroes page: https://www.zero-waste-helden.de/unternehmen/eisdiele
Have fun cooking!
Anyone who has tried or modified the recipe, feel free to comment!
This recipe is from
Roland Mietke (member of the board of Zero Waste Germany e.V.) and Frank Braun (member of the board of Transition Netzwerk e.V.)