GEC at edie 25 - Serving Sustainability at Scale

When leading voices in business, sustainability, and the net-zero movement from across industries gathered for edie 25, it wasn’t just the conversations in the forums that championed climate action. It was also quietly reflected in the meals that were served at lunch.

As the exclusive catering partner at London’s Business Design Centre, The Good Eating Company was proud to help bring edie’s mission to life at the UK’s flagship sustainability summit. As a B Corp, it was important to edie that its leading business sustainability event reflected its values  and that included what guests ate as well.

At The Good Eating Company, sustainability sits at the heart of how we source, prepare, and serve our food. Catering edie 25 gave us the chance to put this into practice on a larger scale.

We were proud to serve healthy, delicious meals that reflected the spirit of the summit — thoughtful, bold, and grounded in sustainability.

Food That Feels Good - and Does Good

Catering for hundreds of guests across two days came with its challenges — one of them was showing that low-impact food can still be full of warmth, flavour, and joy. Working closely with edie’s team, we created menus that put seasonal produce and plant-forward dishes at the heart.

Instead of leading with “vegan” or “plant-based” labels,  we let the food speak for itself. Nourishing dishes crafted using  whole ingredients, created to energise and satisfy. It was food made with care and intention,  that just happened to be sustainable as well.

Sourcing That Connects Us

We’ve always believed that how we source our ingredients is just as important as what we serve. All our fruit and vegetables come from LEAF Marque-certified growers, and 87% of our fresh produce spend goes to small and medium-sized suppliers. At GEC supporting local organisations and  working with smaller companies helps us foster stronger  relationships with our suppliers. Traceability becomes easier when you know exactly where your ingredients come from — and who grew them.

Minimising Waste, Maximising Impact

Food waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges in catering. Especially in instances  where guest numbers can change at the last minute. That’s why we start by planning smart - working with organisers to understand attendance and reduce overproduction.

But even with the most detailed prep we understand that some waste is inevitable. That’s why we  track it using LeanPath, a kitchen-based system that helps us measure, learn, and adapt. We also do everything we can to make sure good food doesn’t end up in the bin. For edie 25, we arranged a special collection so that leftover plant-based food could be donated safely to charity.

Rethinking Packaging

With many event organisers increasingly asking for street food-style pop-ups and food trucks, GEC looked to  alternatives  and one such innovation is Notpla — a compostable packaging made from seaweed and plant extracts, and a winner of the 2022 Earthshot Prize.

Notpla containers look and function like conventional disposables but break down naturally without harming the environment. For guests, nothing changes - the packaging can be thrown away after use. For the operations team, there’s the added benefit of reduced washing and waste-handling effort.

While no single solution solves every challenge, innovations like these bring us closer to our goal of making sustainability more effortless not only for the environment, but also for the people we serve.

More than just a meal

For The Good Eating Company, catering edie 25  offered an opportunity to showcase what’s possible when food becomes a tool for positive change. When care for people and the planet is considered at every stage from sourcing ingredients to how meals are served to the experience of the enjoyment of the food.

With menus leaning towards plant-based choices, the goal wasn’t to inspire a shift  and to start conversations around the everyday decisions that can lead to meaningful change. Every detail was intentional. From the language used on the menus to how surplus food was redirected, the team approached the event with the understanding that food, when done thoughtfully, can be one of the most immediate, tangible ways to respond towards the climate crisis.

The Good Eating Company is proud to have helped bring edie 25’s values to life. And we’ll continue doing what we do best. Creating food experiences that bring people together, start conversations, and continue to support and shape a more sustainable future