Accor Advances Zero-Waste Kitchens with Strong Culinary Sustainability Drive Across India

NATIONAL, INDIA – Accor, a global hospitality leader, is advancing its commitment to environmental responsibility through innovative initiatives to reduce food waste and promote sustainable culinary practices across its hotels in India. From strategic buffet planning to eco-conscious cocktail preparation, the Group is reimagining hotel kitchen operations with sustainability at the heart of its food and beverage philosophy.

In high-volume service periods, such as breakfast buffets, Accor hotels in India have introduced smarter systems including the use of smaller plates to encourage mindful portioning, chef-led real-time replenishment, and batch cooking aligned precisely with guest flow. These practices are supported by daily tracking of occupancy and food consumption patterns to ensure production closely matches actual demand.

At Novotel Guwahati GS Road, made-to-order breakfast options such as eggs, parathas, and dosas help avoid overproduction. Buffet portion sizes are deliberately kept small and replenished as required, while waste is measured separately across the kitchen, buffet, and plate. At Pullman New Delhi Aerocity and Novotel New Delhi Aerocity, the Lumitics Smart Waste Tracker is used at the Farmer’s Basket restaurant to monitor food waste through AI. Additional initiatives include mindful dining tent cards, a ‘No Bin Policy’ in the staff cafeteria, and event catering aligned with minimum guarantees. An in-house organic waste converter transforms food scraps into compost or supports energy generation.

 Novotel Hyderabad Airport engages guests through “Waste Not” posters that display previous day’s food waste. Small portioning, live counters, and batch-wise production are standard practice, and waste data is tracked daily using Gaia, a digital sustainability management platform, to monitor and optimise food consumption. Team engagement is driven through regular town halls. The hotel also participates in the RUCO (Used Cooking Oil) programme and maintains a kitchen garden for herbs and vegetables. 

At Novotel Goa Candolim and Novotel Goa Resort & Spa, buffet operations have been enhanced with smaller plates, chef-supervised refilling, batch cooking based on guest numbers, and surplus ingredient repurposing in accordance with strict safety guidelines. Daily briefings include shared data on waste and consumption trends.

Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences uses real-time occupancy data and historical trends to guide breakfast planning. Live counters for items such as dosas and pancakes minimise overproduction, and edible trimmings are creatively reused to reduce waste.

At Pullman Chennai Anna Salai, a comprehensive Food Waste Reduction and Zero-Waste Kitchen programme is in place. The hotel, which holds a LEED Gold Certification, employs manual waste tracking, precise meal planning, strict inventory control, and streamlined buffet presentations. An on-site organic composting unit converts food waste into nutrient-rich compost for the hotel’s landscaped areas, underscoring Accor’s commitment to placing “People & Nature at the Heart of our Sustainability Strategy.”

These cohesive, multi-layered initiatives reflect Accor’s determination to lead the industry not only in hospitality but in environmental responsibility. By focusing on food waste reduction, resource optimisation, and raising awareness among guests and teams, Accor is setting a powerful example of sustainable dining in the modern hospitality landscape.