Shaftesbury, owners of the Carnaby area in the heart of London's West End, has announced a collaboration with ocean conservation organisation, Project 0, to inspire the restaurant, bar and cafe community of Carnaby to take action to protect the ocean.
The Blue Turtle is a mark of commitment that will be awarded to restaurants, bars and cafes that are working towards being ocean friendly and are committed to improving their practises. The vision is for Carnaby to become the most ocean-friendly destination in London. Shaftesbury is the largest freeholder of restaurants across the West End, with over 60 bars, cafes, restaurants in Carnaby.
The initiative is run by Shaftesbury in collaboration with Project 0, and advised by an expert committee including ZSL, OneLess, Leon, Veolia, A Plastic Planet and Blue Marine Foundation.
The Blue Turtle scheme aims to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic products and encourages businesses to adopt more sustainable practises. Shaftesbury have created an ocean friendly toolkit that will provide tenants with information on where to source sustainable products, services and suppliers as well as local regulations and hands on support.
Shaftesbury’s F&B tenants are being asked to make a pledge to eliminate avoidable single-use plastic products, reduce waste and source seafood sustainably. Once businesses commit to changing their practises and put an action plan in place, the bar, restaurant or cafe´ will be awarded a Blue Turtle which will be displayed in their venue to show customers their commitment. First to sign the pledge are The Good Egg, Whyte and Brown, Ugly Dumpling, Leon and The Rum Kitchen.
Alex Coppard, Soho Head Chef and co-founder of The Good Egg, said, “We're thrilled to team up with Carnaby on its Blue Turtle initiative, not least because its aims really resonates with those we founded our business on:working closely with the Sustainable Restaurant Association to achieve the highest sustainability rating possible, we've always considered really carefully where we source our ingredients from, and worked hard to have a positive influence on our local community and as little impact as possible on the environment.”
Sarah Clark, Managing Director of Whyte and Brown, added, “We’re delighted to be supporting Shaftesbury to launch the Blue Turtle scheme because we believe sustainability needs to go further than the produce we serve. We have a responsibility to act ethically for our people and suppliers, too.”
The ocean is Earth’s life support system, taking up 70% of our planet’s surface and giving us every drop of water we drink, and every second breath we take. Today the ocean is under attack from climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution. It’s time to show it some love.
Simon Quayle, Shaftesbury, Director, commented, “Our vision is for businesses and consumers in Carnaby to come together and make a real difference with their actions, lead by example and help create a collective change for a more ocean-friendly London.”
Michele Clarke, Project 0 Founder, said, “The Blue Turtle initiative is a way for people to identify restaurants, cafes and bars who have adopted ocean-friendly practices. We feel extraordinarily lucky to be working with Carnaby who are absolutely the perfect partner in the best place in London to launch the Blue Turtle. Individual actions really matter so we’re thrilling to be taking this important step towards restoring the ocean.”