More than you'd think! Eating is the most significant interaction all of us have with the environment. However, the food system for which we depend on for three meals a day is also one of the highest GHG emitting sectors globally, where up to 37% of total GHG emissions are attributable to the food system. Between agriculture, forestry and land use alone, food is responsible for over a quarter of global emissions generated through human action, ranging from livestock management, chemical fertilizers, deforestation, degradation of croplands and forests (IPCC, 2022). These actions not only contribute to GHG emissions, but it also undermines nature's ability to lock down carbon where it belongs - in the soil.

Climate change caused by excess carbon in the atmosphere poses an enormous risk to agriculture and global food security as crops and livestock are threatened by severe natural disasters and the effects of global warming.

Asia, currently home to 60% of the world’s population, is projected to hit the 5 billion mark by 2035. In the next 30 years, the population is expected to grow by over 600 million, and the demand for food will rise alongside. To meet new food demands, the food system must also expand and will release ever more carbon emissions as a result. If the world and its leaders are serious about reducing carbon emissions, Asia is the place to heavily invest in.

Coming from hospitality backgrounds ourselves, we know that implementing best practices within our operations only contributes to a small part of the solution, and that the real impact occurs throughout the supply chain.

In 2018, Peggy signed @grassrootspantry on to @zerofoodprint's Carbon Neutrality Program with Joel at the helm to navigate GP's sustainability efforts. Through months of data aggregating and supplier list tracing, they were then able to ascertain through LCA scientists what this small single-standing restaurant's estimated annual GHG emissions were. The next natural step for Grassroots was to offset their emissions through a 3% Carbon Pledge at the end of every bill which went towards funding regenerative farms in California. This allowed them to address some of the external costs not often factored into a restaurant's P&L. Since then GP won numerous awards for leading best practices in both sustainable sourcing and responsible restaurant management.

Four years later, we know time is ripe to exponentially drive funding towards the protection and conservation of Asia’s soil - specifically through the means of implementing holistic, regenerative agriculture. ZFPA is a practical way for the hospitality industry across Asia to become part of the solution.

Our model's very simple. Food and beverage businesses pledge 1% of every customers' bill towards the ZFPA Restore fund. So that could be 1% of your morning coffee, 1% of your char siu fan - basically, 1% of food and beverage purchases will go to fund farmers that want to transition away from conventional farming to regenerative forms of agriculture - which in turn will draw down carbon from the atmosphere, restore soil health and help to combat global warming. Just a few dollars, in aggregate, can create acres and acres of healthy soil and shift us from the extractive conventional agricultural system to a renewable food system. It’s basically an easy way to be part of the solution.

No, because a tax is mandatory, and this is voluntary. Restaurants opt in and diners can opt out, so it’s more like crowd-funding for grants to farmers, who then use their land to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. (Bonus: better food for all of us.) The program represents an opportunity for each of us to vote with our dollars through a direct action that improves our food and climate. Meanwhile, every day, people are paying actual taxes that subsidize the kind of extractive farming that strips topsoil, reduces the nutrient content of produce and makes us more vulnerable to drought, flood, and fire.

Zero Foodprint HQ in the United States has been analyzing restaurants’ carbon footprints since 2015, and findings suggest that adding a charge of 1% towards carbon farming would accomplish as much environmental benefit as offsetting the estimated impact from the restaurant’s operation.

But 1% makes a lot of sense on a global scale as well: According to the scientists and climate experts who analyzed 80 climate solutions for Project Drawdown (2017), implementing drawdown projects around the world would cost between USD 22.5-28.4 trillion by 2050. Which when based on 2019's global GDP trajectory (USD87.6 trillion), is about 0.91-1.2% of the global economy; which we have rounded to 1% as a general guide.

To calculate these payments, restaurants will remit the actual 1% collected each month by the 7th day the following month.

ZFPA businesses may choose to generate the 1% pledge as they see fit, in accordance with local laws: they may increase their prices, create a customer surcharge, or not change their pricing/payment structure at all!

Absolutely, there is no one size fits all approach for how we work with our partners and how your business can work on climate action with us. Besides the 1% pledge you can:

1: Collaborate with us on a time bound campaign. For instance, pledge an amount during Earth Month or pledge proceeds from a pop-up.

2: Dedicate a product or menu item. Whether it’s a popular menu item or a signature product, you can assign a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the proceeds to support climate action.

3. Donate. Funding regenerative agriculture and helping solve one of the biggest crises of our time does not have to be complicated! From time to time we receive generous contributions from fellow supporters.

Let’s take the rise of renewable energy as a model. A utility company might add, say, $5 per month to improve the grid. Individuals can opt out, but over 100 cities, counties, states and countries are using this framework (known as Community Choice Aggregation) to go from 0% to 100% renewable energy. Zero Foodprint is establishing a similar framework for food and farming, by organizing a community of restaurants, diners and farmers to shift agricultural practices toward healthy soil, on many acres of farmland. You could think of this as improving the grid of food—after all, a good farm is basically a living solar panel—and we need to come together to create a renewable food system.

It’s not just for any Tom, Dick or Harry. The grants go directly to farmers and those practicing regeneratively across the Asia region. There are still conditions which they must meet and our advisory board must vet before the grants are distributed. Once distributed, each project will be measured so we can pass this info onto you, who can then shout it from your rooftops, websites, social media or all of them, wherever you think is best!

ZFPA restaurant partners join a worldwide restaurant network dedicated to bringing regenerative agriculture (the most promising climate solution) to scale. As part of the ZFPA family, you will be investing your business in climate conscious efforts, tracking such progress through user-friendly technology, and not to forget, doing your part to save the world. As environmental issues become a growing global concern, ZFPA members will be actively engaged in forward-thinking practices that will not only lead to healthier soil and more resilient crops, but also more nutritious and delicious meals.

88% of consumers demand that brands address climate change and employees prefer companies that align with their values. Give the people what they want. Happy restaurant/business, happy people, happy planet.