These pie-makers are making some sustainable mooves.
With events such as Veganuary, as well as David Attenborough documentaries, making us more aware of our carbon footprint and how lifestyle choices impact the environment one of the UK’s well-known pie restaurants has decided to get involved. Pieminister, founded in Bristol, is trialling a new supplement that will be added to the price of its beef pies as part of a drive to combat climate change.
The company said they’re looking to highlight the “true cost” of beef consumption on the planet and will be putting the additional 10p from each pie sold towards a tree-planting campaign set to launch this April, in conjunction with Forestry England. The pie-makers, who have three restaurants in Bristol, are offering a delivery service throughout lockdown and will be trialling the opt-in supplement on beef pies only from January onwards.
Pieminister said: “While the beef we put into our pies is proudly British, premium and high-welfare, the fact is that beef has almost 10 times the CO2 emissions compared to chicken or pork, and 40-60 times the emissions of the majority of vegetables.”
The company has also pledged to decrease the shelf-space it gives to beef-based pies and increase its plant-based options, with the hope the new ‘planet pay back’ system will help advance a shift towards customers trying alternative meat, veggie and plant-based fillings.
Jon Simon, a co-founder of Pieminister, said: “Food production counts for 25 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions and beef consumption is a huge part of the problem. As pie makers, we have a responsibility to do something about this.
“We’re not telling people they should not eat our beef pies – we’re saying that we should all acknowledge the impact beef has on the planet and give our customers good reason to try a non-beef alternative once in a while. It’s a bold move but we hope our ‘planet pay back’ supplement will help with this while kicking off the fundraising for our forthcoming tree planting campaign with Forestry England.”
The funds that Pieminister raises will go towards transforming an area of unused land in Kent into a flourishing forest. This scheme forms one of a series of goals that Pieminister has pledged to reach by 2025, as it accelerates its efforts to help combat climate change and improve its overall sustainability as a company.
Other sustainable goals that Pieminister aim to achieve include reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025, as well as 100% of their waste to be recycled or recovered by 2022.
Pieminister currently have eleven meat-free pies and two meat-free patties in their ranges, six of which are 100% plant-based, including their pies Mooless Moo (a ‘steak’ and ale pie made with sustainably sourced jackfruit) and Evergreen (a spinach, kale and edamame pie with garlic & ginger).
[Featured Image: Pieminister]