In this blog, 15Hatfields shares why venues need to dig deeper than ‘eco-friendly’ labels and how they are showing the industry what real change looks like.
When 15Hatfields opened its doors, it set out to be more than just a venue — it wanted to be the benchmark for sustainable events. But making every element of operations align with that ethos hasn’t always been straightforward, especially when it came to catering.
For years, the industry leaned heavily on packaging materials marketed as “green” but that often fell short in reality. PLA food wraps, for example, looked eco-friendly on paper but needed specialist composting facilities that barely existed. Too often, they ended up in landfill.
Instead of accepting that contradiction, 15Hatfields joined forces with Eden Caterers to find a better way.
Their partnership dates back to when the venue was still under construction, and together they’ve tackled everything from rewriting British Standards for sustainable event management to driving a dramatic shift towards plant-based menus (today, more than 70% of food Eden serves at 15Hatfields and elsewhere is vegetarian or vegan).
Most recently, they ditched PLA altogether in favour of Proganic BOPP, a recyclable, fully biodegradable alternative that breaks down without leaving microplastics. It was the result of eight months of testing and research, and it’s just one example of the kind of innovation this collaboration has normalised.
So what can venues learn from this?
The 15Hatfields–Eden partnership shows that sustainable catering is not about bolt-ons or buzzwords, but about embedding responsibility into every choice. Venues looking to follow suit can start by:
- Questioning suppliers on the real end-of-life impact of products, not just their “green” labels.
- Setting measurable targets, from carbon emissions to waste reduction, and being transparent with clients.
- Making plant-based menus the default, not the exception.
- Partnering with caterers and suppliers willing to innovate and test new solutions.
The results speak for themselves. This collaboration has significantly reduced food-related carbon emissions, cut packaging waste, and proved that sustainability can enhance, not hinder, delegate experience.
Eden Caterers’ managing director Nick Mead says: “Working with 15Hatfields has proven that sustainability isn’t just a trend – it’s a fundamental shift in how the events industry must operate. Together we’ve shown what’s possible, and we hope it inspires others to push further.”
For 15Hatfields, the details matter; from goat-hair carpets and recycled glassware to zero-waste catering wraps and it’s that healthy obsessive attention to detail that has made them one of the UK’s most influential voices in sustainable events.
Because when it comes to greening the industry, it’s not the slogans that count. It’s the systems you put in place.