Sector:  Food producer/ processor
No.of Employees: 23
Region: London

Summary
Sun & Doves serves modern food and drink in contemporary surroundings.  It also holds regular art exhibitions featuring mainly local artists.  It is one of the few public houses to have initiated sustainable business practices.

Background
Sun Doves opened in 1995 with a turnover of £650,000.  Despite fierce competition in the local area, it has nevertheless grown to a turnover of £788,000 in 2004 and remains a popular bar in Camberwell.

Responsible business objectives 
The ambition of Mark Dodds, founder of Sun & Doves, is: "to make it a genuinely sustainable, Carbon Neutral Pub, generating far more energy than we use, and recycling, composting and reusing as much of our waste as possible".

How they do it

• Environmental auditing.  The Sun & Dove underwent an environmental audit of the premises in 2004.

• Switch to renewable electricity.  Now supplied by Good Energy.

• Replacement of conventional boiler. Exchanged for energy-efficient condensing boiler.

• Addition of thermostatic radiator valves to central heating system.  Heat production shuts off when correct temperature reached.

• Water-saving toilets.  Installation of movement-sensitive urinals, which only refill and empty when movement is detected in the room.  Advice and support for the project was received from the Big Splash initiative, through Envirowise.

• Composting and recycling of garden and kitchen waste.

• Switch to low-energy light bulbs.

• Construction of bicycle rack. To encourage customers to arrive via sustainable transport.

• Environmental lobbying.  Involved in pressurizing the local council to provide commercial recycling collections (currently only provided for domestic households).

• Working with SEEcompanies.com, which rates companies' responsible behaviour based on their answers to the SEEcompanies' survey.

What impact it has

• Reduction in energy consumption.
• Landfill reduction.
• Raising awareness about sustainable initiatives in the local community and further afield.

Business Benefits

• Cost saving.  Overall energy savings of £800 per year (10% of total turnover).  Electricity savings constitute around £200 of this, through switching to low-energy light bulbs. 

• Public interest.  Focusing on the company's sustainable policies has stimulated renewed customer interest in Sun & Doves.

• PR interest.  Sustainable business measures attract positive media attention and coverage.