“At St Elmo’s we care about the health of the planet and our customers.  We care so much that we’ve chosen to hold ourselves responsible. By being committed to and conscious of our impact on the environment and the consumer, we’ve set an example for other companies and individuals to follow and we’re proud of it.  St Elmo’s will be the first South African fast food pizza chain to go green”, says Ian Halfon MD of St Elmo’s.

“There is a great deal of sensitivity towards a superficial approach that is riddled with a number of misconceptions. An unsubstantiated commitment in terms of genuine sustainability will do little to serve our purpose in the long run. It might in fact harm the credibility and levels of excellence that we have worked long and hard to achieve.  We need to clearly demonstrate our commitment to a sustainable future.” adds Halfon.

As part of this goal St Elmo’s understands both the value of developing a climate-friendly component to its brand identity, and the responsibility that the company has to reduce its own environmental impact. Consequently, St Elmo’s contracted the services of Global Carbon Exchange, to conduct an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Assessment at their head office.  St Elmo’s recognised that establishing the carbon footprint of the organisation should be the first step in its programme to reduce its operational emissions, and, as a starting point to roll out its environmental objectives.  Ultimately, St Elmo’s have indicated that they would like to establish the carbon footprint of their entire organisation consisting of 56 stores in South Africa and 6 stores throughout Africa.   The outcome of the initial audit has allowed St Elmo’s to develop an environmental management plan that will be rolled out over the next couple of years.

“The audit conducted in a clear no-nonsense, scientifically verified manner has provided St Elmo’s with a process of measuring, reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint from operations, services and products. There are several findings that can be implemented immediately which will ensure reductions in their impact and emissions, and St Elmo’s could invest in local environmental projects to offset their remaining carbon footprint.” Concludes Ohad Shachar, Sustainability Manager at GCX.

“We were very excited at the enthusiasm displayed by St Elmo’s executive and staff throughout the engagement. More importantly though, the response to the assessment and recommendations has been tremendous with changes being implemented literally within days of the report being delivered”, says Kevin James, GCX.

How St Elmo’s is already making a difference:

1. All serviettes are recyclable.
2. The pizza boxes are printed in ink that is formulated to be heavy metal free i.e. the inks do not contain any pigments that have Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Hexavalent Chromium as intentional components.
3. The pizza boxes are recyclable.
4. Take Away menus are printed on Sappi Triple green – the paper has been manufactured in a manner that preserves our planet’s natural resources and protects the environment from harmful pollution. Triple green is made up of 60% sugar-cane fibre - An annually renewable source of sustainable fibre.  Chlorine-free bleaching. An eco-friendly manufacturing process.  In addition to being produced from sustainable resources, Triple Green is recyclable and biodegradable.
5. Only using suppliers who demonstrate credible concern for the environment and who are already involved in recycling and other environmental initiatives, both locally and globally.  These are Parmalat, Mondipak and Coca-Cola to name a few.
6. Using cheese that is RBST hormone free, and produced by milk suppliers that comply with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), a comprehensive system focused on legal requirements and food safety.
7. Yes, we are a ‘wood fired’ pizza brand…we burn wood in order to give our pizzas a deliciously unique taste. We have done all we can, consulting some of South Africa’s industry experts, to make sure that we are burning the right kind of wood. Wherever possible, we are using alien, water-thirsty trees which are a pest to or natural eco-systems and generally regarded by environmentalists as a danger and requiring extermination,  such as Black wattle and Port Jackson…ensuring that the wood we burn actually helps the environment rather than harming it.  Many people think that wood is the only truly green source of fuel, because, unlike fossil fuels, it does not release any extra carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Wood is only an environment-friendly fuel if it comes from well-managed woodlands and forests, where more trees are grown each year than are harvested.  This is why we have partnered with South Africa’s national greening public benefit organisation, Food & Trees for Africa, to ensure we replenish the trees we use.

About Global Carbon Exchange:

Global Carbon Exchange, an internationally recognised organization, provides companies with clear, no-nonsense, scientifically verified consulting services on the process of measuring, reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint from operations, services and products. Reporting from initial scope definition to detailed energy and greenhouse gas assessment as well full product life-cycle analysis, GCX ensures your carbon reduction/neutral strategy is robust and contributes in the fight against global warming in a meaningful way. To learn more about GCX, visit: www.gcx.co.za.

About St Elmo’s Pizza:

St Elmo’s was started in Sea Point in 1987 as the dream of one man, Ian Halfon. Right from the start Ian’s restaurant offered an ‘indescribable something’ which kept his customers coming back.  Pizzas are prepared in wood-burning ovens to ensure the authentic St Elmo’s taste. That 'indescribable something' can be found in the mouthwatering pizza and pasta, the excellent customer service, and some closely guarded secrets which the competition has never quite been able to pinpoint. The authentic wood-fired taste of our pizzas, FREE delivery service and passionate insistence upon only the freshest, prime ingredients being used in all our products, contribute to the successful recipe of this growing brand.  The St Elmo’s menu consists of a wide variety of wood-fired pizzas, subs, pastas, ribs & chips, desserts and refreshments for the entire family and clearly indicates which meals are vegetarian, contain nuts or are exciting and new.  The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa has endorsed various meal options on our menu, which are lower in fat, cholesterol, salt and where applicable, high in fibre. Recognising St Elmo’s dedication to customer satisfaction and food hygiene standards, the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) recently awarded St Elmo’s with SABS ‘HACCP’ 0330 status for our food Manufacturing and Distribution Centre in Cape Town, making us the first food franchise in the Western Cape to hold this esteemed accreditation. HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is a world-class pro-active food safety control system by which food hygiene is ensured. For additional information, visit:  www.stelmos.co.za