"We thought we were doing fine — 22% diversion, no fines. Turns out 'fine' was costing us $42K a year."
| Metric | Before Sustain | After Sustain | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landfill-bound food waste | 68% of total waste | 19% of total waste | −72% |
| Diversion rate (compost + recycle) | 22% | 76% | +54 pts |
| Hauling cost per month | $3,200 | $1,450 | −$1,750 |
| Tons diverted annually | 4.1 tons | 18.7 tons | +14.6 tons |
| Staff sort-compliance rate | 34% | 89% | +55 pts |
Median results across 38 restaurant group audits, 2022–2025. Individual results vary by operation size and existing infrastructure.
— Letters from the field
"We went from paying to haul trash to getting a rebate check. The audit paid for itself in month two."
Dominic Ferreira
Operations Director
Coastline Restaurant Group — 9 locations, CA
"I finally had the numbers to show our landlord why we needed a composting station in the loading dock."
Priya Nair
GM
The Larder, Portland OR
"SB 1383 compliance used to keep me up at night. Now it's a line item we're ahead of."
Marcus Webb
COO
Hearth & Ember Hospitality
"The waste stream audit revealed $8,400 in annual over-ordering we didn't know existed."
Leila Okonkwo
Executive Chef & Partner
Sable & Salt, Chicago IL
"We thought local sourcing meant paying more. We were wrong by $49,000 a year."
| Metric | Before Sustain | After Sustain | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local/regional sourcing share | 11% of spend | 38% of spend | +27 pts |
| Average cost per produce case | $68.40 | $61.20 | −$7.20 |
| Supplier diversity score | 2 / 10 | 7 / 10 | +5 pts |
| Annual ingredient spend | $480K | $431K | −$49K |
| Supply chain risk events/year | 14 | 3 | −11 |
| Carbon intensity (kg CO₂e/plate) | 2.8 kg | 1.6 kg | −43% |
Data from 24 brewery and restaurant group sourcing audits. Carbon intensity calculated using Ecoinvent 3.9 database.
— Letters from the field
"We thought local sourcing meant paying more. We were wrong by $49,000 a year."
Tomás Rivera
Founder
Mesa Collective Brewpub, Denver CO
"Our crowler now says '38% locally sourced' and I can actually prove it. That's worth something on a tap handle."
Ingrid Halvorsen
Co-founder & Head Brewer
Kettle & Bine Brewing, Minneapolis MN
"The supplier health index caught a single-source dependency on our hop contract three months before it collapsed."
Derek Osei
Head of Procurement
Tributary Craft, Portland ME
"Our board added ESG to the Q3 review with three weeks notice. Sustain had our data package ready in four days."
| Metric | Before Sustain | After Sustain | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to produce ESG report | 6–8 weeks | 4 business days | −90% |
| Packaging compliance readiness | 2 / 10 | 9 / 10 | +7 pts |
| Scope 1+2 emissions tracked | 0% | 100% | Full coverage |
| Board-ready metrics available | 1 (revenue) | 14 KPIs | +13 metrics |
| Regulatory fine risk (annual) | $34K estimated | $0 | −$34K |
| Customer-facing sustainability claims | Unverified taglines | Audited, defensible | Litigation-proof |
Reporting metrics across 19 CPG brand and multi-unit restaurant engagements, 2023–2025. GRI Standards alignment verified by third-party reviewer.
— Letters from the field
"Our board added ESG to the Q3 review with three weeks notice. Sustain had our data package ready in four days."
Christine Oduya
VP Marketing & Strategy
Verdant Foods CPG, Austin TX
"I stopped putting 'sustainable brewery' on our cans because I couldn't back it up. Now I can. Now it's back."
Ryan Kowalski
Founder
Fieldwork Fermentation, Bend OR
"The packaging legislation deep-dive alone was worth ten times the engagement fee. We were exposed and didn't know it."
Natalie Chen
Director of Operations
Bright Table Restaurant Group, Seattle WA
"Our buyers started asking about our ESG score. Six months ago we would have panicked. Now we send them the dashboard link."
James Osei-Bonsu
CEO
Grove & Grain CPG
The F&B Waste Audit Toolkit
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15-Minute Regulation Readiness Call
Tell us your state, your operation type, and your biggest compliance headache. We'll tell you exactly which regulations apply, which ones are coming, and whether you're exposed. No pitch. Just the answer.
Mara Osei
Founder & Lead Auditor, Sustain
18 years · 412 audits
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