04/06/26
How Hospitality Businesses Can Reduce Beef Supply Chain Emissions
Decarbonising beef supply chains could remove 4 million tCO₂e, reducing the industry's emissions footprint by 11%.
For hospitality businesses, tackling beef emissions reduces carbon, protects supply chains, reduces business risk and builds resilience in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
It also helps strengthen brand reputation by demonstrating action on one of the most visible and challenging areas of a company's environmental footprint.
Beef is one of the biggest contributors to many businesses' Scope 3 emissions footprint, and it's one of the biggest opportunities for collective action.
That's why our Beef Action Group is bringing together operators, suppliers and industry partners to turn a complex challenge into practical action.
Key takeaways
✔ Decarbonising beef supply chains could remove 4 million tCO₂e from the industry's footprint
✔ Beef emissions represent a significant Scope 3 challenge for hospitality businesses
✔ Better supplier engagement can reduce duplication and accelerate progress
✔ Stronger supply chains improve resilience against climate and supply risks
✔ Demonstrating action on beef can strengthen confidence among customers, investors and other stakeholders
What is the Beef Action Group?
The Beef Action Group brings together hospitality businesses, suppliers and industry partners to reduce emissions from beef supply chains. The group identifies emissions hotspots, improves supply chain visibility and develops practical actions that help operators reduce Scope 3 emissions while building stronger, more resilient supply chains.
Why do beef emissions matter for hospitality businesses?
Reducing emissions across supply chains is increasingly becoming a commercial priority.
Extreme weather, changing regulations and pressure from customers and investors are creating new risks and expectations across the sector. At the same time, businesses are looking for practical ways to reduce costs, strengthen resilience and demonstrate credible progress towards net zero.
Many of the highest emissions within hospitality sit outside a business's direct operations, within its supply chain. Beef is one of the toughest categories to tackle, which is why collaboration is critical.
How can hospitality businesses reduce beef supply chain emissions?
The Beef Action Group is helping members focus effort where it can have the biggest impact by:
Identifying emissions hotspots
Understanding where emissions occur across the beef supply chain allows businesses to focus on high-impact interventions and avoid wasting effort.
Improving supplier engagement
We've developed category-specific supplier questions and a more consistent approach to engagement to increase visibility and strengthen collective influence.
Working collaboratively with suppliers and partners
We are engaging with priority suppliers and industry partners to identify practical decarbonisation opportunities and understand wider benefits across the supply chain.
Mapping practical solutions
By building alignment across stakeholders, we can move from discussion to implementation faster and help drive coordinated action across the sector.
Why does supplier engagement matter?
One of the key outcomes from the Group's work so far has been developing a shared set of supplier actions with beef producers to help members engage more effectively.
This approach helps:
Create consistent language so suppliers clearly understand what customers are asking for
Focus on practical actions farmers can take, where emissions and risks are often highest
Reduce duplication and improve efficiency across the industry
Build stronger relationships between operators and suppliers
Working together creates a clearer pathway for action and supports faster adoption of resilient practices.
Delivering value across efficiency, resilience and brand
Efficiency
Identified emissions hotspots to target high-impact interventions
Developed category-specific supplier questions to strengthen sector influence
Unified engagement with key suppliers to identify opportunities more effectively
Resilience
Increased visibility across UK beef supply chains
Worked alongside industry bodies to align priority initiatives
Accelerated conversations around resilient farming practices
Brand
Demonstrated evidence-based opportunities in one of hospitality's most challenging ingredient categories
Strengthened confidence among customers, investors and stakeholders
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why are beef emissions important for hospitality businesses?
Beef is one of the highest-emissions ingredients in many hospitality supply chains and often contributes significantly to a business's Scope 3 emissions footprint. Addressing emissions in this category can help businesses reduce risk and support wider net-zero goals.
How can hospitality businesses reduce beef supply chain emissions?
Businesses can reduce emissions through stronger supplier engagement, identifying emissions hotspots, supporting farm-level interventions and working collaboratively around shared standards and actions. Joining the Zero Carbon Forum means companies can work together with their peers and across supply chains to achieve shared goals.
What are the business benefits of reducing beef emissions?
Reducing emissions can help improve efficiency, strengthen resilience against supply disruption and demonstrate credible action to customers, investors and stakeholders.
----
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member of the Forum, get in touch.
04/06/26
How Hospitality Businesses Can Reduce Beef Supply Chain Emissions
Decarbonising beef supply chains could remove 4 million tCO₂e, reducing the industry's emissions footprint by 11%.
For hospitality businesses, tackling beef emissions reduces carbon, protects supply chains, reduces business risk and builds resilience in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
It also helps strengthen brand reputation by demonstrating action on one of the most visible and challenging areas of a company's environmental footprint.
Beef is one of the biggest contributors to many businesses' Scope 3 emissions footprint, and it's one of the biggest opportunities for collective action.
That's why our Beef Action Group is bringing together operators, suppliers and industry partners to turn a complex challenge into practical action.
Key takeaways
✔ Decarbonising beef supply chains could remove 4 million tCO₂e from the industry's footprint
✔ Beef emissions represent a significant Scope 3 challenge for hospitality businesses
✔ Better supplier engagement can reduce duplication and accelerate progress
✔ Stronger supply chains improve resilience against climate and supply risks
✔ Demonstrating action on beef can strengthen confidence among customers, investors and other stakeholders
What is the Beef Action Group?
The Beef Action Group brings together hospitality businesses, suppliers and industry partners to reduce emissions from beef supply chains. The group identifies emissions hotspots, improves supply chain visibility and develops practical actions that help operators reduce Scope 3 emissions while building stronger, more resilient supply chains.
Why do beef emissions matter for hospitality businesses?
Reducing emissions across supply chains is increasingly becoming a commercial priority.
Extreme weather, changing regulations and pressure from customers and investors are creating new risks and expectations across the sector. At the same time, businesses are looking for practical ways to reduce costs, strengthen resilience and demonstrate credible progress towards net zero.
Many of the highest emissions within hospitality sit outside a business's direct operations, within its supply chain. Beef is one of the toughest categories to tackle, which is why collaboration is critical.
How can hospitality businesses reduce beef supply chain emissions?
The Beef Action Group is helping members focus effort where it can have the biggest impact by:
Identifying emissions hotspots
Understanding where emissions occur across the beef supply chain allows businesses to focus on high-impact interventions and avoid wasting effort.
Improving supplier engagement
We've developed category-specific supplier questions and a more consistent approach to engagement to increase visibility and strengthen collective influence.
Working collaboratively with suppliers and partners
We are engaging with priority suppliers and industry partners to identify practical decarbonisation opportunities and understand wider benefits across the supply chain.
Mapping practical solutions
By building alignment across stakeholders, we can move from discussion to implementation faster and help drive coordinated action across the sector.
Why does supplier engagement matter?
One of the key outcomes from the Group's work so far has been developing a shared set of supplier actions with beef producers to help members engage more effectively.
This approach helps:
Create consistent language so suppliers clearly understand what customers are asking for
Focus on practical actions farmers can take, where emissions and risks are often highest
Reduce duplication and improve efficiency across the industry
Build stronger relationships between operators and suppliers
Working together creates a clearer pathway for action and supports faster adoption of resilient practices.
Delivering value across efficiency, resilience and brand
Efficiency
Identified emissions hotspots to target high-impact interventions
Developed category-specific supplier questions to strengthen sector influence
Unified engagement with key suppliers to identify opportunities more effectively
Resilience
Increased visibility across UK beef supply chains
Worked alongside industry bodies to align priority initiatives
Accelerated conversations around resilient farming practices
Brand
Demonstrated evidence-based opportunities in one of hospitality's most challenging ingredient categories
Strengthened confidence among customers, investors and stakeholders
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why are beef emissions important for hospitality businesses?
Beef is one of the highest-emissions ingredients in many hospitality supply chains and often contributes significantly to a business's Scope 3 emissions footprint. Addressing emissions in this category can help businesses reduce risk and support wider net-zero goals.
How can hospitality businesses reduce beef supply chain emissions?
Businesses can reduce emissions through stronger supplier engagement, identifying emissions hotspots, supporting farm-level interventions and working collaboratively around shared standards and actions. Joining the Zero Carbon Forum means companies can work together with their peers and across supply chains to achieve shared goals.
What are the business benefits of reducing beef emissions?
Reducing emissions can help improve efficiency, strengthen resilience against supply disruption and demonstrate credible action to customers, investors and stakeholders.
----
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member of the Forum, get in touch.