Sustainability initiatives of the Vaider Group and the Association Jeunes Restaurateurs (JRE)
Paris, 11 April 2024 – The 50th meeting of the Association Jeunes Restaurateurs (JRE) took place in Paris on 7 and 8 April, with a panel discussion on “A sustainable business model for the future”, featuring M.Sc. Peter Čas, CEO of Vaider Group and Managing Director of Steklarna Hrastnik and SFS. Vaider Group also presented at the congress two initiatives to promote sustainable practices in the hospitality industry in partnership with JRE.
The JRE is an association of young caterers, founded in France in 1974, which aims to promote culinary culture and cooperation between the various stakeholders in the industry. “This project is a great demonstration of the fact that we have clean drinking water in Slovenia, which has its place even in the most prestigious restaurants that are part of the JRE association, so it is right that it is served to guests in prestigious glass packaging that is ecological and sustainable,” said M.Sc.Čas. “We are delighted that the response from the JRE restaurants has been positive and I believe that this initiative can be a model and an incentive for others in the industry to adopt similar sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, which also help to optimise costs,” said Peter Čas, Managing Director of Steklarna Hrastnik and the Vaider Group. “We are delighted with the positive response from the JRE restaurants and I believe that this initiative can be a model and an incentive for others in the industry to adopt similar sustainable and environmentally friendly practices,” said Peter Čas.
The JRE and the Vaider Group are further developing their partnership. They have launched a manifesto – a project to design lighter bottles for premium wines, as wine packaging accounts for up to 40% of the carbon footprint of wine. “There is significant potential for improvement here, especially in the premium segment. With two glassworks – Steklarna Hrastnik and SFS Paraćin in Serbia – the Vaider Group can meet the high demands of its customers and, not least, the guests of the JRE restaurants,” explained Mr. Čas and stressed that it is also extremely important that many highly recognized and respected names in the wine sector have expressed their support for this initiative. “With this manifesto, we want to reach out to all stakeholders in the wine community, from producers and processors, distributors, sommeliers, end-users and everyone in between. Together we can pave a sustainable future for wine and we are convinced that the project of the JRE and the Vaider Group is a step in the right direction,” added Mr. Time.
The Vaider Group is already seeing increased interest from end customers in sustainable products, especially when they effectively complement the outstanding quality and aesthetic appearance of the bottles. This trend is also recognized by strategic partners and owners of the most prestigious brands, confirming that the ability to continuously innovate in the direction of decarbonizing production will become one of the key competitive advantages in the glass industry.
Gašper Puhan, Vice President of the international JRE association, said, “Sustainability and eco-awareness is important in all areas of our lives. The project we have set out with the Manifesto is designed to bring together important personalities from the gastronomy and business sectors and to change the wine industry in the long term. The bottle, which will be produced by our international partner Steklarna Hrastnik, part of the Vaider Group AG, will therefore be our second joint project to draw attention to the importance of sustainability in a way that will develop and offer a pragmatic and aesthetic solution.”
The Manifesto was signed by the International Board of Directors of the JRE, Gašper Puhan, Daniel Lehmann, Daniel Canzian, Hans van Manen, Peter Čas, CEO of Vaider Group AG
, Hrastnik1860, Renzo Cotarella, Winemaker and CEO of Marchesi Antinori, Ronnie Janssen, Commercial SVP of Domaines de Bournet-Lapostolle, Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, Deputy General Director of La Rioja Alta S.A., Nerea Sanz, Marketing Manager Decanter, Rod Smith, Master of Wine and Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine, who is considered the most influential wine critic, which gives the manifesto even more weight.