This statement acknowledges that Hebridean Kitchen is aware of the importance of being sustainable, and we are constantly striving to improve our business. And we hope that being open and honest about where we are with things encourages others to do something about their impact on their environment too.

Our limitations

Sustainability for us is about moving forwards to new, better ways of doing things. We currently have certain limitations about what we can do to be a better business because of our geographical location. We can’t make Marmalade without getting deliveries from the mainland. In turn, the Seville oranges can’t grow in the UK. They usually come from Spain or North Africa. That said, we try our best to source our produce and ingredients locally or minimise the travel distance those items have to go to get to us.

Things that we currently do

• We compost and recycle 80% of our waste.
• To reduce our carbon footprint, we host our website on Siteground, which uses 100% renewable energy.
• Our website is optimised to load quickly and efficiently, which means it works well on bad connections and is more energy-efficient.
• We donate leftover meals.
• Donate used computer and office equipment whenever possible. 
• We optimise lighting and climate control systems only to operate when necessary during our open hours.
• We use reusable dishes for meals, like glasses, metal utensils, and ceramic crockery.
• We use locally grown produce like rhubarb from someplace somewhere, seaweed gathered locally, onions from someplace somewhere. For our complete list of locally sourced produce, visit our page here.
• We offer jobs, training and placements to people living locally.
• We strive to support other local businesses whenever we can, providing local accommodation providers with jams and courtesy hampers and catering for local events and weddings.

Could you help us be better?

Like all things worthwhile and hard to do, we will make mistakes along the way, but we are striving to be better and help others be better. We are not perfect, and we know we have room for improvement. If you have any ideas or thoughts on ways to improve Hebridean Kitchen, please get in touch and let us know. Maybe you know a good environmentally friendly printer who can help us produce better labels for our products. Perhaps you even know someone who grows and sells lemons on the West Coast of Scotland!