WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy

The WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy mandates that food ordered with WRI funds for U.S. office events be vegetarian and vegan. It provides a framework for selecting vendors based on sustainability, outlines strict rules against high-impact meats like beef, lamb, and goat, and sets protocols for reducing food and material waste. The policy is grounded in WRI research indicating that shifting away from animal-based proteins is essential for limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and reducing agricultural land-use change.

• The policy mandates that only vegetarian and vegan food be ordered for meetings and events using WRI funds, with the goal of developing "positive experiences and associations with plant-based food selections".
• In sensitive cultural situations where meat must be served, the policy permits seafood, poultry, or pork, but strictly prohibits beef, lamb, and goat due to their "high resource use and environmental impacts".
• WRI utilizes a Vetted Vendor List to track Washington, DC-area vendors on sustainability metrics, including "plant-based food variety, food ingredients, and sustainable operations". For orders exceeding $200, staff must use Tier 1 vendors or a Vendor Scorecard to prove holistic sustainability.
• To combat food waste, which WRI notes accounts for approximately 24 percent of all calories produced for human consumption, the policy requires that leftovers be offered to participants and staff.
• The policy includes material waste reduction strategies, such as using reusable tableware, requesting biodegradable or recyclable platters, and avoiding bulk printing of meeting documents in favor of electronic versions.
• The rationale for the policy is based on findings that livestock production accounted for more than three-quarters of global agricultural land use and about two-thirds of production-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2009.

APA

World Resources Institute (2017). WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/WRI_Sustainable_Catering_Events_Policy.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy. 2017. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/WRI_Sustainable_Catering_Events_Policy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy |date=February 2017 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/WRI_Sustainable_Catering_Events_Policy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2017wri, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{WRI Sustainable Catering \& Events Policy}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/WRI_Sustainable_Catering_Events_Policy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }