Since November 2017, there has been a ban on bottled mineral water at all Madklubben restaurants. Still and sparkling chilled, filtered tap water is served instead. There is no charge for the ad libitum tap water, and it is significantly less costly for the environment.
According to Hofor, the production and transport of one litre of bottled water produces 900 times more CO2 than the water that flows from taps in Denmark, which is why Madklubben initiated the biggest transformation in the restaurant’s history last year:
“We have been talking about getting rid of bottled mineral water for years. We could not reconcile ourselves with the thought that people fill bottles with mineral water in France, Spain or Italy and then drive it all the way up here in a truck. So, we have invested over half a million kroner in the newest technology for the cooling, filtering and carbonisation of tap water, which is both good for the pallet and good for the environment,” says the man behind Madklubben, Anders Aagaard.
By phasing out bottled mineral water, the restaurant chain puts a stop to thousands of bottles being sent back and forth across national borders and between recycling centres. The water at Madklubben is filtered, treated and tapped in-house and served completely free of charge with the intention of saving the earth’s resources. According to the Manager of Madklubben Vesterbro and Madklubben Aarhus, Kiki O’Connor, after six months without bottles water, the guests are pretty happy:
“Our guests have welcomed the new initiative with open arms. We are getting great support with regards protecting the environment from unnecessary pollution, and guests are really enjoying being able to drink delicious, filtered, local water. And of course, it is a major plus that they can enjoy the water with their meal at no extra cost.”
Madklubben is a part of REGA, a new industrywide initiative that works purposefully and ambitiously with corporate social responsibility. By participating in REGA, Madklubben commits to working systematically to prevent adverse impacts on our human rights, including those of employees, guests, and the general public, to reducing the adverse impacts on the environment and to sharpening the focus on anti-corruption.
