The Paradiso Sustainability Summit

In this article, we visit the 2nd edition of the Paradiso Sustainability Summit and the new Waste Lab in Barcelona.

The second Paradiso Sustainability Summit took place in Barcelona from March 21-23. Three days of events, masterclasses and guest shifts were focused on making the bar industry more sustainable. I was fortunate to be invited to the summit at Paradiso to see for myself what real sustainability in the bar world looks like. The event, organized by Giacomo Giannotti and his team, in partnership with Ketel One Vodka, was a hub for the exchange of ideas and tools with the aim of raising awareness and making the industry more sustainable.

There were three immersive days of activities, collaborations, guest shifts and seminars with exceptional guests from the most sustainable bars all over the world.  Tato Giovannoni and Nahuel Celano, from Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires; Paul Voza and Oliver Ingolf from Himkok, Oslo; Alex Francis and Alessio Zenaro from Little Red Door, Paris; Agung and Laura Prabowo from Penicillin, Hong Kong; Matthew Dale from Re, Sydney. Penicillin, Re, Himkok and Little Red Door are all winners of the 50Best Bars Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, for their action and commitment to sustainable practices in and around their cocktails and bars.

Paradiso partnered with Ketel One Vodka to bring to life their shared vision of cocktails that not only taste good, but do good too, and act on a shared motivation to move the cocktail forward. Ketel One Vodka is a family made brand that in recent years has been active in promoting bartender-led projects through the initiative Garnished with Good, telling stories of bars and bartenders who have initiated positive change in their communities through their cocktails. Giacomo and Ketel One agree that the experience of enjoying a cocktail becomes even more satisfying knowing that the commitment taken by the bar is a step towards a greener world. During the summit, each unique cocktail menu featured drinks garnished with good and connected to the bars’ unique practices to positively impact their communities.

In the spirit of this community action, Paradiso wanted to dedicate the day of March 21st to the sustainability of the bar, organizing two events in collaboration with Treedom and Pachamama, sustainable partners.

Treedom, an Italian online platform that has been supporting communities of small farmers for years by planting trees all over the world. This collaboration was activated with the creation of the first Paradiso Forest, on the evening of March 21, 2023, International Day of Forests. Paradiso planted a tree for each customer who ordered a Voyage (citrus twist of a cosmopolitan, made with Ketel One Vodka), for a total of 100 trees given and planted. Each customer who has received a tree as a gift is now able to follow its progress and get updates; all of this will be visible on the website, in a section specifically designed to track the Paradiso Forest and its effects on the environment.

On the morning of the 21st, the bar organized a beach cleaning activity of Playa de la Barceloneta, in collaboration with Pachamama, a beach cleaning association. In about 40 minutes and with around 30 volunteers between Team Paradiso and its guests, 41 kg of waste were collected from the beach of Sant Sebastián (Barceloneta). Of these, approximately 7 kg of hard plastic, which can be reused by the Paradiso Waste Lab to create 280 coasters for the bar.

“By participating in this beach cleaning activity, I think we have made a step forward in having a positive impact on the environment. We have worked together trying to make a difference and push those who follow us to try to preserve our planet for generations to come”, says Giacomo Giannotti.

I didn’t get to Barcelona in time to participate in the cleanup but I did make it to the inauguration of the Waste Lab. The stunning place near Paradiso showcases the process of waste transformation and the many products that are a result of it. The most astounding was the thread made from plastic (it felt like soft cotton) that was woven into garments such as jackets and aprons.

Currently, Paradiso produces around 30 kg of plastic per month, which can be processed and transformed into everyday objects in the bar, such as bottle openers, trays, coasters, ashtrays... everything that can be created to optimize each resource efficiently and reduce waste, with the aim of becoming as much no-waste as possible.

Paradiso Waste Lab not only aims to reduce the environmental impact by recycling and reusing, but also to raise public awareness and demonstrate that a few small steps are enough to help our Planet. Giacomo and his team believe that tomorrow's improvements and changes begin with today's efforts and actions. That is why, in the near future, the doors of the Lab will also be opened to neighboring bars that want to embark on a no-waste path, becoming a workspace also accessible to the community. 

“To improve the quality of the environment in which we live, the first step is to involve everyone. The Sustainability Summit is also a time to remind everyone that together we can be part of something bigger and make the world a better place”, says Giacomo. 

The Sustainability Summit’s aim is to inspire, bring new ideas and open a transformative dialogue capable of generating awareness and change, to raise consciousness in the bar industry towards a more sustainable world. 

Partnerships and collaborations

MS Bartrends, atelier that produces quality handmade uniforms for the hospitality sector

AbonoKm0, local company that for Paradiso transform its organic waste into compost, which is then used for the plants of the bar and redistributed to the local suppliers

Pachamama, beach cleaning association, which for five years has been cleaning the beaches of Barcelona and raising awareness among residents and tourists about plastic pollution and the urgent need to protect our seas, founded by Ely Merino

Treedom, online platform that supports communities of small farmers worldwide, with which the first Paradiso Forest was born

Makeat, Barcelona-based Food Design company, that has produced the Paradiso coasters, entirely made with organic waste from the preparation of cocktails

Plat Insitute, a local company specialized in Augmented Gastronomy 

3D Vault, a company specialized in 3D printing for catering, with which some of the ecological glasses of the new menu are made

The masterclasses were extremely informative, and showed how each of the bars presenting had their own unique take on sustainability, for example, bulk acquisition of products and bar layout at Himkok, to the creation of community alliances with Floreria Atlantico.

I asked Giacomo: 

You are the number one bar in the world, why do you feel the need to host this sustainability conference? 

Since last year I've been wanting to meet bartenders, friends –pioneers and leaders of sustainability who come from different countries and find different solutions. The idea was to create a center where different and new ideas are shared and put at the disposition of the community. To inspire new bartenders who will be helping to create a new future for the world.

Your drive to be sustainable, was it born in Barcelona with Paradiso or when you were back in Italy?

It started back in my childhood in Marina di Carrara, with my parents who had a gelateria called Paradiso. They set a good example for me, by not wasting anything, showing care for the issues of deforestation, pollution and protecting the environment. 

What advice do you have for a small bar owner to take the first step in becoming more sustainable?

The first step is to avoid waste. When you use a lime, think about what you can do with the peel before tossing it away. Put a timer on your water tap to limit the use of water flow. Experiment with fermentation and infusions, the main thing is, take the first small step and build from there. And it will save you money!

My takeaway

The things I learned here are easily applicable at home as well as in bars. We all divide our waste but the more important aspect is reducing it. And maybe someday, beach cleanup campaigns can be a thing of the past.

Paradiso Sustainability Summit 2023 - The numbers 

• 3 days of events

• 5 international bars

• 5 masterclasses

• the inauguration of the new Paradiso Waste Lab

• 100 trees planted in the Paradiso Forest

• 380 sustainable cocktails sold in partnership with Ketel One Vodka, Garnished with Good

• 41kg of waste collected in 40 minutes of beach cleaning

Thanks to this meeting, I was able to interview Margarita Sader and Tato Giovannoni, stay tuned on Sharlafied!