The Cambridge Public House, based in the Marais district, Paris, is on a mission to build a more sustainable future and help local communities around the world by implementing six of the 17 sustainable development goals outlined in the United Nations 2023 agenda.
The British pub-inspired bar was founded by Hyacinthe Lescoët and Hugo Gallou, who lived and worked together in London for several years before opening the bar in 2019.
Since its first day, The Cambridge has made a conscious effort to reduce carbon emissions, using LED lights and new machines with low consumption of water and electricity, according to its 2022 report. The venue runs on 100% green energy, as well as making the most of unused ice cubes, melted, to water its plants. The bar follows the seasons, letting the fruit and vegetables that are in peak maturity at that time shape the cocktail menu.
Additionally, in 2022 the bar was committed to reusing food destined for drinks and limiting the use of citrus to help reduce food waste.
Most of The Cambridge’s syrups, cordials and juices are homemade with the aim of reducing impact on the environment. It also sources products organically when they are available.
When the spirits the bar uses run out, the team makes the most of its partnership with Eco Spirits and its flagship Eco Toto, allowing bottles to be easily refilled and so helping to reduce bottle waste.
The initiatives
Using the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals as a framework for their own initiatives, the team wanted to combat the carbon emissions they emit with the necessary travelling that comes from being an international cocktail bar.
In order to learn more about its carbon emissions, The Cambridge has partnered with corporate carbon footprint specialist Sami to see key data on where it can make changes. As a key objective, the team will be travelling with sustainability in mind, grouping together and favouring trains when possible over flying. Each staff member also has to give a percentage of their salaries to non-governmental organisations, working with NGOs that will plant trees every time they travel to offset carbon footprint.
Beginning in May, the team will be travelling to Hong Kong and Sydney to execute their first goal, Climate Action, followed by Zero Hunger, and Sustainable Cities and Communities in South America in June.
To achieve their Climate Action goal, the team will be reviewing the responsible consumption and production processes used by these regions. They will then put this information into a new database that will be accessible for bars around the world that want to learn more about what people are already doing and how they can implement these practices in their own establishments.
As well as raising their presence at international bar collaborations, The Cambridge team will provide educational benefits to local bartending communities through seminars and workshops, with the aim of helping each other work towards combating climate change.
In addition to each team member’s goal, they will be carrying out a local community action in France to amplify the initiatives set out for their international goals. As part of these local actions, Lescoët will be launching his running club, which aims to run for two three-month trial periods, including eight races of 10km and 5km, with hopes to raise €8,000 for the community.
The team will aim to achieve these sustainable development goals through a variety of activities, including international bar collaborations, charity partners, financial aid and seminars, each centred around key cultural drinks industry moments.
International goals to be executed by members of The Cambridge team:
Julien Achille: Climate Action. Hong Kong/Sydney. April – June 2023
Louis Schofield: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Cartagena. June 2023
Léa Rouel: Zero Hunger. São Paulo. June 2023
Xénia Patros: Life on Land. Nairobi. July 2023
Hyacinthe Lescoët: Quality Education. CDMX/Oaxaca/ Chiapas. September 2023
Nicolas Goradesky: Responsible Consumption and Production. New Delhi. October 2023
