Catering & Events - Best Practices with Friendlier

How to integrate Friendlier beyond retail locations into your catering/events including the setup, activation and post-event impact reporting

Why Cater with Friendlier?

Using Friendlier for catering and events goes beyond simply eliminating single-use waste. While the immediate benefit is clear—every plate, cup, and container replaced means a positive environmental impact—catering also plays a powerful role in shaping long-term habits. By introducing reuse in a more intentional setting, like staff gatherings or guest-facing events, you reinforce to guests that sustainability runs through every corner of your site.

Consistency matters too. When reuse shows up across both everyday dining and special events, it communicates that sustainability isn’t a one-off initiative—it’s becoming the standard. That consistency builds trust, reinforces brand values, and supports broader goals like net-zero commitments. In this way, catering helps make reuse feel normal and expected, and people start to carry those habits with them well beyond the event.

Beforehand

• Promoting Catering with Friendlier - Check this one-pager you can use to promote catering for your events
• Account setup - If you don't yet have a catering/events account with Friendlier, let our team know and we can setup one for you that leverages our "flat fee" model with no deposit.
• Product selection - We've seen the following products work best for catering:
  
   
  • Large plates - for the main course
  • Small plates - for sides/appetizers/desserts
  • 12/16 oz coffee cups - for coffee, water and other cold beverages
  • 3-compartment containers - for packed lunches made beforehand

• • Additional return bins - to be put out just for catering/events

• Ordering process - Ideally setting up Friendlier as the default for all catering/events that does not use china helps ensure that all your events/catering can be zero waste.
• Onsite marketing material - We suggest setting up some posters to be spread out through the event and specifically to focus attention on the return process. See Friendlier's ready-to-print options here.

During

• Ease of return - Set up Friendlier bins in convenient locations along with signage to help participants "do the right thing"
• Avoid having a garbage can - If you can avoid products that only go in the garbage, this can help simplify the process and remove the cognitive overload to decide what goes where between a Friendlier bin, recycling and compost. Pairing Friendlier with compostable cutlery helps a lot here
• Quick verbal reminder - Share a quick reminder with everyone to put the Friendlier products back in a Friendlier bin when they're done

After

• Share Impact Back with Stakeholder - Friendlier can provide environmental impact for catering/events to provide back to stakeholders. It can also be accessed through the Friendlier portal, it's a great way to energize and engage key stakeholders involved in the catering / events about the impact of the program.