Re, Wins Sustainability Award

Today at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021 live from London at 7.30 am AEDT,  game-changing Sydney bar RE was announced Sustainable Bar of the Year at number 46 in the Top 50 List (www.worlds50bestbars.com).

At position 46, after only eight months of opening and taking home an award for sustainability, puts Sydney Bar RE as a no-waste sustainable global leader.  Australia celebrated with 5 bars on the list: Maybe Sammy (Syd) at number 22 also took home The Best Bar in Australiasia, Cantina Ok (Syd) at number 23, Above Board (Mel) at number 44 and Byrdi (Mel) in at 56.   

RE, created by Matt Whiley, opened in April 2021 at 8/2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, Sydney. In only eight short months, RE managed to capture the world's attention by combining a fierce commitment to zero waste while producing a world-class venue. 

"I am overjoyed", commented Matt, "We all are. I watched the results early this morning with the team, and it was so great to see so many Aussie bars on the list and taking home two big awards. I'd like to thank The Worlds 50 Best Bars and everyone who voted for us for the opportunity to widen our message and our community and for putting the crisis of waste front and centre."

At its core, RE is a cocktail bar simply creating the most delicious drinks possible for guests to enjoy and have a good time but with a pulse connecting a community united together for a better future.   RE operates solely on food waste, using surplus produce and by-products direct from growers, from markets and other hospitality venues, all re-imagined into delicious, thought-provoking and unforgettable drinks and food. It’s a living, breathing venue; everything you see and touch has been grown, recycled or reused. The bartop, tabletops and staircase are made from 82k milk bottles diverted from landfill. The lights are made from mycelium mushroom grown for RE in the Netherlands. The ceramics are made from recycled clay by Mud. Rescued Maison Balzac glassware is saved from the bin. The menus are printed on paper made from old coffee cups. The ‘leather’ banquet seats are made from pineapple leaves. Philip Stark designed bar stools that have been created from the sawdust on the studio floor in Milan.

In addition to RE, Matt also launched a local campaign with a national and global focus for the future - Never Wasted;

"Never has this subject been more important. Food waste costs our economies billions per year as more than five million tonnes of food ends up in landfill, meaning one in five bags of groceries winds up in the bin. We have a responsibility to look hard at what we're not using and find ways to make it desirable. RE will showcase this through our bar program and build a platform geared towards change on a global level. The time is now." Matt Whiley.

In association with Ketel One, Never Wasted by RE is a new industry-leading circular economy platform for bars and the hospitality industry. Food waste is collected and distributed between bars and restaurants and re-purposed as ingredients for cocktail menus diverting waste from landfill. 
 
While the immediate focus is growing this local community initiative, Matt’s long term goal is to build a movement globally to help reduce food waste in hospitality by 80%.  If you are a venue in Sydney and would like to join the movement, please register your interest at highfive@wearere.com.au