Listen to the new “Ask the Expert” episode with Diana Geseking, Chief Legal Officer and ESG Committee Chair. She shares a big announcement on the company’s 2024 sustainability numbers and discusses how an environmentally-friendly approach can make a big difference to your foodservice operation.
Key topics
Introduction: Diana, the chief legal officer and chair of the Corporate Social Impact Committee at Restaurant Technologies, was recently named a top 50 women leader in Minnesota by the Women We Admire organization.
Sustainability Initiatives at RT: Diana discusses the importance of sustainability to businesses and the impact of Restaurant Technologies’ sustainability initiatives. She highlights the company’s efforts in environmental sustainability and the global impact of their initiatives.
Diana’s Career Path: Diana shares her journey to pursuing law, starting as a women and gender studies major along with psychology, working as a paralegal in New York City, and eventually attending law school at the University of Michigan.
Joining RT: Diana explains how she joins Restaurant Technologies after practicing law at a law firm and working in-house at Dyson. She moves to Minnesota and applies for a position at RT, where she builds the legal team from the ground up.
Spearheading ESG Efforts: Diana describes how she spearheads the ESG efforts at RT by codifying and building out the company’s sustainability story, working with senior leaders to communicate their achievements to customers, investors, and employees.
Reusable Cups Initiative: An employee-led initiative at RT’s corporate headquarters replaces bottled water with reusable cups, showcasing the company’s entrepreneurial mindset and employee-driven sustainability efforts.
Cooking Oil to Renewable Fuel: Diana explains the process of converting used cooking oil from restaurants into biodiesel and renewable diesel, highlighting the simplicity of the process and the significant impact on sustainability.
Earth Day Announcement: Diana announces that RT recycles over £360 million of used cooking oil in 2024, enabling the company and its customers to avoid over £80 million of CO2 gases, equivalent to almost 125,000 cars being off the road.
Full Circle Economy with Sheets: Diana discusses the circular fuel economy partnership with Sheets, where fresh cooking oil is delivered, used cooking oil is collected and recycled into biodiesel, which is then delivered to the pumps at Sheets stores.
Importance of Sustainability: Diana emphasizes the importance of sustainability for companies, highlighting the opportunities it creates for new revenue streams and the positive impact on the global environment.
Customer Survey on Sustainability: A recent brand study surveys 150 random customers and finds that sustainability is rated 8.8 out of 10 in importance for an oil provider, demonstrating the significance of sustainability in business decisions.
Future Sustainability Plans: Diana shares RT’s plans to implement software to track emissions and sources of emissions down to the depot level, providing detailed data to regulatory bodies and customers.
Opportunities for Expansion: Diana discusses the potential for expanding sustainability efforts to universities and other sectors, highlighting the opportunities for integrating sustainability into regular business operations.
Conclusion: The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of sustainability for the future, emphasizing the need for a cleaner, healthier planet for future generations.
