Café Kumbuk certified as Pearl Protector approved restaurant

Monday, 27 January 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Pearl Protectors, a volunteer-based organisation that advocates towards protecting the marine environment of Sri Lanka and Café Kumbuk, a boutique restaurant which offers affordable, easy-going food to small crowds with a focus on using locally sourced produce and crafting recipes that are geared towards healthy living signed a Memorandum of Understanding constituting the ‘Pearl Protector Approved’ Accredited Standardization Certificate (PPA) to jointly improve the sustainability of the environment.

The agreement was signed by The Pearl Protectors Coordinator Muditha Katuwawala and Café Kumbuk Owner Shana Dandeniya on 15 January. Alina Fernando, the founder of The Ecoconscious Warrior and a volunteer of The Pearl Protectors, assisted in Café Kumbuk’s certificate adaptation process. The volunteers of The Pearl Protectors were present at the signing ceremony that followed with an infographic of the certificate being placed at Café Kumbuk.

The PPA which was recently introduced by The Pearl Protectors is aimed at creating a national incentive to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items used by restaurants and vendors. The certificate comprises three categories, namely the Euphotic Level, Disphotic Level and the Aphotic Level.

Euphotic Level

1. No plastic straws are being used by staff or provided to customers

2. No plastic bags are being used by staff or provided to customers

3. No plastic bottles are being used by staff or provided to customers

4. No plastic lunch wrappings are being used by staff or provided to customers

Disphotic Level (Inclusive of the Euphotic Level commitments)

1. No plastic cutlery is being used by staff or provided to customers

2. No plastic cups are being by staff or provided to customers

3. No plastic packaging of any item is offered to the customers

Aphotic Level (Inclusive of the Disphotic Level commitments)

1. Promotes and actively engages in recycling and reducing ‘Single-use Plastic’

2. Provides filtered water facility

3. Prioritises in segregating waste

Café Kumbuk, being the second restaurant under the initiative, has adapted the Aphotic Level which is the highest of the three commitments. The Pearl Protectors will actively engage in identifying food vendors and restaurants eligible for the certification. Further, interested vendors and restaurants can apply in receiving the PPA certification under any of the aforementioned levels. The PPA certified vendor/restaurant will be recognised as an environmentally sustainable establishment among the growing community of environmentally conscious consumers, hence increasing the customer base. By reducing and controlling the waste generated from food vendors and restaurants, The Pearl Protectors firmly believe that the outcome will create a positive impact on the marine environment of Sri Lanka.