“We care more about sustainable products than sustainable people” – POV by Eleni Nikoloulia 

Sustainability has become one of the most important conversations in our industry, and rightly so. We rethink ingredients, reduce waste, and redesign how we operate.

But there’s a part of the conversation we still avoid: People. Long hours, constant pressure, and exhaustion are still widely accepted and sometimes even expected. Being overwhelmed is often worn as a sign of commitment, rather than a warning sign.

We invest time and energy into building more sustainable bars, while continuing to rely on unsustainable working conditions behind them and the result is visible since talented people leave. Not because they don’t love hospitality, but because they can’t build a life around it, especially as they’re getting older.

If we want a future for this industry, we need to rethink what sustainability really means. Because an industry that struggles to sustain its own people is not sustainable at all.

Eleni Nikoloulia
Bars & Spirits Journalist at howtobar.com / Member of the Educational Board of BCB