Sustainable Event Resources in Philadelphia

Birchtree Catering has a foundation of sustainability baked into our company. We source locally and/or sustainably whenever possible, and we compost our waste both in our kitchen, and after events. We work hard to not over-produce menu quantities in order to reduce waste.

After 14 years in the sustainable event industry, we’ve gotten to know and love so many vendors who are doing amazing work before, during, and after events to create a more sustainable Philadelphia. Below are some of our favorites!

As you’re planning your event, take care to utilize reusable over disposable at every opportunity. There is constant information surfacing on how even compostable products are not necessarily the better option, so the washing and reusing of items is, as far as we know, the best option for us today.

Watch for local and sustainable sourcing practices with any of your vendors for food and decor! These are the areas that can produce the most after-event waste, and sustainable vendors will take care to minimize their impact on the environment.

Sustainable Resources: Before the Event

Kitchen Garden Textiles makes beautiful cloth napkins out of sustainable materials, and you can rent them for events along with their partnership with Wash, Cycle, Laundry, who will pick them up. https://www.kitchengardentextiles.com/

Party Rental Ltd. With a 200-kilowatt (kW) solar energy system helping to power their laundry facility, and glass washers that use active filtration to help use up to 66% less water, this rental company is a leader in creative sustainable practices. https://www.partyrentalltd.com/sustainability

Bario Neal is known for beautiful, handcrafted, jewelry. Each piece is designed from reclaimed precious metals, Fairmined gold, ethically sourced stones, and low-impact, environmentally conscious practices. They design to suit all sizes, budgets, and couples. https://bario-neal.com/product-category/wedding/

Love ‘n Fresh Flowers grows their own florals, avoids the use of toxic floral foam and single-use plastic, composts all floral materials on their farm, and reuses vases and containers whenever possible. https://lovenfreshflowers.com/

Sustainable Resources: After the Event

Forget Me Knot Flowers repurposes flowers after an event to give away as thoughtful bedside bouquets for retirement homes and hospitals. https://forgetmeknotflowers.org/

ReMark Glass are glassblowers that will take wine and champagne bottles, clean them, and rework them into beautiful glassware, plates, napkin ring holders, etc. These keepsakes make an excellent wedding gift! https://remarkglass.com/pages/keepsake

FoodConnect is an app that makes food donation easy, including pick up after an event. https://www.foodconnectgroup.org/