Briefing: Sustainability at the margins

This briefing sets out Dr Daniel Mafulul’s doctoral research revealing that sustainability exists at the margins in the British restaurant sector – specifically, Bangladeshi curry houses. 

Sustainability matters to these restaurants because their economic survival depends on it – not because of green ideology or government incentives. Many are pursuing near-zero food waste, daily sourcing of fresh local food, low-carbon cooking techniques passed down through generations, and community-based resource-sharing that held the sector together through Brexit and the pandemic.

Often overlooked by formal metrics, Dr Mafulul defines this as ‘survivalist sustainability’ - and lays out six policy recommendations to recognise, amplify and support this marginalised food entrepreneurship.

FFCC funded this research along with Aston Business School and CREME (Centre for Research on Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship).