The LOCA Group implements seventeen new culinary sustainability principles, taking responsibility for their impact on people, food culture, and the planet.
Restaurant KILDEN just hosted an event that brought together representatives from the Danish hospitality industry, the arts, and the agricultural sector. During this event the LOCA Goals — 17 sustainability principles created by the LOCA restaurant group as a culinary interpretation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals — were officially presented.
Developed in collaboration with Danish artist Lars Nørgård, the initiative combines visual art, gastronomy, and social responsibility. Nørgård has created 17 original artworks, each representing one of the goals, accompanied by a manifesto outlining the values and ambitions behind them. Together, they form a public statement of intent that will guide its operations across all restaurants and projects, according to the group.
“It’s not just business,” said Dorte Juhl Østergaard, CCO & Head of Sustainability at the LOCA group, during her address at the event. “This initiative is about taking responsibility for the impact we have — on people, on food culture, and on the planet.”
The LOCA Goals include commitments such as zero food waste, sustainable fishing, organic production, gender equality, and joy of food. Other focus areas address employee wellbeing, CO₂ reduction, and balance between animal- and plant-based ingredients.
According to the group, the purpose of making this goals public is to create accountability — both internally and towards its guests. “From now on, every visitor and employee can hold LOCA and its restaurants accountable for living up to these ideals,” Østergaard said.
The event also included a presentation by Anders Nicolajsen, Chief Consultant - Gastronomy & Foodservice at the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, who shared new data related to Danish eating habits. The research shows that Danes are increasingly dining out rather than cooking at home, with restaurants and cafés now playing a central role in shaping national food culture.
This development underscores the growing influence of the hospitality sector — and, by extension, the responsibility of restaurant groups like LOCA to lead by example. “The restaurant experience has never been more important,” Nicolajsen noted. “People are choosing to eat out because it reflects how they want to live — not just what they want to eat.”
The evening concluded with a performance of “Hallelujah”, which brought a moment of quiet reflection to the room, highlighting how creativity and commitment can coexist within modern gastronomy.
With the launch of the 17 LOCA Goals, the group aims to integrate sustainability into every part of its business while inspiring other actors in the industry to do the same. Whether these ambitions will translate into measurable change remains to be seen, but for Copenhagen’s culinary community, the message was clear: The future of dining will depend as much on values as on flavor.
