Petition Statement
We, the undersigned, call on Sutton Council to:

• Serve 100% plant-based food and drink at all internal council meetings and events, prioritising seasonal British produce to support local farmers.
  
  
• Prioritise plant-based options wherever the council has influence – in schools, leisure centres, public cafés, and community events.
  
  
• Promote plant-based eating to residents and remove meat and dairy advertising where the council has influence.
  
  

Why this matters
Sutton declared a climate emergency in 2019, yet our food system – a major driver of climate change – remains largely unaddressed. Meat and dairy production generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s planes, trains, and cars combined.

A fully plant-based (vegan) diet offers the highest technical potential for reducing emissions — up to ~8 Gt CO₂‑eq per year by 2050 — by freeing land for carbon sequestration through land-sparing (IPCC, 2019, Figure 5.12).

Research from Oxford University (2023) shows that a fully plant-based diet:

• Cuts emissions by 75%
  
  
• Uses 54% less water
  
• Causes 66% less biodiversity loss
  
  

The UK context is urgent:

• Just 14% of England’s rivers meet good ecological status, with agricultural pollution – including from livestock farming – a major cause (Environment Agency, 2023).
  
  
• The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, having lost almost half of its biodiversity since the 1970s (Natural History Museum Biodiversity Intactness Index, 2023).
  
  
• Diet-related diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease continue to rise, costing the NHS billions annually – much of it linked to high consumption of animal products.
  
  

The Climate Change Committee has recommended reducing high-carbon foods in people’s diets. Institutional change matters: by making plant-based the default at council events and venues, Sutton can make it easy for residents to reduce their carbon footprint without extra cost or effort. This is a low-cost, high-impact step that delivers immediate results and sets a strong example for schools, businesses, and residents.

Other councils are already taking action – Lewisham has committed to serving only plant-based food, and several London and UK councils are actively exploring this as a proven way to cut carbon emissions and improve environmental outcomes. Now is the time for Sutton Council to follow suit and implement this petition.

References / Image

• IPCC (2019), Figure 5.12 — Technical mitigation potential of changing diets by 2050, Chapter 5, SRCCL. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/
  
  
• Oxford University (2023), Environmental and health impacts of a plant-based diet.
  
  
• Environment Agency (2023), State of the Rivers Report.
  
  

Natural History Museum (2023), Biodiversity Intactness Index.