[Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Edie News, and is reprinted with permission.]

Yesterday saw the launch of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

According to the Environment Agency the restaurant industry is responsible for a staggering 3M tonnes of food waste annually in England and Wales.

While restaurants throw out about 600,000 tonnes of glass bottles a year and use 391M cubic metres of water annually, enough to fill over 104,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The SRA also aims to help restaurants realize being green is not going to be a huge burden to their budgets.

{related_content}The SRA's managing director, Simon Heppner, said: "There are a wide range of pressures for restaurants to be more sustainable and we aim to show it doesn't have to be complicated or expensive and is instead a simple and achievable goal.

"Through responding to this challenge restaurants can not only satisfy existing customers and gain new ones, they can also make positive changes for the environment and society and be properly rewarded for their efforts."

A number of high profile restaurants and chains have become founder members, with Carluccio's, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Moro, Due South and the Seahorse Restaurant all signed up.

Carluccio's managing director, Simon Kossoff, added: "Our customers tell us the broad issues around sustainability are more and more important.

"We know we have some way to go at Carluccio's toward becoming more sustainable, but The SRA gives us the support and confidence to start the journey and make positive changes."

_{Photos CC-licensed by Unhindered by Talent and Andrew Michaels.}