Natura sustainability report

We believe that sustainability is not just a trend, but a responsibility that we all share towards our planet and future generations. As a restaurant, we understand that we have a significant impact on the environment, nature, and the animal kingdom. Therefore, we have made it our mission to implement sustainable practices in all aspects of our operations.

MEAT

The guest for sustainability started for David already years before opening Natura of concerns on animal well-being.  

The meat industry produces approx 30% of the world's greenhouse emissions, of which the meat industry makes significantly. 

Fifteen thousand liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of meat.

From our point of view, Finnish welfare standards for farmed animals are inadequate. At Natura, we only offer meat from small, local farms we have visited and get to know the animals' living conditions. We demand the highest standards in animal welfare and work closely with our suppliers, whom we have known for a decade.

I was happy to find farms where the animals have good living conditions and a clean and healthy diet (almost always organic). These stories have always been the same; the animals live freely, eating organic grain from their own farm or a neighboring farm. The animals are healthy, the meat tastes superior, and the burden on the environment is as minimal as possible. Only grains are used for feeding on all farms instead of soy fodder. Some farms use, e.g., broad beans, peas, and apples as well.

The transport to the slaughterhouse is short, which reduces animal stress and produces fewer emissions.

We do not offer duck liver (foie gras), intensively produced, factory farmed or other unethically grown meat from my point of view.

We never ask for delivery only for our needs, but because the supplier is arriving in our area. We then take our raw materials into the same load. This eliminates all delivery costs and the extra emissions that deliveries would cause.

Over 90% of the meat sold in Natura is local game. We believe in game meat for several reasons:

  • It is the most ethical alternative for meat production.

  • Game meat is the most environmentally friendly way to "produce" meat.

  • Our domestic game meat is of outstanding quality and the best that Finland has to offer.

Beef production causes a large part of the world's emissions. At Natura, we have almost entirely given up the use of beef starting in 2019. Instead, beef meat is replaced with game and vegetable portions. 

When using beef, we use local, free-range, organic beef from small family-run farms and aim to use those less-used parts like offal to get most of the animal and reduce waste in the meat industry.

sEAFOOD

We use only 100% Sustainably sourced fish and seafood from the Scandinavian area using recognized certification schemes e.g., Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Wild fish is always line-caught or wire-trapped, and we assure you that with fishing techniques used, there will be no accidental by-catch that could harm any other than targeted fish species. In addition, we follow the rules and regulations of minimum measures (CM) closely.

When using farmed fish, we search for the most sustainable options, such as our lavaret from Rautalammi, cultivated in circulating water, and the water for the pools is obtained from a lake a kilometer away. Therefore, fish raised in an inland water basin do not harm the seabed, which would be a problem if the fish were raised in the sea.

vEGETABLES

Vegetable dishes have always been at the core of Natura´s kitchen and are the main factor when planning the menu. We aim to serve our products in their optimal state when in season and preserve them for those cold winter months in Finland.

Wild berries, mushrooms and herbs play a big part in our kitchen.

We cooperate with dozens of private individuals and small farms in the capital region, all located 20km from the restaurant.

The farms grow their produce without any fertilizers or other chemicals.

We also buy from farms whose product is "unsuitable" according to usual appearance standards. This means, e.g., potatoes, cucumbers, apples that are not the same size, and honey that is not completely clear! However, we take this as a positive thing and rather a sign of nature's versatility!

We prefer vegetables in our menus and always offer a vegetarian version of the medium Dive In⁷ menu and vegetarian and vegan versions of the Easy⁴ menu.

One distinguishing factor in David's cooking was making sauces from berries, herbs, and vegetables rather than using vast amounts of beef, chicken, or other animal bones that, by weight, are the most significant meat product consumption in professional kitchens.

In Natura's menu, you can find many delicious and innovative items where we have replaced meat with berries, vegetables and/or herbs, such as a rich, dark demiglace sauce with a strong meaty flavor made sorely with vegetable trimmings that are normally seen as a waste.

oUR FARM

Natura has its own vegetable garden, from which we get a large part of our herbs, berries, and vegetables in the summertime.
Our vegetable garden allows us to pick vegetables at their optimal state and offer them only hours after harvesting.
We do not use any fertilizers or other chemicals on our farm. The garden is situated in Helsinki, just 10km from our doorstep.

In the summer season of 2025, we are growing:
- White Strawberry 'Yellow Wonder'
- Gooseberries
- Black and red currants
- Raspberries
- Cucamelon - Mexican Sour Gherkin
- Yellow Cucumber 'Crystal Lemon'
- Rhubarb
- Monks Cress
- Japanese Mustard
- Broad-Leaved Thyme
- Basil
- Dill
- Fiorino - flowering cauliflower
- Common sorrel
- Watercress
- Chinese red giant leaf mustard
- Rye flowers
- Oxalis
- Beetroots
- Silver onion
- Zucchini
- Tomato

STAFF

From 2002 to 2015, while David was learning the business and working mainly in one, two, and three Michelin-starred restaurants in Finland, France, Netherlands, and England, the average working day was between 16 to 18 hours a day combined with an aggressive and high-stress environment. Even though this was crucial for learning the craft. This was something we did not want to force in Natura.

In recent years our work hours have been reduced by employing more staff. In addition, all staff can choose their salary when working with us (this ensures all personnel can make ends meet financially).

Sustainability education is present in everyday work, and we are constantly trying to find ways to improve our working methods.

Education should be present and done daily, including day-to-day work and the current situation when the problem might occur. The staff can visit and meet all our suppliers.

eNERGY

Natura is an exceptional restaurant in terms of electricity consumption.

The restaurant's electricity consumption has been an average of 2,685 kWh per month, which corresponds to the electricity consumption of a small detached house. We use an electricity company which produces renewable energy.

Natura's air conditioning is scheduled to run only from 16:00 to 24:00 on opening days. Therefore, all our air conditioners are closed and save energy for 10-16 hours on open days.

We use cookers, which consume electricity only when needed (not continuously like regular electric cookers)

We only keep the oven on briefly during the day and at 70 degrees during dinner.

We do not store uncut vegetables in the cold, which reduces the need for refrigeration equipment.

All lighting is LED.

Durability and energy rating are the main factors when choosing appliances that are used frequently and are constantly running.

wASTE

At Natura, there is no food waste during the preparation time. There is no part of vegetables, herbs, fish, or meat that we could not use to enhance the quality of our dishes and add more depth and flavor.

We have worked relentlessly to find ways to reduce and remove food waste and have several innovative and often forgotten ways to remove food waste. Just to name a few:

  • Making Asian-style fish sauce from fish bones (including gills)

  • Vegan demiglace sauce from all of the trimmings from herbs and vegetables.

  • Pyrees and pickles from citrus skins

We reduce the waste of several meat producers by making agreements to purchase the entire production or certain parts at least one year to two years ahead. As a result, all meat we use is only available at Natura. This is due to long cooperation with our suppliers, most for a decade already.

We recycle all our waste; cardboard, plastics, glasses, bottles, metals and bio-waste.

Upon delivery, we return all shipping boxes to our suppliers so they can be re-used.

wINES

Most of our wines are biodynamic or organically produced. Without the use of chemical substances, the soil's biota is not destroyed and the natural yeast strains of the grapes remain better. In organically cultivated grapes, the characteristics typical of the soil of the region are preserved.

fRONT OF HOUSE

When choosing materials for the front of the house, we always have durability in mind and want to support and present Finnish craftsmanship.

A Finnish carpenter has made our tables from over 350 years old wood that is deliberately left thick so that we can tinker, improve and make changes if necessary.

Most of our ceramics are made in Helsinki by artist Jatta Lavi.

As in busy restaurants, mistakes can happen, and plates get broken.

However, rather than discarding the pieces, the fragments are put back together, and there are no attempts to hide the damage; instead, it is highlighted using Kintsugi, a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.

Community

Choosing and using suppliers with the same passion and respect for nature and sustainability as we do makes it easy to accept their higher prices.

As a company, we want to help those in need; In 2022, we started by donating 5€ from each Dive In and All Out menu sold on our birthday month (April) for Children In Ukraine (Pelastakaa Lapset Ry) while it was obvious they are in massive need of support due to the war.

In 2023 we will continue this by helping those most vulnerable in our society, as for many families, the rising cost of living has profoundly impacted their ability to make ends meet. We will donate 3-5€ (depending on the menu) to Apuna Ry, which helps families with children with financial difficulties.

NATURA 11 COMMANDS

Focus on the big picture: Sustainability is not just about the ingredients but also about the overall work in the restaurant. Consider the work-life balance and respect for colleagues as essential elements of sustainability. Always start from the top: start by working on the most unsustainable practices and fixing them first.

1. Establish a close relationship with local farmers and growers, prioritizing local and organic produce. When not using your own crops, dedicate time to finding new, small, and local producers. Involve the chefs in this process to emphasize the connection between the kitchen and the source of ingredients.

2. Strive for transparency and purity in food and drink offerings, emphasizing the connection between farmers, terroir, and quality.

3. Sustainable infrastructure: Consider the sustainability of your restaurant's physical infrastructure. Explore options for using compostable materials in the building, up-cycled fabrics for uniforms and linens, and locally sourced wood for furniture

4. Create a balanced work environment that promotes work-life balance, fosters teamwork, and fine-tunes your staff's working methods.

5. Minimize waste: Develop a determined attitude toward reducing food waste. Implement guidelines and practices to minimize waste, such as banning single-use plastic, using up-cycled ingredients, and collaborating with producers who take back and reuse containers.

6. Highlight local, organic, and seasonal produce: Prioritize local, wild, seasonal, and organic produce. Build relationships with producers who share your values and visit their production facilities. Emphasize the use of ingredients within their natural growing seasons.

7. Ethical animal sourcing: Ensure that your meat and poultry come from organic farms that meet high welfare standards. Collaborate with farms that promote animal welfare and allow visits. Utilize the whole animal and use “unfavored” parts of the animal to reduce waste.

8. Plant-based focus: Explore plant-based options and develop your vegan produce for use in your dishes. Use local, sustainable plant-based ingredients and experiment with fermentation or aging techniques to create vegan alternatives with rich flavors. The tasting menu should be plant-focused, even in the regular tasting menus.

9. Sustainable fish and seafood: Source fish and seafood sustainably, using recognized certification schemes like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Avoid using fish that may harm the growth and population of salmon species. Choose fishing techniques that minimize accidental by-catch.

10. Communication and education: Share your sustainability practices and guidelines with your staff and customers. Use your website and other communication channels to educate and inspire others about sustainability in the food industry.

11. Sustainability is an ongoing journey, so continuously evaluate and improve your practices based on new information, innovations, and feedback from your staff and customers