Eco-Chic Weddings: How to Plan a Sustainably Catered Wedding with Sebastian Lysen

Today, we're diving into a topic that's incredibly important, especially for anyone planning a wedding or event: sustainability in catering. Sustainability often feels like one of those buzzwords we hear everywhere, but what does it really mean in the context of weddings and events? What does it actually take to make catering sustainable? Are there trade-offs or limitations we should consider?

To help us explore these questions and unpack the myths and realities of sustainable catering, I’m thrilled to be joined by Sebastian, the operations director at Purslane—a catering company dedicated to making events both delicious and eco-friendly. He was an amazing guest, and I can't wait for you all to dive in.

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tips for sustainable catering

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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Who is Sebastian Lysen?

Sebastian Lysen is a seasoned professional from Sweden and the Director of Operations at Purslane. With extensive experience in staffing events to ensure seamless operations, Sebastian is deeply passionate about sustainability. He fosters an eco-conscious workplace culture that drives positive impact on the planet, specializing in creating unforgettable weddings and events.

Sebastian brings creativity and elegance to every occasion, leaving a lasting impression on clients and guests. Under his leadership, Purslane continues to set the standard for excellence in event management, combining sustainability with impeccable service.

Please join me in welcoming Sebastian to the show. Sebastian, thank you so much for being here today!

Can you define for our listeners what you mean when you say sustainability in the context of wedding and event catering?

Absolutely. I think sustainability is definitely a large topic, and you can be sustainable in many ways, across many areas, and on many levels. But at the end of the day, sustainability is about meeting your needs and expectations without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

You can even take sustainability further by looking at how we can give back to the planet—not just by decreasing our footprint, but also by investing in the future. These are the things we focus on when talking to clients and guests, explaining our approach to reducing waste and offsetting the footprint we create.

How has the conversation around sustainability changed in the past few years?

Well, it has evolved in many directions. I think, first of all, it’s gone from, “Oh, that’s impossible,” to something much more achievable. People used to think being sustainable meant only offering vegan options or going completely zero waste in every way.

But today, we’re seeing so many creative solutions to create that perfect experience. Guests are leaving weddings with rave reviews of the food, completely unaware of the sustainability efforts behind it because there’s no compromise on quality or taste. What we’re noticing more and more is that people are asking for guidance on sustainability.

Many feel they don’t know enough to take the leap. Some even worry they won’t get the wedding they’ve envisioned or fear they’ll have to compromise too much to achieve what they think sustainability entails. But we’re proving them wrong. We do this by offering creative, seasonal menus and building a thoughtful infrastructure behind the scenes.

This includes things like waste management, helping clients make sustainable menu selections, or even gathering RSVPs with meal preferences to avoid unnecessary food waste. These efforts don’t compromise the experience, but they do require more work in the planning process.

Can you walk us through what a sustainably catered wedding might look like?

Well, first, I think starting with seasonal menus that allow us to use more locally sourced produce is a simple but impactful step. From there, we look at how we present those menus—not relying heavily on red meat, but instead highlighting plant-based options while still offering the flexibility to add proteins. That’s definitely where we begin.

Creativity also plays a big role, especially when it comes to utilizing the whole produce. By doing this from the start, we’re already reducing waste. We also encourage and incentivize specific dining styles. For example, while grazing tables look beautiful, they often result in a lot of food going to waste. Instead, we guide our clients toward options like family-style or, even better, plated dinners, which tend to leave a much smaller footprint on the planet.

Beyond the menu, it’s also about execution—how we bring everything on-site. We focus on renting or reusing items instead of producing new ones for every wedding. And especially in a city like New York, where I’m based, there are so many opportunities to incorporate sustainability into the process without sacrificing style or quality.

Is a plant-based menu more sustainable than animal proteins?

I would say, as a rule of thumb, a plant-based menu generally has a smaller carbon footprint because we’re eating the plants directly instead of feeding them to livestock. But with that said, sustainability doesn’t have to stop at that conversation.

There are plenty of ways to include proteins and animal products without being wasteful. If you know that your culture or personal preferences call for a certain type of menu, there are ways to make it more sustainable. That’s where the balance comes in. We can look at where our produce is sourced, how the farmers are cared for, how far the food has to travel to reach the table, and how much of the product we’re actually using in the kitchen.

These considerations allow us to create menus that respect both the environment and the needs of our clients.

We talk about farm-to-table as a trend, but what does that look like in more challenging seasons like the winter? How do you handle sourcing ingredients during those times? Are you working exclusively with local suppliers, or do you also work with larger producers?

That’s a great question. Being part of a larger restaurant group, we see that these efforts can look different depending on the context. For example, we don’t host as many weddings in the winter as we do in the summer, so this isn’t as much of a challenge for us.

However, I know some of the restaurants in our group go very seasonal with their menus to maintain local sourcing throughout the year. It’s definitely doable—it just depends on where your focus lies in your sustainability journey.

What are some tips that you have to help couples reduce that food waste in order to make an event more sustainable?

To reduce food waste, I definitely recommend taking meal orders with the RSVPs and opting for plated dinners. These are some of the easiest and most impactful decisions couples can make. Plus, as you mentioned, it’s often a more budget-friendly option, which makes it a win-win.

In this way, we can incentivize couples to be more sustainable. For example, in our menus, we’ve moved away from the “silent vegetarian option” you often see, where couples choose two proteins, and the vegetarian option is just an afterthought. Instead, we’re encouraging couples to lead with a plant-based menu and then allow guests to add protein to that base.

We’ve noticed a growing trend where more couples are requesting plant-based menus, which helps us guide them toward more sustainable choices. This approach also helps us manage catering logistics more effectively.

Unlike restaurants, we don’t have fridges full of fresh produce on-site. For off-site events, we can’t simply send food for 200 people to a 100-person wedding and still call it sustainable. The best way to avoid waste and manage resources is by taking meal orders in advance.

What steps do you take to eliminate or minimize food waste?

Right, there’s definitely a gray area when catering on-site because we can’t always refrigerate items the same way we would in a restaurant kitchen. This means we can’t just donate leftover food to any organization—it depends on logistics and food safety regulations. Some organizations are easier to work with than others, but ultimately, the best approach for us is to minimize food waste from the start.

Any food waste we do generate is composted. We have a very thorough waste management process that includes separating recyclables, compostable materials, and even hard-to-recycle items, which are handled by third-party vendors. As a zero-waste company, our goal is to divert at least 90% of waste from landfills—ideally more. Reducing food waste means there’s less to compost, which aligns with our mission.

When it comes to waste management, it’s not just about reducing, reusing, and recycling. People often overlook the idea of refusing. If we can refuse to bring unnecessary items or excess volumes on-site in the first place, it makes an even bigger impact. For example, composting biodegradable materials is great, but a significant portion of waste occurs during production.

If we can avoid unnecessary materials or menu items from the start, it eliminates waste before it even begins. This is especially important for weddings. It’s a big day, and couples want everything to be perfect—including having enough food. But maybe the solution is to create menus that are more adaptable to dietary restrictions or promote plant-based options with proteins that can be added. This way, we don’t need five different options in the back of the kitchen.

Having fewer options and more flexible menus can significantly reduce the amount of food we bring on-site, which means less waste overall.

A lot of people see composting as the best option because it puts nutrients back into the ground. But if we hadn’t harvested those items in the first place—going through production, using energy, and generating waste to create them—we wouldn’t need to return them to the ground at all. So, it’s really about managing that step upfront.

This is often the hardest part because it requires experience to accurately determine how much food you’ll actually need. It also takes a lot of trust in your catering company to ensure they know what they’re doing so you don’t end up with too little food and hungry guests. That’s where I think our company really shines. In every planning meeting, we discuss what we can do differently to minimize waste while still delivering an exceptional experience.

For instance, vendor meals are often an overlooked area for reducing waste. Typically, vendors are served what’s leftover—not scraps, but the same food we serve to guests, just portions that weren’t selected. For example, if we offer two protein options to guests, vendors might receive the protein we have remaining. This ensures we’re not preparing unnecessary extra food while still providing vendors with lovely, plated meals.

It’s small adjustments like these that help us avoid bringing more food than necessary without compromising the experience for anyone.

What was the purpose behind making Purslane a sustainable catering company?

At Person Lane, we see ourselves as more than just a company; we’re an extension of the Oberon group, a neighborhood-focused restaurant group deeply committed to sustainability. This dedication stems from the passion of our founder, Henry Rich, and from the local community, who sought out our services after being inspired by the sustainability efforts in our restaurants. Guests often noticed how we elevated sustainability in our dining experiences and encouraged us to extend that philosophy into catering for their celebrations. That’s how our catering company came to be.

The food industry is notoriously unsustainable—it takes resources from the planet to create culinary art and deliver meaningful experiences. While this process inevitably leaves a footprint, we strive to minimize it through thoughtful practices. For instance, we invest in offsetting our carbon footprint and are proud to be one of the first Scope 3-certified carbon-neutral catering companies in New York City. These efforts are central to everything we do, and I find them incredibly inspiring.

Personally, my upbringing in Sweden instilled in me a deep awareness of sustainability and recycling, which have become integral to my daily life. Today, we’re seeing a shift in attitudes—sustainability is no longer seen as a niche concern. Instead, people are asking, “What are you doing to make a difference?” The conversations are no longer dismissive but curious and engaged.

One of the most common questions we get from clients is, “How do you track your sustainability efforts?” In response, we’ve implemented systems to measure the waste we collect from events. We track compost, recycling, and other waste to ensure we’re minimizing our environmental impact as much as possible.

Passion drives everything we do. Spearheading change in an industry known for wastefulness—especially in the context of events like weddings—is incredibly rewarding. There are so many ways to ensure your vendors align with your values. Technology and social media make it easier than ever to research companies, read reviews, and verify whether they practice what they preach. Asking the right questions can ensure your celebration not only creates memories but also aligns with your principles.

Is it more expensive to invest in sustainable catering?

Catering costs aren’t entirely about food—labor, transportation, and other logistics are significant factors. While locally sourced or organic products can be more expensive, sustainability doesn’t always mean higher costs.

For example, reducing the amount of food we bring onsite or switching from buffet-style to plated dinners can lower costs. Sustainability doesn’t have to equate to higher prices. There are definitely ways to create a more sustainable event without significantly increasing expenses.

Are there misconceptions that couples have or clients have of what sustainable is? Or even are there mistakes that caterers are making that they think make them more sustainable but really aren't? Are there any myths you want to debunk for us?

That’s a great question. I believe we’re at a point where education is everything. Even as we work toward sustainability, we’re constantly learning—whether it’s about the types of plastics and papers labeled as certified sustainable or what those certifications actually mean.

For instance, in our drop-off services, we used to provide compostable disposables like paper plates and wooden cutlery. But we realized that many of our clients don’t have access to commercial composting. Instead, they often have access to recycling, so we decided to start offering recyclable ware instead. This decision didn’t feel entirely right because we had to switch back to recyclable plastics, even though we had these great compostable options.

This sparked a deeper conversation: what’s actually worse for the planet—putting compostable materials into a landfill or putting recyclable items into one? We also had to consider that not everyone will compost or recycle properly. Additionally, we had to think about how our efforts would be perceived by clients. If we sent them plastic products, would they doubt our commitment to sustainability? Perception matters, and so does education. That’s why we provide tools and resources to help our clients make informed decisions.

We also offer pickup services for trash and waste, ensuring nothing is left behind after an event. There are many ways to address these challenges, but ultimately, it comes down to education. The industry won’t change until the demand is there. For example, in New York, everyone is required to recycle, but composting isn’t mandatory. Something labeled as compostable might only break down in a commercial facility—not in a home or neighborhood compost setup.

There’s so much to consider, but I’m proud to be in an industry where we can influence change. It starts with visionaries leading the way, which eventually sparks a shift in habits. Suddenly, the question isn’t if we can be sustainable but how we can do it better.

Debunking myths is also critical. First, it’s no longer as hard to adopt sustainable practices as it once was. Second, we need to broaden the understanding of what sustainability means. Any step toward sustainability—whether reducing waste, lowering footprints, or offsetting negative impacts—is a positive step forward.

Looking to the future, are there any exciting trends in sustainable catering that you're particularly excited about?

We’re definitely seeing an increase in plant-based requests. We’ve catered completely plant-based weddings and several vegetarian ones as well. While we still offer traditional menu items featuring animal proteins, the conversation is shifting. Clients are increasingly interested in incorporating more plant-based options into their menus.

For instance, some clients explore menus where the main focus is plant-based, with the option to add something like steak as an additional feature. These are the kinds of discussions we’re having right now—how to encourage people to embrace plant-based options while still accommodating their preferences. What’s exciting is that we’re noticing a genuine interest in reducing or even eliminating animal proteins on a larger scale.

It’s fairly well-known that red meat is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions. So, if you’re looking to make more sustainable choices, opting for other animal products that aren’t red meat is a step in the right direction.

At the same time, it’s important to consider factors like local sourcing, seasonality, and what’s readily available in your area. These elements play a significant role in sustainability and add another layer to the conversation.

What are some good questions that couples and vendors should be asking their vendors if they do want to make those efforts to be more sustainable when they're hiring them?

I really like this question because it highlights where the sustainability discussion should begin. Start by talking to a planner and asking about vendors they’ve worked with who have demonstrated strong performance in sustainability.

Some great questions to bring up with potential vendors include:

What is your waste management process?
How do you handle food waste?
Where do you source your ingredients?
What is your plastic policy?

For instance, while there are many types of plastics available now, not all are effective when cooking for large groups, and it’s often difficult to avoid them completely. So, how do they manage that waste?

You can also ask about their cleaning products—do they rely on chemicals, or do they use natural disinfectants? Take it a step further and inquire about their broader sustainability initiatives. Are they involved in green or charity projects? What actions are they taking to contribute to the greater good?

These are the kinds of conversations I strongly recommend having. They’ll help you make an educated decision. Even if a vendor aligns with your values on most things but not everything, that’s okay. These tools can help you identify what matters most to you.

When it comes to compostable items like paper plates or compostable flatware, people often feel these are better for the environment compared to renting traditional china, glassware, and flatware that needs to be washed. What’s your philosophy on using compostable items versus opting for reusable dishware and glassware?

That’s a great question. Many people don’t consider the environmental impact of renting, such as the transportation involved and the water and energy needed to wash and package the items. However, as a general rule of thumb, I would recommend opting for rentals like china, glassware, and flatware. It’s also important to look into the practices of the rental companies themselves—ask about their sustainability efforts.

We do use compostable products, and we prefer them over recyclable ones because they’re easier for us to manage on our end and less harmful to the environment if they end up in the wrong waste stream. That said, my choice would always be to use traditional china, glassware, and silverware, as they enhance the overall experience as well.

For weddings, for example, there’s often a focus on trendy Pinterest-inspired ideas. While they can be beautiful, we advocate for scaling back on items that don’t serve a practical function. Take skewers, for instance—they’re often wooden and compostable, but they still represent waste. If we can reimagine a dish without the need for skewers, we eliminate that item entirely, reducing waste.

It’s easy to overlook the impact of small items like a single skewer because it seems insignificant and compostable. But consider the journey that skewer took—it was once part of a tree, grown and harvested to serve a single-use purpose. Small decisions like eliminating unnecessary items can have a meaningful cumulative impact.

Connect with Purslane

For more from Sebastian and Purslane, head to their website or follow him on Instagram.

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