Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones are deeply committed to sustainability, ensuring that every element of their restaurants aligns with their ethical and environmentally responsible philosophy. From sourcing ingredients to waste management and upcycling, their approach reflects a dedication to preserving Thai culinary heritage while minimizing their ecological footprint. Here they explain some of their practices.
Sourcing
At Bo.lan, we prioritize working with over 50 small-scale, indigenous, regenerative, and organic producers, sourcing 100% of our ingredients from Thailand. While some of these small-scale farmers may not carry organic certifications, we have built long-standing relationships with them, regularly visiting their farms to ensure responsible practices. This close collaboration allows us to maintain a hyper-seasonal menu, adapting dishes based on nature’s rhythms.
By choosing independent farmers over large-scale agribusiness, we ensure that our financial support directly benefits the producers. These farmers, whose livelihoods depend on nature’s well-being, are dedicated to regenerative agricultural practices that restore and sustain ecosystems.
Our partnerships with indigenous food communities also play a vital role in safeguarding Thai culinary traditions, preserving traditional food wisdom, and enhancing food security and biodiversity. Our ultimate goal is to increase food literacy at every stage of the food system.
Design & Infrastructure
Sustainability at Bo.lan extends beyond the kitchen. When designing our restaurant, we made conscious choices to reduce our environmental impact:
- Solar Energy: We have installed solar panels to offset reliance on conventional energy.
- Water Conservation: Our water filtration system allows us to bottle our own drinking water, while a greywater system (though imperfect) helps maintain our biodynamic garden.
- Reclaimed Materials: The restaurant is built using reclaimed wood from old Thai houses, breathing new life into traditional materials.
- Upcycled Décor:
- Seating is woven from water hyacinth—an invasive species from the Chao Phraya River.
- The hanging sculpture in our main dining room is crafted from metal factory waste.
- Decorative ceilings in the lounge feature Gradong, traditional Thai woven baskets once used for food sorting.
Sustainable Logistics
To minimize packaging waste, we have replaced single-use plastics and cardboard with a swap system using foldable plastic crates and heavy-duty insulated boxes. These are shared with our farmers and producers, creating a circular and waste-free supply chain.
We also collaborate with Bootleggers, a local alcohol supplier that has introduced the Eco Spirits Program to Thailand, allowing us to incorporate refillable spirits into our house cocktails.
Waste & Upcycling Program
Bo.lan operates with a zero-waste-to-landfill philosophy, implementing extensive composting, upcycling, and repurposing initiatives.
Food-to-Food for Humans
We transform food scraps into new culinary creations:
- Rice: Leftover rice from our cooker is either toasted and brewed into tea or ground to create the traditional Thai dessert khao dtuu.
- Coconut: The spent grated coconut from our daily coconut cream production is:
- Roasted into a coconut tuile for petit fours.
- Used by Thai craft chocolate maker Pridi Cacaofevier in one of their flavored chocolates.
- Spent coffee grounds, lime, and herb stalks are crafted into our house-made cola syrup, offering a sustainable alternative to commercial soft drinks.
- Citrus zest is repurposed into a house-made lime syrup for Bo.lan craft lemonade.
- Lemongrass & pandan scraps are brewed into our signature welcome drink.
- Eggshells are dried and powdered for use in tofu production as an alkaline agent.
- Other edible food scraps are incorporated into staff meals.
Food-to-Feed for Animals
- Excess spent coconut is mixed with rice bran and effective microorganisms (EM) and fermented for 5-7 days, creating a probiotic-rich feed for pigs.
- Prawn shells and fish bones are dried and ground into a powder, which our partner chicken farmers use as a natural supplement.
- Excess dried rice is shared with farmers for feeding their chickens and small fowls.
Upcycling Food for Other Uses
- Eggshell powder is used as a soil calcium supplement and an ant repellent at Bo.lan and on our partner farms.
- Citrus zest extract is added to natural cleaning products for enhanced effectiveness.
- Fruit peels & citrus zest are fermented with sugar for 7 days to create effective microorganisms (EM), which:
- Enrich soil when diluted and used for watering plants.
- Act as a natural degreaser for drains and grease traps.
- Used cooking oil is converted into soap for handwashing and kitchen cleaning.
- Any remaining food waste that cannot be upcycled is composted onsite using our Olkin food digester, with the compost used in our gardens or shared with farmers.
- Spent coconut is burned, mixed with tapioca flour slurry, and extruded into charcoal.
Upcycling for Non-Food Items
- Vacuum bags are cleaned, ironed together into thick materials, and transformed into reusable bags, aprons, book covers, and pencil cases.
- Used J-cloths (Chux cloths) are pulped and dried into shapes for pot plant holders and gift boxes.
- Glass Recycling: Wine bottles are not commonly recycled in Thailand, so we work with one of the last remaining glassblowers to melt down used bottles and craft new jugs and cups.
- We have also collaborated with Thai artist K Mo to upcycle these bottles into mosaic tiles for the new Err, which is set to open soon.
Recycling & Final Waste Processing
For any materials that cannot be upcycled, we ensure responsible recycling:
- Cardboard, paper, and beer bottles are sent to local recycling plants.
- Any unavoidable waste is disposed of using the most sustainable method available.
Dylan Jones and Bo Songvisava
For any additional press info or interviews regarding Bo Songvisava, Dylan Jones and Bo.lan please contact: andreja.lajh@hautdegamme.net
