Dear AST friend,

In recent weeks, our team has been thinking about how to bring you content that feels more alive, not just articles to read, but conversations you can be part of.

That’s why we’re rolling out more live sessions where you can hear directly from leaders, who are shaping the future of sustainable travel.

Our next webinar, “Breaking the Chain to Save It: How Asia’s Hospitality Can Fix Food Systems,” brings together three leaders we deeply admire: Peggy Chan, Executive Director of Zero Foodprint Asia; Andrew Dixon, Founder of Nikoi and Cempedak Islands; and Bjorn Low, Chief Urban Farmer of Edible Garden City.

You may remember their stories from previous AST features, but now you’ll get to hear from them firsthand.

Bring your questions, join the dialogue, and let’s deep dive into what it takes to fix our food systems while elevating guest experience.

The registration link is below.

In the meantime, this week’s AST Briefing highlights 3 case studies to set the stage for the conversation.

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How Hotels Turn Sustainable Food Sourcing into an Edge

What’s at Stake?

For decades, luxury hospitality in Asia has been synonymous with imported “premium” ingredients, immaculate plating, and international fine dining.

But this model increases carbon emissions and ignores local farmers. With staples like rice and wheat threatened by climate extremes, the challenge is mounting.

The region’s food system is increasingly unsustainable and overdue for change.

Hospitality’s Power to Cut Food Emissions

Globally, food production drives 26% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek's meta-analysis published in Science.

Here’s where they come from:

• Supply chains: 18%

• Livestock & fisheries: 31%

• Crop production: 27%

• Land use: 24%

Asia accounts for half the global food market, and its growing appetite for beef has even fueled deforestation in faraway regions like the Amazon. 

The lesson is clear: when it comes to menus, eating less meat, irrespective of where it is sourced, is more effective in cutting emissions. 

For hospitality brands, this translates into two urgent shifts: 

• rethink where food is sourced by favoring local and sustainable suppliers 

• rethink what is grown and served by favoring climate-smart, low-input crops 

When hotels and restaurants commit to responsible sourcing, they send a powerful market signal to farmers and suppliers that there is demand for change.

Disclaimer: We cover fact-based sustainability initiatives that deliver measurable impact, including those by legacy hotel brands, to show how responsible food sourcing is gaining traction across the industry. This does not imply endorsement of all practices, nor an attempt to obscure any shortcomings.

JW Marriott Khao Lak Harvests the Fruits of Change

JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort’s response to addressing food-related emissions and also providing healthy food has been to rebuild its food system from the ground up. 

In April 2024, the resort launched the 27-acre JW Garden, perhaps one of the largest resort farms in Asia Pacific.

The project was born from a simple question: What if a resort could grow food to cut imports, slash waste, and enrich its ecosystem, and at the same time create a richer experience for its guests?

Closing the Gap Between Farm and Table

The resort’s JW Garden, home to 300 hens and a working farm, produced over 5.8 tons of organic vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers in its first year, supplying buffets and menus with fresh, homegrown ingredients.

Goat’s milk becomes artisanal cheese, while guests are invited to tour the garden, join workshops, and plant nipa palms to restore coastal ecosystems. 

More than 4,500 visitors have taken part, turning holidays into hands-on lessons in climate action and bridging the gap between good intentions and tangible impact.

Luxury Without Excess: Sown & Reborn

JW Marriott Khao Lak has challenged the idea that sustainability and luxury can’t coexist. Its Sown & Reborn initiative, now paused, showcased pasta from dehydrated trimmings, desserts with nipa palm sugar from the resort’s reforestation program, and seafood sourced from plastic-free local fisheries.

Turning Waste Into Wonder

The resort tackles food waste, which is a global hospitality challenge driving emissions and costs, through circular gastronomy. 

In one year, surplus fruit becomes 2,100 liters of juice, 1,000 kg of watermelon rind turns into candy and pickles, 684 kg of bread into sourdough, and scraps like potato peels, rice, focaccia, and eggshells are reborn as chips, crackers, and pasta. Even coffee grounds and wood ash return to the soil as fertilizer. 

Reducing food waste must remain the top priority, but when waste does occur, it should be treated as a resource to unlock.

Seeds of Change Poised to Flourish

In the context of a full resort operation, these achievements may seem modest.

But taken together, they represent a positive way forward for hospitality. If a 424-room JW Marriott property has begun to address food-related emissions in an integrated approach, it shows that sustainability should not come at the expense of luxury.

The resort has the potential to scale sustainability even further. 

Six Senses Uluwatu Elevates Farm to Fork on the Cliffs of Bali

At Six Senses Uluwatu, the property’s working philosophy of responsible food sourcing is captured in the brand pillar #EatWithSixSenses, where food is not just served, but told as a story of place, people, and planet.

Across Asia, small farmers and artisans often struggle to compete against industrial supply chains. 

The resort sources directly from Bali’s chocolate makers, honey producers, and coffee growers who honor natural rhythms, while its own gardens supply fruits, vegetables, and herbs for Rocka’s menus. Bulk deliveries arrive free of single-use plastic, ensuring minimal processing, maximum freshness, and no wasted detail. 

The result is a dining experience that celebrates terroir while reducing packaging waste and transport emissions.

→ Go deeper into this case study.

Meliã Chiang Mai Builds Resilient Food Systems, One Farm at a Time

In Northern Thailand, where tourism demand could often favor imports over local harvests, Meliã Chiang Mai is bridging the gap by using hospitality and partnering with local farmers to strengthen its food supply’s resilience. 

Since 2022, the property’s 360° Cuisine program has redefined not just what food is served, but how it is grown, sourced, and returned to the land, ensuring nearby farmers find fair markets for their chemical-free produce while guests enjoy authentic, locally rooted flavors.

→ Go deeper into this case study.

TL; DR

Asia’s hospitality sector faces a critical reckoning with its food systems. 

Heavy reliance on imports, wasteful kitchen practices, and weak connections to local farmers all drive carbon emissions and undermine resilience. But hotels are beginning to flip the script. 

From JW Marriott Khao Lak’s regenerative garden and Six Senses Uluwatu’s circular dining to Meliã Chiang Mai’s 360° Cuisine, these case studies show that luxury and sustainability are not contradictions. They are, in fact, the recipe for the region’s food future.

• JW Marriott Khao Lak demonstrates how on-site farming and circular gastronomy can cut imports, transform waste into value, and engage guests in regenerative action.

• Six Senses Uluwatu shows how seasonality, smallholder partnerships, and surplus redistribution turn dining into a closed-loop system that blends authenticity with low impact.

• Meliã Chiang Mai builds farmer resilience through fair-value sourcing and circular “farm-to-plate-to-farm” models, while turning sustainability into an educational guest experience.

Join the upcoming AST Webinar on September 3, 2025

Jeremy Tran, Co-Founder of AST, will be joined by Peggy Chan, Executive Director of Zero Foodprint Asia; Andrew Dixon, Founder of Nikoi and Cempedak Islands; Bjorn Low, Chief Urban Farmer of Edible Garden City, for a live conversation on “Breaking the Chain to Save It: How Asia’s Hospitality Can Fix Food Systems.”

Together, they’ll discuss how hotels and resorts can turn sustainable food sourcing into a powerful brand advantage.

Don’t miss out on this insights-packed conversation.

📍 Live on Zoom

👉🏽 Secure your spot today

💡 Attendees will receive a key insights report with actionable takeaways and resources to scale regenerative food initiatives.

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