Arc Cardinal, a North American leading tabletop supplier to the hospitality industry, announced its partnership with Slow Food USA, a movement creating change through good, clean and fair food for all.

Arc Cardinal, a subsidiary of Arc, has had a strong focus on sustainability for many years. Initiatives with a focus on the environment and the community were put into place in late 2011 including a new emissions control system made to greatly reduce carbon emissions that commonly occur with natural gas furnaces (making Arc one of the cleanest glassware factories in the world). Arc didn’t just meet the standard emissions requirements, but greatly surpassed them.

As a way to continue environmental efforts, Arc Cardinal partnered with Slow Food USA to inspire individuals, communities and chefs to change the world through food. Slow Food USA is part of the global Slow Food movement that is creating change in more than 160 countries. Within the United States, the Slow Food network consists of more than 150 local chapters and over 6,000 members including chefs, farmers, businesses and communities.

The first campaign, Plant a Seed, kicked off February 25. To preserve delicious biodiversity, Arc Cardinal and Slow Food are creating Plant a Seed Kits which are being disseminated to communities, school gardens and the Slow Food’s Chefs’ Alliance. These kits are filled with six seed packets from the Ark of Taste and Arc Cardinal’s Dudson Harvest Tall Pot among other items. Recipients are encouraged to #PlantASeed and harvest their food.

The annual Slow Food Nations Festival kicks off July 19-21 in Denver and is followed by the Chefs Summit. Guests attending the Chefs Summit will be served on Dudson dinnerware and in Chef & Sommelier glassware from Arc Cardinal, and each chef will leave with a Dudson bowl. This event will also launch Slow Food’s Meatless Monday campaign. This campaign asks chefs across the country to cook with a specific Slow Food ingredient to highlight the possibilities of cooking without meat. This year, the ingredient will be Russian buckwheat.

“We are so excited to begin this partnership with Slow Food USA,” says Alexandre Bollengier, president of Arc Cardinal. “Partnering with an organization that has likeminded values and goals is important to us. We are continually striving towards green initiatives in order to remain a responsive and innovative company.”