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Restaurant Technologies (RTI), a preeminent provider of automated cooking oil management solutions for the commercial food service industry, has announced its participation in Climate Week NYC 2026. The company will join a high-level assembly of policymakers, business executives, hospitality leaders, and civil society advocates to address the critical intersection of commercial kitchen operations and the global climate crisis. Specifically, RTI will take a prominent role in the "Solving Food Waste: A Key Solution to the Climate Crisis" summit, scheduled to take place from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET on Monday, September 21, at The Greene Space in Manhattan, the broadcast home of WNYC-NPR Studios.
The event is organized by Food Tank in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food Planet Prize, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Walmart Foundation, CookUnity, and Mill. This collaborative forum aims to highlight how strategic interventions in food waste management can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, bolster global food security, and foster the development of more resilient food systems. As the hospitality and food service sectors face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices, the summit serves as a platform for sharing scalable, technology-driven solutions.
Contextualizing Climate Week NYC and the Global Food Waste Challenge
Climate Week NYC has evolved into one of the most significant annual climate events globally, held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly. It brings together international leaders to accelerate climate action and assess progress toward the Paris Agreement goals. Within this framework, the issue of food waste has emerged as a top-tier priority. According to data from the United Nations, if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, trailing only the United States and China.
The commercial food service sector—comprising restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and large-scale catering operations—represents a substantial portion of this waste. While much of the public discourse focuses on organic food scraps, the management of liquid assets, such as cooking oil, is a vital but often overlooked component of the circular economy. Restaurant Technologies’ participation underscores the necessity of addressing every facet of kitchen waste to achieve meaningful decarbonization.
RTI’s Role in the Circular Economy
Diana Geseking, Chief Legal Officer and Impact Committee Chair at Restaurant Technologies, will represent the company on a featured panel titled "Food Waste Action in Commercial Kitchens and Food Service." Her presentation is expected to provide a blueprint for how businesses can transition from traditional, linear waste models to circular systems that prioritize resource recovery.
By automating the lifecycle of cooking oil, RTI provides a closed-loop system for over 45,000 commercial kitchens across the United States. This network includes major industry players such as McDonald’s, Shake Shack, Sheetz, and Kroger. The RTI model focuses on four primary pillars: automated delivery, precision filtration, real-time monitoring, and the efficient collection of used cooking oil (UCO).
In 2025, RTI reported the recycling of nearly 400 million pounds of UCO. The environmental significance of this volume is underscored by the company’s ability to convert nearly 100% of collected oil into high-value renewable energy products. This includes renewable diesel and biodiesel for heavy-duty transportation, as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for the aerospace industry. By diverting these oils from waste streams and sewage systems, RTI not only prevents environmental degradation but also provides a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels.
Chronology of the Summit and Key Participants
The summit on September 21 is structured to facilitate a multi-disciplinary dialogue. The morning sessions will begin with opening remarks from UNEP and Food Tank representatives, followed by a series of panels focusing on policy, technological innovation, and grassroots action.
Geseking will be joined by a distinguished roster of sustainability and food system experts, including:
- Julie Gehrki, President of the Walmart Foundation and Senior Vice President of Philanthropy at Walmart Inc., who will discuss corporate responsibility and supply chain resilience.
- Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources, and Environmental Quality for Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, providing a perspective on international policy and urban waste management.
- U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06), who has been a vocal advocate for legislative measures to reduce food loss and support agricultural sustainability.
- Gwyneth Rampton, Vice President of Sustainability at Compass Group USA, representing the world’s largest food service company and its commitment to net-zero goals.
- Robert Jones of the Culinary Institute of America, focusing on the educational shift required to train the next generation of chefs in sustainable kitchen management.
The inclusion of organizations like Rethink and Operation No Food Gap (E-RoadMap Corporation) ensures that the conversation also addresses the social dimensions of food waste, such as food insecurity and community-led redistribution efforts.
Technical Analysis of RTI’s Impact on Emissions
The impact of Restaurant Technologies’ operations on the climate crisis can be quantified through the reduction of Scope 3 emissions for its partners. For a typical commercial kitchen, managing oil manually is not only labor-intensive and hazardous for staff but also inefficient. Traditional oil disposal often results in "yellow grease" being handled by multiple intermediaries, increasing the carbon footprint of the logistics chain.
RTI’s automated system reduces the frequency of oil deliveries and collections through optimized routing and bulk handling. Furthermore, by extending the life of cooking oil through advanced filtration technology, RTI helps kitchens reduce their overall consumption of virgin oils, such as soybean or canola oil. The production of these oils is often linked to land-use changes and deforestation; therefore, reducing demand at the kitchen level has a direct positive impact on global biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
The conversion of 400 million pounds of UCO into renewable fuels represents a significant offset of petroleum-based fuels. Renewable diesel, for instance, can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional diesel. As the aviation industry seeks to meet ambitious "Fly Net Zero" targets by 2050, the demand for RTI’s feedstock for SAF is expected to grow exponentially, positioning the company as a critical infrastructure partner for the energy transition.
Official Responses and Strategic Vision
During the lead-up to the event, Diana Geseking emphasized the necessity of a unified front in tackling climate challenges. "Climate issues are addressed most effectively when industry, government, and society work together to find solutions," Geseking stated. "Restaurant Technologies is proud to stand alongside UNEP, NRDC, and our fellow co-hosts in advancing practical, scalable solutions to food waste, and to demonstrate how meaningful climate progress can make a big difference in kitchens around the world."
Industry analysts suggest that RTI’s participation in Climate Week NYC 2026 signals a broader trend in the hospitality sector toward "ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) transparency." Investors and consumers are increasingly demanding that food service brands provide verifiable data on their sustainability efforts. RTI’s ability to provide automated data tracking on oil usage and carbon offsets gives its clients a competitive advantage in a market where "greenwashing" is under intense regulatory scrutiny.
Broader Implications for the Food Service Industry
The "Solving Food Waste" summit arrives at a pivotal moment for the American food service industry. With the U.S. government’s "National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste," there is a concerted effort to halve food waste by 2030. Achieving this goal requires a radical shift in how commercial kitchens operate.
The RTI model demonstrates that sustainability does not have to come at the expense of operational efficiency. In many cases, the automation of waste management leads to improved safety records by reducing slips and burns associated with manual oil handling, while also lowering labor costs. This "triple bottom line" approach—benefiting people, planet, and profit—is likely to be a central theme of the discussions at The Greene Space.
As Climate Week NYC 2026 approaches, the focus will remain on how these localized kitchen solutions can be scaled globally. The partnership between RTI and international bodies like UNEP suggests that the technologies refined in U.S. commercial kitchens may soon find applications in emerging markets where urbanization and the growth of the middle class are driving an expansion of the food service sector.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The participation of Restaurant Technologies in Climate Week NYC 2026 highlights the evolving role of specialized technology providers in the global climate strategy. By transforming what was once considered a difficult-to-manage waste product into a clean energy resource, RTI exemplifies the potential of the circular economy.
The upcoming summit in Manhattan will serve as both a showcase for existing successes and a laboratory for future innovations. As leaders from government and business converge to discuss the path forward, the data-driven insights provided by RTI will be essential in shaping the policies and practices that will define the next decade of sustainable food systems. The event at The Greene Space will ultimately reinforce the message that the road to a net-zero future runs directly through the heart of the world’s commercial kitchens.
