In recent years, sustainability has moved from a niche concern to a mainstream priority in the food industry. Toronto's pizzerias are no exception, with many establishments embracing eco-friendly practices that reduce environmental impact while often improving product quality. From locally sourced ingredients to zero-waste initiatives, these businesses are proving that delicious pizza and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.
In this article, we explore how Toronto's pizza scene is leading the charge in sustainable food practices, highlighting innovative approaches, notable establishments, and the impact these changes are having on both the environment and the customer experience.
Farm-to-Pizza: Local Sourcing Revolution
Seasonal, Local Ingredients
Leading Toronto pizzerias are increasingly building relationships with local farmers and producers to source fresh, seasonal ingredients:
Libretto Naturale, an offshoot of the popular Pizzeria Libretto, has committed to sourcing 90% of their ingredients from within 100 kilometers of Toronto during the growing season. Their menu changes monthly to reflect seasonal availability, featuring toppings like foraged mushrooms in the fall and heirloom tomatoes in late summer.
Earth to Table: Bread Bar, with locations in both Toronto and Hamilton, partners with their own Earth to Table Farm to supply vegetables for their pizzas. Their "Farm Pie" changes weekly based on what's being harvested, creating a direct connection between field and plate.
The benefits of this approach extend beyond environmental sustainability. As Brad Thompson, chef at The Good Earth Pizza Co., explains: "Using local ingredients isn't just about reducing carbon footprint. The flavor of a tomato picked that morning versus one shipped from thousands of miles away is incomparable. Our customers can taste the difference."
Ontario's Artisanal Cheese Movement
Traditional mozzarella is a staple of pizza, but several Toronto pizzerias are featuring Ontario-made cheeses that reduce transportation emissions while supporting local economies:
Cheese Boutique supplies several Toronto pizzerias with locally made fior di latte and burrata, produced using milk from Ontario dairy farms.
Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. from Prince Edward County provides specialty cheeses to Toronto pizzerias looking to feature uniquely Canadian flavors.
General Assembly Pizza has developed a signature blend using cheeses from three different Ontario producers, reducing their reliance on imported products.
Urban Farming Partnerships
Some innovative pizzerias are taking local sourcing to the extreme by growing ingredients themselves or partnering with urban farms:
Pia's Pizza in Toronto's west end maintains a rooftop garden where they grow herbs and some vegetables for their pizzas. Their basil, rosemary, and cherry tomatoes travel just meters from garden to pizza.
Urban Harvest, a Toronto-based urban farming company, supplies several local pizzerias with microgreens and herbs grown in their indoor urban farms, available year-round regardless of Canada's harsh winters.
Sustainable Protein Options
Plant-Forward Menus
While pizza has traditionally been heavy on animal products, many Toronto pizzerias are expanding their plant-based options:
Virtuous Pie, which opened its Toronto location in 2018, offers an entirely plant-based menu, featuring house-made nut cheeses and creative meat alternatives. Their "Stranger Wings" pizza with buffalo cauliflower and cashew blue cheese has developed a cult following even among non-vegans.
Pizza Nova became one of the first major pizza chains in Canada to offer plant-based protein options, adding plant-based pepperoni and sausage crumbles to their menu in 2021.
According to a study by Dalhousie University, offering plant-based alternatives has significant environmental benefits: producing a plant-based pizza generates approximately 2.5 times less greenhouse gas emissions than a meat-heavy equivalent.
Ethical Meat Sourcing
For pizzerias that continue to offer meat toppings, ethical sourcing has become a priority:
The Good Son sources all their meat from small-scale Ontario farms that practice humane animal husbandry. Their signature soppressata comes from a family-run charcuterie producer in Niagara that uses heritage-breed pork raised without antibiotics.
Mattachioni in the Junction Triangle works directly with local butchers who source from farms within a three-hour drive of Toronto, ensuring transparency in their supply chain.
Waste Reduction Innovations
Compostable and Innovative Packaging
Pizza boxes represent one of the industry's biggest environmental challenges, with billions discarded annually in North America alone. Toronto pizzerias are tackling this issue through innovative approaches:
The Green Box program, adopted by several independent Toronto pizzerias, uses boxes made from 100% recycled material with a removable lid that converts into plates and a base that folds into a storage container for leftovers.
Pizza Contrasto has partnered with a local packaging company to develop a compostable pizza box that breaks down completely within 90 days in commercial composting facilities. The box is free from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are commonly found in oil-resistant packaging.
Pizza Pocket, a downtown delivery-focused establishment, offers an opt-in reusable container program. Customers pay a $5 deposit that's refunded when the specialized metal container is returned, eliminating single-use packaging entirely.
Food Waste Solutions
Innovative pizzerias are finding creative ways to minimize food waste:
Descendant Detroit Style Pizza has implemented a "nose-to-tail" approach for vegetables, using carrot tops for pesto, beet greens as toppings, and vegetable scraps for stocks and sauces.
North of Brooklyn Pizzeria partners with Feed it Forward, donating unsold pizzas to those in need rather than adding to landfill waste.
Community-supported pizza programs are emerging, where customers subscribe to weekly pizza deliveries. This model allows pizzerias to precisely predict demand, significantly reducing overproduction and waste.
Water and Energy Conservation
Behind-the-scenes sustainability efforts focus on reducing resource consumption:
Pizzeria Badiali installed a rainwater collection system that provides water for their bathroom facilities and plant irrigation, reducing their freshwater usage by approximately 40%.
Pi Co. has invested in high-efficiency pizza ovens that use 30% less energy than conventional models while maintaining the high temperatures needed for perfect Neapolitan-style pizzas.
Superpoint implemented a comprehensive energy audit that led to improved insulation, LED lighting, and smart thermostats, reducing their energy consumption by 25% while maintaining the same production volume.
Circular Economy Initiatives
Upcycling and Creative Reuse
Some pizzerias are finding innovative ways to create circular systems:
Spent grain partnership: Fourth Man in the Fire Pizzeria collaborates with local breweries, using their spent grain to make pizza dough. This creates a flavorful crust with additional fiber while using a byproduct that would otherwise be discarded.
Coffee grounds as fertilizer: Several pizzerias with in-house gardens collect used coffee grounds from their espresso machines to use as nutrient-rich fertilizer for growing herbs and vegetables.
Closing the Loop with Composting
Comprehensive composting programs are becoming more common:
General Assembly Pizza implemented a full-cycle composting program where all food scraps and compostable packaging are collected and processed into compost, which is then provided to the urban farms that supply their vegetables.
ZeroWaste Pizza, a new concept launched in 2023, operates on a completely closed-loop system. Their delivery bikes collect the previous order's compostable packaging while delivering new orders, ensuring materials remain in their system.
Community Impact and Education
Transparency and Customer Education
Leading sustainable pizzerias recognize that education is key to broader change:
Pizza Pronto includes a "sustainability scorecard" with each order, highlighting the environmental impact of various toppings and encouraging mindful choices.
Earth Pizza offers monthly sustainability workshops where customers can learn techniques for reducing food waste at home, composting basics, and even how to grow pizza herbs in small spaces.
Community Engagement
Sustainable practices often extend to community involvement:
The Big Slice partners with local schools for their "Garden to Pizza" program, helping students grow ingredients that are later used in pizzas served at school fundraisers.
Pizza Flora dedicates 1% of all sales to urban greening projects in Toronto neighborhoods with limited access to green spaces, planting over 500 trees since 2020.
Challenges and Future Directions
Ongoing Challenges
Despite progress, sustainable pizza operations face several challenges:
Seasonal limitations: Canada's short growing season makes year-round local sourcing difficult, though innovations like indoor vertical farming are helping address this issue.
Cost considerations: Sustainable practices often involve higher upfront costs, which can be challenging for smaller operations. However, many pizzerias report long-term savings from reduced waste and energy consumption.
Consumer expectations: Educating customers about why certain ingredients might not be available year-round or why prices may be slightly higher for sustainable options remains an ongoing challenge.
Emerging Trends
Looking ahead, several promising trends are emerging:
Carbon labeling: Some forward-thinking pizzerias are beginning to calculate and display the carbon footprint of different menu items, helping customers make environmentally informed choices.
Regenerative agriculture partnerships: Beyond simply "local," some pizzerias are now partnering specifically with farms practicing regenerative agriculture that actually improves soil health and biodiversity.
Indigenous ingredient revival: There's growing interest in incorporating traditional indigenous ingredients into pizza making, such as incorporating Three Sisters crops (corn, beans, and squash) as toppings and exploring native grains for dough.
Conclusion: The Sustainable Slice
Toronto's innovative pizzerias are demonstrating that sustainability and culinary excellence can go hand in hand. From farm partnerships to zero-waste initiatives, these businesses are reimagining what it means to make and serve pizza in environmentally responsible ways. Their efforts extend beyond mere marketing—they represent a fundamental shift in how food businesses approach their relationship with the environment and community.
For consumers, this transformation offers an opportunity to enjoy one of our favorite foods with a lighter environmental footprint. By supporting pizzerias that prioritize sustainability, Torontonians can contribute to positive change with every slice they enjoy.
As Chef Maria Rodriguez of Earth Pizza summarizes: "Making pizza sustainably isn't just about being environmentally friendly—it's about making better pizza. Fresh, local ingredients taste better. Careful attention to reducing waste forces us to be more creative and thoughtful. Our pizza isn't great despite being sustainable; it's great because of the sustainable practices that shape how we make it."
