​5 Lessons from Entropy on Sustainability and Business Expenses

Running a restaurant means making the most out of every ingredient, finding value in parts of produce that others might overlook, and being resourceful with everything that comes through the kitchen.  

During The Expense Summit 2024, we spent some time with the team from Entropy, a sustainable restaurant in the heart of Brussels. Here’s where Chef Elliot Van de Velde and his partner Adeline Barras have embraced a zero-waste philosophy. Every leaf, root, and stalk serves a purpose.  

Now, they’re teaching us the same method for office expenses. We discovered their approach to tackling waste in their kitchen. Here’s where the exciting part comes in, we realised how similar zero-waste cooking is to paperless expense management.  

Here’s how small and medium businesses can take a page from Entropy’s playbook, finding efficiency, saving resources, and creating smoother expense management processes. 

Lesson 1: Find the value in “scraps” 

From restaurant ingredients to digital records at your company 

At Entropy, the journey to zero waste starts with ingredients that others might discard. Chef Elliot laid out how much money and time was spent on sorting through food waste.  
 
This is where the shift happened. Instead of viewing vegetable trimmings as mere waste, they see opportunities: cauliflower leaves become the base of a flavorful stock, while roots and stems get repurposed into creative garnishes.  

This zero-waste approach goes hand in hand with going paperless—reducing “waste” in the form of endless paper receipts, redundant reports, and hours spent shuffling through files. 

Just as a restaurant’s focus on using every part of an ingredient cuts down on waste, going paperless can help businesses: 

1. Cut back on clutter, 
2. Reduce errors, 
3. And streamline their expense tracking.  

By digitising records and automating processes, companies can ensure that every piece of information is used to its fullest potential without leaving a trail of paperwork.

Lesson 2: Calculate the cost of wasteful processes

Poor expense management impacts everyone 

In a busy kitchen, inefficiencies quickly pile up.  

If a chef loses track of an ingredient or a tool, it can throw off the entire flow of service. Similarly, ineffective expense management impacts everyone in the business.  

During his keynote speech at The Expense Summit, Chef Elliot recalls the chaos of team members hunting down his misplaced bank card whenever they needed to make a purchase for the kitchen. Watch the full keynote here.  

This inconvenience meant increased stress, lost time and even more wasted resources when expenses were recorded incorrectly, or receipts went missing. 

Poor expense processes create similar frustrations in the office, leading to duplicate payments, missed reimbursements, and errors that hurt both employees and bosses.  

In an interview, Adeline Barras recalls wasting money on costly duplicate payments due to receipt confusion or double reimbursement claims. 

For employees, it’s a hassle to fill out outdated spreadsheets or search for receipts to file expense reports.  

For management, inefficient expense tracking obscures visibility into spending, makes budgeting harder, and ultimately costs the business money.  

Just as a kitchen can’t operate efficiently without organised tools, a business can’t thrive without an organised, streamlined expense process. 

Lesson 3: Create processes that work 

Adeline shared a simple yet impactful example: she noticed that no customers were asking for printed receipts anymore, so she stopped restocking the till’s paper roll.  

This one decision saved countless sheets of paper and reduced waste in a tangible way. Businesses can take similar steps to rethink how they handle their expenses, starting with small but meaningful changes: 

1. Digitise receipts and expense reports

Just as Adeline stopped printing customer receipts in their restaurant, small businesses can phase out paper receipts entirely by using apps and platforms to capture digital copies instead. With tools like Mobilexpense, employees can snap photos of receipts, and everything is tracked digitally—no more scrambling to find lost paperwork. 
 
Understand more about how your business can go digital in our latest blog here. 

2. Automate where you can 

Automation in expense management is akin to prepping ingredients in advance in a kitchen—it saves time and reduces the chance of mistakes.  

Automated expense systems track and categorise purchases instantly, ensuring accurate records and reducing human error. For growing businesses, automation is invaluable, providing real-time visibility into expenses and allowing management to make more informed decisions. 

3. Use resources thoughtfully 

Just as every part of a vegetable at Entropy serves a purpose, every person in your business should be accounted for and used wisely.  

Move away from wasting employees’ precious time on piles of receipts and embrace a digital workflow that ensures every transaction is recorded. Not only does this save resources, but it also allows employees to focus on driving revenue. 

Lesson 4: Make the process scalable so that it grows with your business 

A good expense management system should grow with your company, much like Entropy’s commitment to zero waste has expanded over the years.  

At Entropy, what started as a few sustainable practices evolved into an entire philosophy that shapes every aspect of the restaurant. Now, they are thriving as a restaurant because they stay true to their values. 

Similarly, transitioning to paperless expense management is just the beginning; as your business grows, a digital, automated approach can scale alongside you, providing seamless support and insights. 

Look for tools that integrate smoothly with your existing systems, accommodate team growth, and handle multiple types of expenses.  
 
Read more about how Mobilexpense integrates with your existing tech-stack here.  

A scalable expense management system ensures that, as you expand, your processes won’t become outdated or need constant overhaul. 

Lesson 5: Build a culture of sustainability 

Transitioning to paperless expense management isn’t just about reducing waste on paper—it’s about creating a culture of resourcefulness and responsibility.  

When employees see that their company is making conscious efforts to reduce waste and streamline processes, they feel more engaged and motivated.  

Entropy’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond the kitchen, influencing everyone on the team to consider the impact of their actions.  

Whether it’s reducing paper use or finding smarter ways to manage expenses, a sustainable mindset is contagious. 

The recipe for long-term success 

Much like creating a delicious dish, the recipe for sustainable expense management includes key ingredients: resourcefulness, efficiency, and a commitment to continuous improvement.  

Adopting a paperless expense management system isn’t just a logistical change; it’s a shift in perspective that can benefit your business, your employees, and the planet. By following Entropy’s lead, small and medium businesses can create a more sustainable, efficient future—one step at a time. 
 
All sessions from The Expense Summit 2024 are available here. Visit our website to watch and learn how your organisation can stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of corporate finance.