Sodexo acts for a sustainable economic recovery

To mark World Environment Day, Sodexo, World Leader in Quality of Life Services, reaffirms five key sustainability commitments to work with employees, clients and suppliers for a more resilient and green economic recovery.

As the first food services company with a carbon emission reduction objective in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels – a 34% reduction by 2025 compared to 2017, Sodexo is accelerating its actions to make a positive impact on biodiversity preservation and climate change in conjunction with “rise with Sodexo”, Sodexo’s global program to support organizations in their adaptation to the new normal.

1) Continue the deployment of Sodexo’s food waste reduction program as sites reopen

Sodexo continues its actions towards its goal to reduce food waste by 50% on active sites equipped with its data-driven food waste reduction program, WasteWatch powered by Leanpath, amidst Covid-19. As client sites reopen around the world, Sodexo will continue the deployment of the program. Prior to Covid-19, Sodexo had 1,500 sites equipped or actively engaged in the deployment process of the program. Since the launch of the program, Sodexo has been able to save the equivalent 4.8 million meals. This represents a reduction of 15,200 metric tons of carbon emissions.

2) Continue efforts to reduce single-use items and plastic waste

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a resurgence of single-use plastic for sanitary reasons. Despite this challenge, Sodexo continues to support its clients and consumers with actions to reduce single-use plastic in line with the commitments already made in 17 countries in which Sodexo operates. As part of our Covid-19 operational protocols, we have developed a detailed approach to prioritize single-use plastic alternatives such as reusable products and kitchen wares with strict cleaning processes or innovative package solutions that are more environmentally-friendly when possible and in line with local sanitary guidelines.

3) Promote Sustainable Eating and low carbon meals as part of "rise with Sodexo"

Sodexo has increased its menu mix target for plant-based meals to more than 30% globally to address the growing consumer demand for sustainable food and preference for simple, clean, local and healthy ingredients. We are working with partners such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Resources Institute to enhance our menus and enable consumers to access more sustainable and plant-based meals. For example, our global Future 50 foods, proposing plant-based meals through the use of ingredients encouraging biodiversity, is now available to 6,500 Sodexo sites in 13 countries.

4) Promote sustainable and responsible sourcing

In 2020, Sodexo is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its partnership with WWF to continuously improve our operations and sourcing practices and reduce our carbon footprint, including from the production of the food, products and services sourced by Sodexo. Key areas of collaboration include responsible sourcing regarding land commodities, seafood and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Sodexo Supply Management teams are adopting smarter supply chain practices including shorter circuits, more local products, and more seasonal offers. Sodexo is giving small companies a preferred access to our supply chain through our Partner Inclusion Program and a methodology to help small and medium enterprises meet our Sodexo standards. Globally, we spend 1.3 billion euros with small and medium enterprises and in France for example, 60% of our products are purchased directly from French producers through direct sourcing.

5) Enhanced Environmental Training Program for its employees

Sodexo has updated and launched in May a new version of its "Sodexo and the Environment" global training program to help our employees work with our clients and consumers to reduce our impact on the environment in the current context. It’s one of the many initiatives to ensure we deliver on our Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Corporate Responsibility Roadmap’s objective to have 100% of our employees trained on sustainable practices by 2025.

Sodexo’s commitment to a sustainable recovery supports the comprehensive range of essential and innovative services Sodexo developed under the previously announced "rise with Sodexo".

Reducing our impact on the environment is part of our positive impact