Reducing Our Environmental Impact

We are in a strong position to contribute to this global challenge through our core services, working with our clients and suppliers to achieve our common sustainability goals.

We have committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 34% by 2025 (compared to 2017). This commitment was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in July 2019, making us the first food services company to align its objective to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Since Sodexo’s direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) represent only a small portion of our carbon footprint, we are now focusing our efforts on reducing indirect carbon emissions (Scope 3) occurring from activities with our clients and suppliers. These represent the greatest potential for improving our environmental performance.

We have identified four drivers to reduce the environmental impact of our various activities:

Fighting food waste

Since its launch, WasteWatch has helped us reduce food waste at participating sites by 50%. This represents a savings of about 2,468 tones of food with a 17,163 tones reduction in carbon emissions.
 
For us, fighting food waste is a day-to-day effort. Thanks to the WasteWatch program and its intelligent waste-measurement technology, our teams can rapidly and easily capture food waste data, and drive cultural and behavioral change to cut food waste generated in the kitchen as well as that left on our consumers’ plates.

Learn more about fighting food waste

Promoting plant-based meals options

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, raising livestock produces 14.5% of all emissions linked to climate change, nearly 7 times more than global air transportation.

Sustainable food choices are an essential driver of carbon emissions reduction. To create a new balance with sustainable protein and plant-based options on our menus, we are raising public awareness of the environmental benefits of plant-based meals. We are encouraging people to change their dietary habits by offering sustainable meals and delicious plant-based dishes.

Learn more about plant-based meal options

Building a low-carbon supply chain

Half of Sodexo’s carbon emissions come from our supply chain, primarily from commodities such as meat and dairy products, palm oil and paper, which also drive deforestation. Ensuring every dollar we spend will create a positive impact on individuals, communities and the environment is at the heart of our responsible sourcing strategy. For the natural ecosystem pillar of this roadmap, our approach is based on three key ambitions: promoting sustainable agriculture, co-developing products and services based on the principles of the circular economy and improving resource efficiency.

Learn more about responsible sourcing

Promoting innovative energy solutions by putting our energy management experience to work

We have committed to using 100% renewable electricity at all company-operated sites by 2025. This goal extends to our clients who we are also supporting with their own sustainability goals. By offering a complete energy management service, we are helping them improve their energy efficiency. It's a solution that helps them save money and offers significant returns on investment.

 

Reducing our environmental impact contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Goals:

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