Sodexo employs around 30,000 people in the UK and Ireland, and we partner with clients in a range of sectors: business and industry; schools and universities; sports and leisure; energy and resources; government and agencies; healthcare; justice and defence.
For us, growth and social commitment go hand in hand. Our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone, so we focus on tangible actions that will have a positive economic, social and environmental impact over time.
We began our decarbonisation journey in 2010, when we collaborated with WWF to understand our carbon footprint. Now, we’re targeting a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2030. We’ll reach net zero once we’ve achieved our long-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2045, with all remaining emissions neutralised.
Getting there will need commitment at all levels of our business, along with the support of our clients and partners. We focused on embedding a net zero culture to accelerate delivery, so here’s our tips for other companies that are looking to ramp up their decarbonisation activity:
1. Ensure good governance and accountability
Getting buy in and advocacy from senior leaders is critical. This includes building understanding of key terms – net zero, decarbonisation, carbon equivalent, etc – so that everyone is clear about the impact of working towards our targets.
To provide added confidence, we had our targets reviewed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). They’ve validated our near and long-term emissions reduction targets, making Sodexo one of the first food service companies to achieve this.
We use all kinds of mechanisms to hold ourselves accountable and communicate our progress transparently. Preventing food waste is a key enabler to our net zero commitment, for example, so we’re using a technology called “WasteWatch” to measure and improve performance at many of our sites. We’ve also aligned individuals’ bonuses and even our own credit financing to sustainability targets, making it clear that everyone has a part to play.
2. Keep communication simple
Sodexo enjoys a diverse workforce and client base, so we keep our internal and external communications broadly the same, focusing on simple, consistent messages and graphics. We also create different types of content for all available channels, like jargon busters, bite-size videos, and tips on making small changes that add up.
Simple communication matters for partners and stakeholders too, and we don’t assume that we’re all on the same page. So, we send ‘pre-reads’ before presentations so we can focus more of our time on agreeing the action we can take towards shared goals.
3. Align with talent acquisition and engagement activity
Attracting and retaining talent is key to reaching our goals, and this means putting sustainability front and centre in recruitment and ongoing engagement. Our Social Value ambassadors and regional sponsors help bust myths, enable our people, and encourage involvement.
We reinforce the action that’s needed wherever we can, including at ‘town hall’ meetings and in our online content. We use external content in training playlists too, helping to bring the issues to life in different ways.
We understand that people are feeling the pressure. That’s why we focus on the small, everyday changes that individuals can make and celebrate those contributions whenever we can.