Achieving our sustainability goals through close partnerships

Sodexo’s global sustainability plan, “Better Tomorrow 2025”, developed in line with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, includes nine specific and measurable commitments. This plan led to Sodexo being awarded the prestigious “Global Sustainability Award 2022” by Dow Jones in the “Restaurants & Leisure Facilities” category for the 17th consecutive year. We received this award for our sustained efforts to integrate sustainable solutions into our service offerings at all levels.

We’re determined to be at the forefront of our industry. That’s why we have chosen to integrate sustainability into everything we do.

Sodexo’s responsibility and the integration of CR into our operations strengthens the commitment of our employees and cooperation with our clients, promotes the environment and society, and helps to improve profitability.

This year’s CR Yearbook for Sodexo Sweden contains information and tales from the last financial year and details what we are doing to drive positive and long-term sustainable development together with our clients, employees and suppliers.

I would like to emphasise a selection of activities here:

• We had the honour of giving a lecture on our integrated sustainability work in food service during Stockholm+50, which was organised by the UN. 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first UN Conference on the Human Environment, which was held right here in Stockholm. The ambition of Stockholm+50 was to help accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future and bring the international community together through enhanced cooperation and action.

In our sustainability work, we are working towards factors such as:

• Increasing diversity, fair working conditions and inclusion

• More sustainable meal options

• More services to facilitate a safe and flexible working life

• Reduced food waste

• Reduced carbon footprint

• Phasing out single-use plastics

• Increased cooperation with local suppliers

• Support for vulnerable people

We are humbled by the challenges we face, but we are also proud of the successes we have achieved on many different levels. Our strength is that we work in close partnership with our customers and suppliers, striving together to achieve our goals in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Stop hunger is Sodexo’s unique philanthropic foundation, established in 1999. Today it is a global, non-profit network with a presence in 54 countries, working locally and sustainably for a hunger-free world. In 2022, our support went to the Swedish City Missions and their efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in Sweden. We raised over SEK 60,000 through a nationwide fundraising campaign which could help more than a thousand people.

• We welcome trends and innovations in sustainable development. We collaborate with a number of new and innovative companies through our successful Sparx Nordic accelerator programme, focusing on the environment and sustainability.

• We have continued to compile reports based on Novus labour market surveys throughout the year. Based on the conclusions reached in the reports, we have been able to lead and guide our customers and other stakeholders with valuable insights, as well as useful tips and advice on the new hybrid way of working.