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Foster a culture of environmental responsibility within our workforce and workspaces
COMMITMENT 3
Foster a culture of environmental responsibility within our workforce and workspaces
We have 400 environmentally trained managers
If everyone were to live the same way we do in the Nordic countries, four times more resources would be needed than what the earth produces each year. Our goal is to contribute to sustainable development that meets today's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs. To achieve this, basic knowledge about the environmental challenges that exist today and what we at Sodexo can do to reduce the environmental impact of our services is required. That is why we have developed a thorough environmental training where we go through both environmental challenges and solutions. So far, about 400 managers in the Nordic countries have taken the environmental training and next year all other employees will receive it in their local languages. The main purpose of environmental training is, of course, that the knowledge should be used in everyday work. It is rewarding that we see an increased interest in environmental issues among our customers as well. Many people expect us to work actively on environmental issues and our goal is to be one step ahead for being able to help our customers achieve their goals. Consumers and employees also expect us to offer services that don´t harm them or the environment.
It is our sustainability plan "Better Tomorrow 2025" that defines where we should focus our resources and guides us in our daily work. “Better Tomorrow 2025” has been developed in accordance with the UN's Global Sustainable Development Goals. The plan consists of nine commitments, three of which are directly related to the environment:
Improve a culture of environmental responsibility with our employees and at our workplaces Use resources responsibly and offer management services that reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Be the best at sustainable resource usage, focusing on cutting our food waste in half For more than a decade, Sodexo has been the industry leader in sustainable development. We are both humble and proud when we are noticed externally to the work performed daily by our employees. Together with our stakeholders, we contribute to a more sustainable planet.
COMMITMENT 4
COMMITMENT 4
Healthy and sustainable food
We have launched a new food concept, focusing on tasty and healthy lunches, minimal food waste and environmentally-friendly packaging. With this new concept, Sodexo is putting sustainable, high-quality, healthy food in the spotlight, and making EAT its main concept in the Nordic region.
We have a wide lunch assortment, but we would like to highlight our large salad buffet and our innovative vegetarian dishes during our discussions with our clients, Britten
Viklund, Food service developer and adaption specialist at Sodexo in
Sweden says. At the heart of the EAT concept is a large salad buffet, full of tempting colors. People should be attracted by different types of vegetables, beans, lentils, home-made dressings, baked vegetables, etc. The menu structure is flexible and all food is prepared from scratch. Fruit and vegetables are full of fibre, and the most important nutrients are in or directly under the skin. This is why we clean our vegetables thoroughly while leaving the skin on. Water added to herbs, fruit and citrus has replaced juice and milk.
Fresh, home baked bread is displayed on the daily menu, and some of the EAT restaurants also offer a good start of the day for people who don´t have the time to eat breakfast at home. In the morning breakfast options can include for instance porridge and yoghurt with berries and other nutritious supplements. Sodexo is a company that carries out ambitious health and sustainability work. Of course, the EAT concept is no exception. We also work with different ways of serving and we try to implement beautifully portioned food on plate and sales by weight. This radically reduces the food waste. Some of our restaurants in Norway and Sweden are also climate labelling their menus by using a system developed by a company named Klimato. Our country based Culinary teams are planning the weekly menus with regards to the carbon footprint, aiming for as a low carbon footprint as possible. The guests, on the other hand, are able to see the amount of carbon footprint a meat, fish- or vegetarian dish generates.
Reducing food waste is one of Sodexo´s many sustainability goals, and various measures have been taken to ensure that customers don't take more than they eat. –We look forward to implementing more EAT restaurants in the Nordic region, where our sta can focus on incredible food presentations, ambitious sustainability goals and modern climate smart food, Viklund says. .
COMMITMENT 5
Promote local development, fair, inclusive and sustainable business practices
