Sodexo anticipates that approximately one-half of its carbon reduction target globally will be achieved through changes in its supply chain, including increasing plant-based purchases, and food waste management, among others
Sodexo, a French food services and facilities management company, recently said that its Better Tomorrow 2025 goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 34 percent globally was recognised as industry-leading by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
“Sodexo is ahead of the competition in establishing an overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent and quantifying the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate-intensive foods,” according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Sodexo anticipates that approximately one-half of its carbon reduction target globally will be achieved through changes in its supply chain, including increasing plant-based purchases, food waste management and collaboration with suppliers to improve production practices and reduce supply-related transportation. Further analysis of company emissions revealed that at least 70% of the U.S. supply carbon footprint was related to animal-based food purchases in fiscal year 2020.
“We are very proud of our company’s efforts to establish a robust, science-based target,” said Ted Monk, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sodexo North America. “We are focused on doing the difficult, but necessary, work to realise that goal by focusing on the key areas of opportunity within our organization, including advancing plant-based diets, preventing waste, sourcing responsibly, and managing energy efficiently.”
Sodexo understands that addressing diet-related emissions will be required to reach its carbon target. Building from the company’s launch of 300 plant-based recipes and the introduction of dishes featuring lower-impact Future 50 Foods, the company remains committed to creating innovative and nutritious plant-based menu items that encourage sustainable diet adoption. Some of Sodexo’s key partners include WWF, WRI (World Resources Institute) and the Humane Society of the United States.
For 15 years, the Humane Society of the United States has worked closely with Sodexo to improve the welfare of animals in its supply chain, and most recently has collaborated with Sodexo to provide culinary trainings and customized plant-based menu concepts that are planet-friendly and free of animal products.
“Our team of chefs and food service experts are excited to keep working hand-in-hand with Sodexo to bring more plant-based foods to customer’s plates,” said Josephine Morris, Food Policy Manager at the HSUS. “By providing corporate and account-level consulting, we will continue to support Sodexo’s culinary teams to expand their mastery of plant-based menu development and implementation, marketing and customer adoption. Providing more plant-based foods is a win-win-win situation: it decreases animal suffering, encourages healthier eating and takes pressure off our already over-strained planet.”
Sodexo is developing additional targets that will guide its culinary teams in finding the optimal menu balance of animal to plant ingredients and drive accountability toward meeting our overall carbon reduction goal. Training at all levels of the organization and beyond, including effective consumer engagement and consumer behavior campaigns developed with third-party partners, will be key to realising the targets. Implementing a sustainable eating strategy will require active engagement across the entire organization through a comprehensive project management and change management process.