The organisation, which provides a diverse range of services to large businesses and public sector clients, has been working with international experts the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to ensure that its net zero strategy is ‘thorough, impactful and transparent’.
Sodexo’s original target to reduce carbon emissions by 34% by 2025 (against a 2017 baseline) formed part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow commitment. Having already exceeded this the UK&I business, which employs in excess of 30,000 people, will now set its sights on becoming carbon neutral in its direct operations by 2025.
The next step on Sodexo UK&I’s roadmap will be to reduce carbon emissions across all three scopes by 55% by 2030. The final step is a decarbonisation of the entire business, with 90% of all carbon emissions cut across all three scopes – accounting for suppliers and client sites, not just direct operations. This long-term target – to be achieved no later than 2045 – will be submitted for review by the SBTi with validation to be confirmed and announced in early 2022.
Sean Haley, chairman of Sodexo UK and Ireland, said: “The commitments are the culmination of an extraordinary amount of work from our world-class team of sustainability experts.
“Their unswerving dedication to developing, not just a set of targets, but a detailed action plan to achieve them, gives me absolute confidence in our future ability to not just meet but to exceed our net zero goals. This will enable us to continue to support and improve the communities in which we live, work and serve.”
Sodexo’s carbon reduction plan, which will enable the organisation to achieve these goals, includes:
- The launch of a 100% hybrid and electric vehicle company car policy
- Switching to 100% reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging by 2025
- Increasing the number of plant-based meals and recipes to 33% by 2025
- Tackling food waste at all appropriate sites through our WasteWatch powered by LeanPath programme and reducing food waste by 50% by 2025.
- Working with clients to achieve net zero collaboratively