Together towards a sustainable world Better Tomorrow Update 2022
A better tomorrow 01. Working sustainably is working together
‘ To make everyday life better for everyone in order to create a better life for all of us.’
With more than 2,200 employees, Sodexo Netherlands offers facility management, food services and technical services on a daily basis. We do this with a passion for service and craftsmanship. And with a view to the future, for both people and the planet. In this Better Tomorrow Update 2022, we show how we’re working every day towards a sustainable world. The focus is on two main topics: › Social Impact: the way our work contributes to developing the talents and skills of people and their environment. › Sustainability: the way our company creates ecological value by efficiently using natural resources and raw materials. Together with our employees, clients, suppliers and partners, we look every day at where we can make an impact today and in the future. This is how we sustainably improve the quality of life of everyone we serve.
02. It all starts with the everyday 03. Sustainable development goals 04. Facility management accelerates sustainable transitions
Social Impact 05. An inclusive work environment, a place for everyone 06. Social entrepreneurship is something you do together 07. Investing in sustainable employability 08. Stop Hunger
Sustainability 09. Responsible procurement and sustainable facts 10. A healthy and safe working environment 11. Plant-based, sustainable and delicious 12. Preventing food waste 13. Reducing energy consumption 14. The circular office 15. Our accreditations
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Working sustainably is working together Our services help improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world every day. Sustainability is woven into everything we do, from the intelligent installation of building systems to food waste prevention through the use of data and technology. Better Tomorrow 2025 is our roadmap with clear goals towards a better future for our employees, guests, clients, suppliers and their environment.
Ambition
We work on clear goals. In 2025: › our CO2 emissions will be reduced by at least 34%, in line with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement; › we will reduce food waste in our restaurants with 50%; › there will be no residual waste within our operation; › we will help with the personal development of people for whom having a job is not a matter of course. These are ambitious goals, towards which we achieve results every day. On the way to climate-neutral business operations in 2050, in line with the European Union’s mission.
Alexander Klaver
Cooperation
Everything we do and develop is sustainable. I call this sustainable by design, which is how we want to work. This requires new ways of cooperating in the chain, from suppliers to clients. It’s not always an easy task, but it is a fascinating one; it requires thinking differently and going down new paths. COVID-19 has changed the way we and our clients organise facilities management services. It has made us more aware than ever of the fragility of our health and the planet. I therefore see an enormous drive among our employees and partners to make an even greater impact in the coming years on sustainable issues such as CO2 reduction, social impact and circularity. Get inspired by this Better Tomorrow Update. We will be happy to discuss how we can take further steps together towards a sustainable working environment and a better future for us all. Alexander Klaver Director of Service Operations Sodexo Netherlands
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Our role as an employer
Our role as a service provider
Our role as a corporate citizen
It all starts with the everyday Our impact on individuals
Our impact on communities
Improve the Quality of Life of our employees safely
Ensure a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture that reflects and enriches communities we serve
80% Employee Engagement rate
100% of our employeers work in countries that have gender balance in their management populations
Our impact on the environment Foster a culture of environmental responsibility within our workforce and workspaces 100% of our employees are trained on sustainable practices
Provide and encourage our consumers to make healthy lifestyle choices
Promote local development, fair, inclusive and sustainable business practices
Source responsibly and provide management services that reduce carbon emissions
100% of consumers are offered healthy lifestyle options everyday
10 billion euro of our business value benefit SMEs
34% reduction of carbon emissions
Fight hunger and malnutrition
Drive diversity and inclusion as a catalyst for societal change
Champion sustainable resource usage
100 million people Stop Hunger beneficiaries
500,000 women in communities empowered
50% reduction in our food waste
Sodexo provides services to 100 million consumers in 56 countries every day. We do this with 412,000 employees. What others see as trivial, we see as essential. Because we know that it is precisely by focusing on the concrete, on the tangible, on the everyday that we make a real difference not only to a person’s day but, in the long run, to the lives of all and the planet. From day 1, our focus has been the everyday.
Better Tomorrow 2025
Better Tomorrow is Sodexo’s global social responsibility strategy. A roadmap with nine goals towards a sustainable 2025. The nine goals help us make good and sustainable choices every day that improve quality of life. As an employer for our employees, as a facilities management services provider for our clients and as a responsible entrepreneur for the regions and communities in which we operate. It provides a guide for our actions and makes the goals we are working towards measurable. For ourselves and the people we work with.
This is why we do it. Click on the link and watch our brand video.
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Sustainable development goals Our Better Tomorrow strategy is derived from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. These are seventeen common goals for countries, companies and organisations worldwide, which serve as a compass for making the world a better place. As a facilities management partner in 56 countries, we make a difference by putting our goals into practice. The symbols in the articles show the connection with the sustainable development goals.
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Facility management accelerates sustainable transitions The time of engaging in sustainable business practices by implementing small changes or through ad hoc projects in business operations is over. The climate targets set by the government and the business community are huge. How do you make sure that your organisation emits 50% less CO2 within ten years or that you are fully circular in 30 years’ time? This requires a systemic and cultural change.
Sustainable transition
Marloes van der Have
The reopening of offices is a good reason to accelerate sustainability and social impact. Watch the CSR webinar ‘Open Up’ here.
As a major provider of facilities management, employer and responsible entrepreneur, we have shown in recent years what our added value can be in creating an impact on sustainability and social employment.Our strength lies in the combination of developing sustainable strategies and translating them into everyday practice. We use data and smart workplace solutions for this. And together with our partners, we create ecosystems for our clients. Above all, the enthusiasm and decisiveness of our employees are important for the transition to a sustainable working environment. Whether it’s about separating waste flows, preventing food waste or offering opportunities to employees who are disadvantaged on the labour market.
Through our facilities management services, we help get and keep sustainable transitions within companies going. We do this together with the clients for whom we work, as a service provider and a strategic partner in the area of sustainability. Because only if you work towards the same goals as equal partners, innovate together and also invest, will you achieve the changes needed for a better future.
Opportunity to accelerate
The coronavirus era has made us more accustomed than ever to change. This time can also help accelerate change when it comes to sustainability. Some examples could be the circular design of offices, the introduction of plant-based food in restaurants or energy savings at the office and at home. It’s time to seize these opportunities and bring a sustainable future closer. Want to know more about how Sodexo can help your company? We will be happy to discuss it with you. Marloes van der Have Manager Corporate Social Responsibility Sodexo Netherlands
Social impact 05. An inclusive work environment, a place for everyone 06. Social entrepreneurship is something you do together 07. Investing in sustainable employability 08. Stop Hunger
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An inclusive work environment, a place for everyone
Equal opportunities
Cultural diversity
LGBTQI+
Working at and with Sodexo means feeling at home. LGBTQI or whatever letter fits you: everyone can be themselves at Sodexo. We learn to understand each other better through our Pride Network and celebrate differences during Pride Week. Working together with all the differences that exist – that’s inclusive employment for us.
Proud!
Sodexo is in the highest category in the Global Workspace Pride Benchmark 2021. Sodexo received the ‘Pride Advocate’ designation for this in 2021.
Our employees are as diverse as our clients. We employ people from more than 75 different cultural backgrounds. This diversity helps us understand our clients even better. And to be a multicultural workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.
Training
Our ‘Spirit of Inclusion’ and ‘Unconscious Bias’ training programmes make managers aware of diversity in the workplace and how to handle it.
Power of generations
From the young professional with a fresh perspective to the senior colleague with a lot of experience, together with whom we assess future opportunities. Our teams are a good mix of generations which strengthen each other by working together.
Platform
Young Sodexo offers a platform for young ambitious colleagues to share innovative ideas, develop themselves and build a network.
A job provides security and opportunities. Sodexo offers these opportunities to groups for whom a job is not a matter of course, such as people with disabilities, former prisoners and refugees. We guide them and adjust the work where necessary, so that everyone gets a chance to get the best out of themselves.
Gender balance
A good gender balance in our teams contributes to job satisfaction. It increases the quality of service and helps achieve better results.
Mentors
It is more difficult for refugee women to find suitable work. Sodexo is going to support 50 female refugees on the labour market. Sodexo mentors help these women with CVs, job interviews and a professional network. This ensures better integration, including of their families.
Figures
The percentage of women in Sodexo’s international executive committee is 30%. In the Netherlands, 57.4% of management positions are now held by women.
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Social entrepreneurship is something you do together We believe that everyone has a talent for working. With good guidance, training and modifications, much is possible. We don’t do this alone, but together with our clients who, like us, prefer to think in terms of possibilities rather than limitations.
Win-win
Like the Facilities Management Department of the UWV for whom we ensure that 25 employees from the Job Agreement can find work. Or the Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI) where ex-detainees gain work experience with us. It’s a win-win for everyone: good employees for Sodexo, a feeling of appreciation among the former prisoners and a smaller chance of recidivism. And together with TENT Partnerships for Refugees, we help holders of a residence permit with work experience placements, mentorships and training. All with the aim of making people economically self-reliant. Together, we create inclusive workplaces where talents (re)flourish.
Thinking in terms of opportunities ‘I am very much in favour of letting people who are disadvantaged on the labour market find enjoyment in their job. Sodexo is helping us make this happen in the South region. We hire the employees with supernumerary status. And Sodexo guides them in their jobs in catering, mailroom, cleaning and security. They select suitable employees together with our HR department. In doing so, we look primarily at what an employee can do. Guidance in the workplace is provided jointly by Sodexo and employees of the Facilities Management department. To this end, we have developed a special training course together with Sodexo in which we train employees to be work supervisors and managers to be coaches. For our own employees, it’s nice to have the extra colleagues; it makes things less hectic. And because they see first-hand what it’s like to have a job again after a long time, they also experience more job satisfaction. People participate in society again; that’s the most important thing! Like an employee of one of our coffee bars who enthusiastically told me that otherwise he would have been sitting at home. It is Sodexo’s drive and the fact that they always think in terms of opportunities that help us to achieve our objectives for the Job Agreement.’ Jan Achterberg Director of the Facilities Management Department of the UWV
Jan Achterberg
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Social entrepreneurship is something you do together I’m learning the language through colleagues
Ibrahim
Ibrahim and Garib, holders of a residence permit, were introduced to catering work during a trial period at Sodexo. They now have a temporary contract and work at the Johnson & Johnson location in Leiden. Ibrahim, catering employee: ‘I can gain work experience at Sodexo. I’m learning to make Dutch dishes. And I’m learning the language through conversations with colleagues. I hope to be behind the cash register soon, so that I can speak Dutch even better and make jokes. My dream is to become a chef later on, maybe in my own restaurant.’
Garib
Garib, coffee machine operator: ‘I’m responsible for cleaning and filling coffee machines in four buildings. The work is fun and my colleagues are very friendly. I often have a chat when people come get coffee. It’s nice to have a job and an income of my own again. Sitting at home isn’t good for you. One day I hope to work as a truck driver again, like I used to.’
This job provides structure Vincent Kiers works as a catering employee at the Apollo-Vredestein location in Enschede. He is autistic. He has had a permanent contract with Sodexo since the beginning of 2022. ‘My catering manager Johan always explains to me clearly what I have to do. One thing at a time, that helps. And if I don’t understand it, he just explains it again. I prefer to make mainmeal salads, they always sell well. Or I make sandwiches and bowls of quark. I was thrilled when I heard that I got a permanent contract. It feels like appreciation for my work. This job gives me structure, and the pleasant chats with colleagues provide a distraction. It’s sometimes a little daunting to create new dishes. Or to operate the fryer when it’s busy. But it gives me confidence when Johan says that I can do it and that it will be alright.’
Vincent
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Investing in sustainable employability Antoinette Sustainable employability is a broad concept. An indispensable part of this is training and development. We are happy to invest in that. After all, we are here to make our clients and colleagues excel.
Four training courses per year
On average, Sodexo employees attend four training courses per year. Development is important, as the world around us and our industry are changing at a rapid pace. Therefore, from 2022 onwards, training and development will be fixed components of the planning, progress and performance reviews with all our employees. This way both managers and employees are more aware of what results they expect from each other, and what the client expects. Moreover, we see that occupational disability decreases when we invest in training.
Online Academy
Pieter Versteeg
Sodexo offers all employees the Online Academy: an online learning environment that is available 24/7 and where employees can follow any training they want. From dealing with aggression to e-learning Spanish, the
range is extensive. Working on your skills will help you develop a broad outlook. This is great for yourself, but you also add value for clients and colleagues.
Collaboration with Erasmus University
Sodexo has a talent programme and also collaborates with the Erasmus University, among others. We help third-year students who are studying the Law & Business subject for the minor in Labour Law, Business Law or Commercial Law. They work for us for a period of time on fictitious practiceoriented questions to which we then give our feedback. This works both ways, because sometimes graduates come to work for us. In addition, I participate in the Professional Field Committee of the Law School, in which we discuss what the labour market needs, and I give lectures on labour law from time to time. By gaining and sharing knowledge, we grow as people and as an organisation. Pieter Versteeg Director of Human Resources Sodexo Netherlands
‘My team benefits from my training as well’ Antoinette Muthanthrige is Catering Manager at Sodexo at the UWV Rotterdam location. ‘I’ve been working for Sodexo since 2017 and have already completed more than 20 online training courses, including account management, leadership fundamentals and performance reviews. Sodexo encourages me to develop myself. For example, as a manager, I sometimes found it difficult to delegate or say no. I’m from Asia and this isn’t in our culture. Thanks to the training I’ve received, I’m now better able to handle this. I now know what my strengths are and where I can still grow. This makes me a better leader for my team. It doesn’t take much time either. After work, I often sit at the computer for half an hour and take a training course. That’s how I learn every day.’
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Stop Hunger Sodexo’s Stop Hunger Foundation aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. With our own foundation, we have been supporting projects and organisations worldwide that are committed to food aid for 25 years. Stop Hunger also funds local communities to become self-sufficient, facilitates education and works with NGOs on women’s empowerment. In the Netherlands, we work together with social enterprises, donate products to the Food Bank (Voedselbank) and buy products from companies that, like us, work to prevent food waste. This is how we are bringing the United Nations’ goal of eliminating hunger by 2030 a step closer.
More than a bowl of soup
A bowl of Soupalicious soup for our guests isn’t just a fresh, healthy meal. It’s also about combating food waste. A job opportunity for someone who is disadvantaged on the labour market. And the donation of an extra bowl of soup to the Food Bank. Sodexo collaborates with Soupalicious, a social enterprise that makes chilled soups from leftover vegetables. ‘When we started out in 2015, Sodexo supported us tremendously. We are therefore very pleased that this cooperation will continue. Sodexo is a company that also wants to make a social impact. With Soupalicious they offer healthy chilled soups and help the food banks that are looking for enough good food in these difficult times.’ Milco Aarts, Founder/Director of Soupalicious. This makes your soup taste just a little bit extra delicious!
700 families
What do you do with products left over because catering work and company restaurants came to a standstill during lockdown? We donated them to the Food Bank. Soups, pasta, rice, lemonade syrup and long-life milk worth about €15,000 reached over 700 families.
Delicious fair trade coffee
Our coffee concept Aspretto contains sustainably certified coffee made from SMIT&DORLAS coffee beans. From every kilo of coffee, 17 cents go to the Stop Hunger Foundation.
Some 42,000 families were pleasantly surprised with a Christmas hamper last year. #Proud of the Sodexo employees who voluntarily helped the Rotterdam Food Bank and Unilever pack the hampers.
Sustainability 09. Responsible procurement and sustainable facts 10. A healthy and safe working environment 11. Plant-based, sustainable and delicious 12. Preventing food waste 13. Reducing energy consumption 14. The circular office
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Responsible procurement Every year, we purchase products worth more than 100 million euros from our suppliers. We work together with leading players who, like us, attach great importance to quality and sustainability. The large scale of our procurement ensures competitive prices, of course, but also more efficient deliveries and therefore a smaller carbon footprint. Sophia Cheung, Head of Supply Management at Sodexo: ‘We look beyond a quality mark or certificate. Together with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), we continuously challenge ourselves and the market to work even more sustainably. If you zoom in further on a product’s production chain, you will find opportunities to use even less plastic or reduce CO2 emissions, for example. We keep supply chains as short as possible: half of our products come from the Netherlands. Since 2018, we have procured from over 1,250 smaller local organisations. The range of suppliers grows every day. The goal towards 2025 is to increase our social impact by cooperating as much as possible with local SMEs and organisations that offer opportunities to people who are disadvantaged on the labour market. Finally, we only select suppliers who share our ambition to make a positive contribution to the climate and reduce CO2 emissions. This is how we really make a difference with our services, for the environment and for people.’
Mandarins with a mission ‘Fruitful Office delivers fruit for the workplace to the offices of Sodexo clients. With our office fruit, they not only get a good price, service and tasty fruit – they also contribute to sustainability and social impact. Our fruit is mainly sourced locally and not transported by plane. And for every fruit basket delivered, we plant a fruit tree in Africa. We also offer young people with a physical disability or chronic illness the opportunity to gain work experience. Fruitful Office and Sodexo are hence investing together in the health of employees, clients and the environment.’ Jasper Albada Jelgersma, Commercial Manager Fruitful Office
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Sustainable facts
80% Cage-free eggs and no chicken from fast growing and intensively raised breeds in fresh dishes
Our milk is pasture milk
Aspretto coffee concept is sustainably certified coffee
Of our suppliers signed our Code of Conduct
Wide range of meat substitutes and plantbased dairy products
For each kilo of coffee, 17 cents go to the Stop Hunger Foundation
Cleaning agents (EU Ecolabel) with renewable plant ingredients and biodegradable
100% Dutch beef
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A healthy working environment With our facilities services, we contribute to a healthy and pleasant working environment for all employees, from offices to production companies. Be it cleaning and maintenance work, site management, reception of guests or food services, the health and well-being of employees are top priority in all our services. This way we contribute to the quality of life of employees, clients and their environment.
Mindful: eating healthy and tasty
A healthy working environment doesn’t only mean a good workplace; it also means choosing healthy food. Healthy alone is not enough, though. Above all, food and drink should be tasty. That’s what Mindful is about. With this service, organisations offer employees a wide range of surprising, conscious and tasty dishes. You know exactly which ingredients are in it and what the nutritional values are. But Mindful is more than that. Mindful is also about active living, exercise and mental health. At our Mindful locations, we share healthy recipes, information on meditation, journaling and taking time for yourself, among other things, every month.
‘I evaluate all our dishes in terms of health and sustainability and create new recipes that are in line with our principles such as less sugar and more plant-based. In our restaurants, we present healthy choices as appealingly and visibly as possible. And we organise themed weeks like the Week Without Meat. As a result, our guests are more likely to choose healthy and plant-based options.This way we let them discover that with a little creativity, healthy and tasty go hand in hand.’ Chelsea Onderwater, dietician at Sodexo
Curious? Check out www.mindful.sodexo.com.
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A safe working environment Safety first
We do our best to make sure that safe working is top of mind for everyone. One of our most powerful tools for this is the Safety Moment. Debby Vriesema, Quality Manager Netherlands at Sodexo: ‘Every meeting – including those with clients – begins with a Safety Moment, a one-minute session focusing on a safety issue. Every employee also starts work with the three Checks for Safety: do I know how to do my job, do I have the right equipment and is my environment safe? To prevent accidents, every colleague has access to an app to report unsafe situations. We use the lessons we learn from this to improve things internally and with clients. We also have our safety tested independently, resulting in our VCA** and ISO 45001 certificates for our Technical Services. This proves that we meet the latest safety standards.’
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Plant-based, sustainable and delicious A pita with pulled jackfruit. A roasted cucumber sandwich. For more and more of our guests, these are normal lunch dishes. At present, 75% of our menu is vegetarian, of which 25% is vegan.
Surprise and tempt
Consuming less animal and more vegetable proteins is badly needed to reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. As a company serving 100 million guests worldwide on a daily basis, we have a great deal of influence on this protein transition. Our culinary teams surprise and tempt people with new ingredients and recipes. For example, we launched the Future 50 together with Unilever and the World Wildlife Fund. Fifty vegetable ingredients that are tasty and have a minimal carbon footprint such as spinach, beans, and also lesser-known ingredients like fonio and seaweed. During Meatless Monday and the Week Without Meat campaign, we let guests in our locations discover that eating plant-based is eating well.
The future
At Sodexo, we continue to make tasty alternatives to the standard proteins in our dishes. This calls for new partnerships with innovative companies, but also for speeding up government regulation of new food such as insects. This is the only way to make the protein transition possible.
Sodexo chef wins prize with veggie burger
Who will make the most delicious recipe from a small, green and protein-rich plant called Azolla, a kind of water fern? Azolla is a very protein-rich product and also helps to recover phosphorus and make agricultural land usable again. Martijn van Vliet, chef at Sodexo, competed with two top chefs during the Azolla Cook-off at Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven and won! ‘It was a great honour to win against these two gastronomic stars. But the real gain was to showcase our innovative and sustainable initiatives here.’
Watch the Azolla competition here
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Plant-based, sustainable and delicious Cricket meatballs
How do you entice people to eat crickets or mealworms? ‘Let’s move on to new high-quality products instead of thinking in terms of meat substitutes.’ Marloes van der Have, Manager Corporate Social Responsibility at Sodexo
Listen to the Green Growers (Groene Groeiers) podcast about innovative protein alternatives.
Vegan and sustainable icon EDGE West
In the sustainable office building EDGE Amsterdam West, Sodexo opened a restaurant for APG and the other tenants in 2021 with a 70% plant-based offering that will grow to 90% in three years’ time. The banqueting has been 100% plant-based from the beginning. The 1970-built office building has been upgraded to a sustainable office building that meets the highest requirements in terms of sustainability, technology and health. It has a spectacular glass dome that provides a meeting place with plenty of natural light in the heart of the building. Sodexo’s coffee corner, run by deaf and hard of hearing baristas who use sign language, is also located there. Clients learn how to order a tasty, socially responsible cup of coffee using sign language.
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Preventing food waste Did you know that a third(!) of the food produced worldwide is wasted? And that this food is worth over 800 billion dollars and is responsible for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions? Impressive figures, especially against the harsh reality that millions of people go hungry every day. This must change. That’s what we think and, fortunately, more and more of our clients also think. By making better use of data, apps and collaborations with circular players, we have sustainable solutions to combat food waste. Before, in and after the kitchen.
Plan better, throw away less
The My Food Guide digital menu system helps catering teams buy more efficiently. By using data, we can see what our popular products are and make better orders. In more than 80 Sodexo restaurants, guests order their lunch via the Your Order app. Just click on what you want to eat and pick it up at the restaurant, it’s that easy. And it’s also great for the kitchen teams, who know exactly what to make, thereby drastically reducing food waste.
Knowledge is power
With our WasteWatch programme, we monitor how much food disappears into the rubbish bin using smart scales. This is how we take targeted action to reduce waste. Since the launch of the WasteWatch programme in 2020, we have prevented 45% of food waste at the locations where the programme has been launched. This represents approximately: 1,832 tonnes of food, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of 2,320 cars per year.
Give delicious food a second chance Are there some tasty sandwiches or fresh soup left over? The TooGoodToGo app gives them a second chance. For example, users of the app have already saved 1,344 meals, which corresponds to the CO2 emissions of 42 flights from Amsterdam to London.
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Reducing energy consumption Sustainable use of energy
Ingwer Bos, Manager IFM Platform at Sodexo: ‘Sustainable energy management in buildings means looking beyond the outer shell. Smart indoor solutions make the difference. Take sensors, for example. They can help significantly reduce energy consumption. For example, we often see that both the air conditioning and heating are on in buildings. Sensors can measure this and make sure that both systems are coordinated. Another example is a sensor that measures whether the filter of air handling units needs to be replaced. It takes a lot of energy to draw air in from outside if a filter is dirty. If you replace the filters promptly, you'll notice this immediately in your energy bills. And finally, there are movement sensors, which measure the occupancy on floors, for example by looking at the Wi-Fi usage. On the basis of these data, you can determine more precisely how much space is really needed.’
Safe and sustainable working from home
Pernilla Orij, Proposition Lead at Sodexo: ‘In 2020, working from home still seemed to be something temporary. We now know that it is here to stay. For employers, this raises many questions. Because how do you ensure that employees also work at home in a safe, healthy and sustainable environment? What impact does working from home have on your organisation’s CO2 emissions now that you can no longer manage this centrally? In response, Sodexo is launching a platform in 2022 that focuses on comfortable, sustainable and safe working from home. Examples of services include an occupational health and safety check (and furnishing) of the workplace, installation of smoke and CO2 detectors and Wi-Fi optimisation. But also think of measures to better insulate homes, so that employees don’t face higher energy costs now that they’re at home much more.’
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Reducing energy consumption Energy management
Miranda de Kler, Technical Services Manager for the Shell West account at Sodexo: ‘By taking good care of your premises, you can save a lot of energy. Shell is a good example. Together with Shell, we have drawn up a Corporate Social Responsibility annual plan. At Shell headquarters, for example, we replaced the lighting in the traffic zones with
LED lighting. We are also increasing the number of solar panels and investigating options for reusing water in terms of water management. We are also working on optimising the building installation with the help of the Building Management System. Shell’s head office is connected to a heat and cold storage system from the ground, which results in reduced gas and energy consumption. We’re working on sustainability every day at both Sodexo and Shell, and together we’re making progress.’
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The circular office In a circular office, there is no more waste and raw materials retain their value even after use. It’s the office as a raw material depot. With CircularOffice, Sodexo helps offices to make a circular economy a reality at each location. CircularOffice focuses on the structural reduction of waste at the office and the most circular use of waste flows as raw materials for new products. The goal: a wastefree office. We do this by working together on: › smart procurement; › waste reduction; › reuse of raw materials; › encouraging sustainable behaviour among employees. A circular office requires thinking and acting differently. As an innovative service provider, we help organisations prepare for the circular future. In 2018, UWV and Sodexo launched a first CircularOffice at the UWV office in Utrecht.
Waste collection
Yalcin Çelik is team leader of the Sodexo janitorial team at UWV Utrecht. Together with his team, he ensures that employees separate waste correctly. ‘Most employees know very well which waste goes in which bin. There are clear symbols on the bins. But new employees or employees from another location can sometimes be seen hesitating about where to put their paper waste or coffee cup. We then explain to them how it works and why we do this. That this way the office stays tidy and we reduce residual waste. And walking to the bins is also good for your brain! Actually, we always get nice reactions or compliments.’
Company waste as raw material for new products
In addition to encouraging waste separation, there is a point of sale with circular products from start-ups where employees can see how waste from their offices is given a second life. From coffee bean to croquette? And from coffee cup to toilet paper? Office waste serves as a raw material for new products. By growing oyster mushrooms on the coffee grounds, which are then used in the croquettes of the company restaurant. And by having the coffee cups recycled into toilet paper. By cooperating with creative start-ups, we make waste flows circular.
Results
53%
reduction in residual waste: from 32 kg to 15.4 kg per FTE.
Active role of raw materials coaches Circular shop and single-use plastic-free restaurant
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The circular office From waste to apple pie
Sodexo places composting machines at various locations in the Netherlands, in which organic waste is converted into compost by microbes and heat. The volume of waste decreases by 90%. Sodexo uses this machine on the Shell campus, among others. We donate the compost to the Participation Kitchen (Participatie Keuken) – an organisation that provides healthy meals to vulnerable people. Result: in 2021 we donated over a hundred kilos of compost. Among other things, the Participation Kitchen grows apples for apple pies here. Last year, we bought about 400 pies with apples grown on our own compost.
Green Business Club
After our head office moved to the Sodexo Qlubhuis in Rotterdam, we joined the Green Business Club (GBC) Rotterdam Alexander in 2021. This way we’re also working locally, with the participants of the GBC, on making Rotterdam Prins Alexander more sustainable and lively. From the GBC, a nice cooperation arose between Sodexo and GroenCollect, a Rotterdam-based innovative player in the waste market. They collect the unavoidable GFT flows, such as coffee grounds and orange peels, from our Qlubhuis on the Watermanweg and process them into new products. Our waste thus receives a second use. And as a social enterprise, they offer a workplace where people can reintegrate into the labour market. We are proud of this wonderful cooperation!
Deposits for a healthy planet
There has been a deposit on small plastic bottles since July 2021. The goal: less litter and a step closer to a circular solution for PET bottles. You can also hand in your bottles at Sodexo. We collect the bottles on a voluntary basis, as we are committed to plastic recycling together with our clients and guests. We do this at more than 40 locations. We donate the proceeds of the deposit to the World Wildlife Fund. Sodexo and the World Wildlife Fund have been partners for 10 years and are internationally committed to a healthy planet and plastic-free nature.
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DJSI
Our accreditations
For the seventeenth year in a row, Sodexo has maintained its position as one of the toprated companies in its industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). Sodexo received the highest score in several areas, including occupational health and safety, climate strategy, local impact of business activities and stakeholder engagement.
DiversityInc Hall of Fame
Sodexo was named a DiversityInc Hall of Fame company in 2021. This is the thirteenth year that Sodexo has been recognised by DiversityInc as a leader in diversity. We are #9 on the list of Top Companies for Black Executives and #2 on the list of Top Companies for Talent Acquisition of Women of Colour.
CDP
Sodexo has completed the CDP’s annual information request since 2009. In 2021, Sodexo received a score of B. Our score is above the European average and the sector average for bars, hotels and restaurants of B-, and equal to the global average. This is a recognition of our climate and CO2 reduction strategy.
Bloomberg GEI
In 2021, Sodexo was included in the Bloomberg GenderEquality Index (GEI) for the fourth consecutive year. The Index distinguishes companies that are committed to transparency in gender reporting and the promotion of women’s equality in the workplace.
EcoVadis
EcoVadis is a collaborative platform that measures and evaluates performance in the area of corporate responsibility. The assessment covers the environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Sodexo was awarded a platinum rating in 2020. This places us in the top 1% of companies.
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Sodexo
Watermanweg 30 3067 GG Rotterdam, The Netherlands +31 (0)88-496 20 00 Thanks to all partners, clients, suppliers and employees who contributed to the creation of this publication.
Composition and final editing
David van Stijn, Marloes van der Have, Patrick van IJsselmuide, Marianne Goet
Text
Marianne Goet, Astrid Bijl
Photography
Wim Burgwal / Het Beeld Atelier Janus van den Eijnden Photography Sodexo Image Library