Responsible Business Week 2015; Sodexo launches CR Report and stages charity day

AT THE start of Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Week, Sodexo has released its 2015 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report.

Foodservice Footprint Matt-Dawson-Magdalen1-300x200 Responsible Business Week 2015; Sodexo launches CR Report and stages charity day Foodservice News and Information Out of Home sector news  Sodexo UK & Ireland Public Service Pledge Matt Dawson Edwina Hughes Eat Cook Grow Diversity & Inclusion Council CR Index BITC Better Tomorrow Plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Report tracks Sodexo’s progress against a series of measures relating to environment, local communities, nutrition, health and wellbeing and the workplace.

 

The Report shows that Sodexo has made particularly good progress in the area of sustainable, responsible sourcing. 85% of the coffee Sodexo sells is fairly traded; with the company’s fair trade Aspretto coffee range now served at more than 200 sites. In addition, the Report shows Sodexo’s continued commitment to the Marine Stewardship Council. Sodexo is the leading foodservice supplier of MSC-certified fish in the UK, serving sustainable fish at more than 375 schools and universities, 54 hospitals, 150 defence sites and 350 company restaurants, visitor attractions and national events.

 

Through its Diversity & Inclusion Council the company’s focus on gender balance is reflected in a year on year rise in the representation of women in management positions. In 2014 women accounted for 30% of Sodexo’s senior management, beating a target of 25%.

 

The Report comes hot on the heels of the launch of Sodexo’s Public Service Pledge, its ethical manifesto for the company’s contracts and conduct, for citizens and communities. The Pledge includes a set of commitments which are designed to help Sodexo UK & Ireland contribute to a fairer and better society. These include commitments to join the Living Wage Foundation’s Service Provider Scheme and to conduct an equal pay audit of all its staff, reporting on the findings and addressing any unjustified discrepancies.

 

Sodexo’s commitment to CR has been recognised this week by BITC in its 2015 CR Index, a scorecard for businesses to help measure, manage and integrate responsible business practice. Sodexo has been awarded a rating of 93% (or 3.5 stars), up from 87 in 2014 and compared to an average of 91% for UK businesses. Sodexo has also been shortlisted for the Championing an Ageing Workforce Award category of the BITC Responsible Business Awards. Overall winners will be announced at Business in the Community’s Annual Responsible Business Gala Dinner on 7 July 2015.

 

Edwina Hughes, Sodexo UK&I’s corporate responsibility manager, commented; ‘Sodexo’s CR Report represents a lot of hard work from people right across the business. I’m delighted that we are seeing good progress in key areas such as sustainable sourcing and diversity and inclusion, and it is great to have that work recognised through BITC’s CR Index and Responsible Business Awards.

 

Charitable commitments are a cornerstone of Sodexo’s CR work and, this week, Sodexo’s employees will be taking part in a series of fundraising activities to coincide with its Stop Hunger Day on 21 April. Through the company’s global Stop Hunger initiative, Sodexo’s employees donate time, skills and money to tackle hunger, support good nutrition and promote life skills in local communities.

 

Sodexo UK&I employees will be staging a number of fundraising events, including quizzes, a bake off, 10k runs, a 12 hour table tennis marathon, treasure hunts and ‘lunchfast’. On the day, a team of volunteers from Sodexo’s defence business will be supporting homeless charity Providence Row by helping prepare a rooftop garden for its Eat, Cook, Grow programme.

 

Edwina continues; “Last year our employees raised a massive £440,000 for Stop Hunger. People volunteer and raise money all through the year, but we wanted to create a sense of collective achievement around our charitable giving this year, which Stop Hunger Day allows us to do. We’ve had a brilliant response and on the 21 April people from right across the company are getting out to fundraise for Stop Hunger.