FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Sodexo has been crowned winner of the ‘Best Waste Prevention Project’ at the 2021 Waste2Zero awards for tackling food waste through smart technology.
The awards celebrate excellence in Waste Management and Prevention, and provide the waste industry with a platform to showcase best practices and initiatives in this vital area.
Sodexo was recognised for its ongoing commitments to addressing the food waste crisis. Earlier this year the organisation pledged to cut food waste by 50 per cent by 2025 – putting it ahead of the UN’s sustainable development goal to halve food waste globally by 2030.
To meet its food waste reduction commitment, in 2019, Sodexo announced the deployment of WasteWatch powered by LeanPath, a customised, global food waste prevention programme and a foundational element of Sodexo’s ambitious waste prevention initiative to 3,000 sites worldwide. This included a rapid deployment programme within the UK & Ireland.
Since the rollout began in the UK and Ireland, it has been deployed to over 200 sites and achieved an average reduction of 42 per cent, equating to the saving of 538,285 meals, a weight of 293,008kg and 2041 tonnes CO2e.
An elite panel of judges were not only impressed by Sodexo’s food waste reduction but also its waste management processes, particularly its food waste management guide, which explains the food hierarchy for employees to ensure they focus on the reduction of food waste through several initiatives.
The award also recognised the importance Sodexo places on employee engagement concerning tackling food waste. The organisation has leveraged its relationship with WRAP as a Courtauld 2030 signatory, which has supported the company in developing its messaging and educational tools.
In March 2021, Sodexo was named WRAP’s strategic partner for its Food Waste Action week and held a webinar in conjunction with WWF and WRAP for employees. Sodexo will work with WRAP again as one of the donors for Food Waste Action week 2022.
“However, we are aware that much more is needed to make a long-term and sustainable change. That’s why, today and every day, we continue to play a critical role in helping to transform the food system and in supporting our clients with their own carbon reduction targets, with food waste being one aspect of this.”
Sodexo has long been committed to cutting food waste as part of its Better Tomorrow 2025 global strategy. A commitment that was reaffirmed in its Social Impact Pledge 2021 earlier this year.
In October this year, Sodexo UK&I laid out its roadmap to be net zero by 2045, across scopes 1,2 and 3; targeting food waste as a key driver in achieving this.
Recruiting for soft FM services is proving more difficult in the post-Covid workplace. So, what can FMs do to overcome this?
Sara Bean, Editor of FMJ, and Jess Pritchard, Head of Corporate Sector at Moneypenny are joined by panellists:
- Mark Whittaker, General Manager, Thomson FM & Chair of IWFM
- Ian Wright, Soft Services Manager, University College London
- David Bauld, Group Facilities Manager, Paradigm Housing
- Nicola Lathbury, Managing Director, Hexagon FM
Together they will discuss the current skills shortage in a number of FM areas, ways to keep staff engaged in their job through brilliant culture, and how outsourcing could be a solution to the recruitment issue. Secure your place now for Thursday, 25th November at 11am.
To register click here.
