During COP21 Sodexo Shares Highlights of its Actions and Impacts that Reduce Carbon and Protect the Planet

During COP21
Sodexo Shares Highlights of its Actions and Impacts that Reduce Carbon and Protect the Planet

Issy-les-Moulineaux, December 1, 2015 - During the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services is sharing highlights of its actions and impacts that reduce environmental impacts at client sites, promote sustainable sourcing practices and optimize natural resource consumption.

For its clients and consumers, Sodexo creates, develops, provides and improves Quality of Life services that also protect the environment. These include:

•     Virtually all client locations that Sodexo manages around the world have implemented initiatives to cut organic (food) and non-organic waste. Clients and consumers participate in these efforts throughout the year. During "WasteLESS Week," Sodexo empowers consumers, clients and its employees by celebrating the benefits of wasting less food, water, energy, paper and raw materials. Another waste reduction program, enables and encourages Sodexo's teams to collect, measure and track the amount of food wasted in preproduction (such as food that is prepared and cooked but not plated) as well as identify other ways to reduce waste. Using this program Unilever's European locations cut food waste volumes by 4.8 metric tons in 2014. Almost 100% of Sodexo's managed sites in United Kingdom and Ireland are engaged in an effort to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel for Sodexo vehicles.

•     Reducing carbon emissions linked to climate change is a priority for all. Since its creation, Sodexo established a commitment to reduce its operations' environmental impact, as well as that of its supply chain. In 2015, the Group announced its target; to reduce carbon emissions 34% throughout the company's entire operations, by 2020. Sodexo's recommendations to save energy following an audit enabled Sodexo's food services operations at the Dover Campus of the United World College of South East Asia - Singapore to cut energy consumption by 30%.

Sodexo's commitments go beyond action to protect the environment and include:
             

• With 4,918 dietitians, Sodexo is the world's largest private sector employer of this profession. They empower consumers to make choices that improve their health and well-being. In collaboration with Sodexo chefs, they create customized menus that meet consumer expectations in each country in accordance with Sodexo's "10 Golden Rules of Nutrition, Health and Wellness" with a view to mitigating health risks arising from obesity and other diet-related conditions.

• Since its founding, Sodexo has worked to contribute to the economic and social development of the communities, regions and countries where it operates. By 2017, Sodexo will purchase more than $1 billion of products and services from almost 5,000 small to medium-sized businesses in 40 countries. 1,500 of these SMEs are led and managed by women. This is a tangible step that will support over 250,000 jobs during the next three years.

Sodexo's corporate responsibility efforts have been recognized for years:

• The company is once again the top rated company in its sector on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) giving the Group 11 consecutive years of recognition in sustainability, and the number one consumer services company for the second year in a row.
• Sodexo has been ranked, for the eighth consecutive year, as the best-performing company for Economic, Social and Environmental performance in the benchmark RobecoSAM 'Sustainability Yearbook 2015' as Industry Leader and Gold Class.

See highlights of Sodexo's corporate responsibility initiatives in Schools, Universities.

For more information on Sodexo's corporate responsibility, including its targets, actions and results: sodexo.com/corporate-responsibility and LinkedIn.

About Sodexo
Founded in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over nearly 50 years of experience: from foodservices, reception, maintenance and cleaning, to facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance and concierge services. Sodexo's success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 420,000 employees throughout the world.

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