The United Nations has identified 17 key challenges facing the world today. These include enormous issues like tackling climate change and poverty across the globe.

Compass’ sustainability strategy ensures that our focus is on contributing to nine of the SDGs.

Of the 17 goals designed to help deliver the 2030 vision for a more sustainable planet, we have identified eight where we believe we can make the most positive social impact. We recognise the critical importance of working in partnership, supported by SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Goal 2

Goal 2

2.1 End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food
2.4 Ensure sustainable food production and resilient agriculture

Our Contribution
Every year, we spend around £6 billion on food. Where we have surplus food, we can play a role in helping the wider community to tackle food insecurity through donation programmes. Through initiatives like Farm to Fork in the USA, and Buy Social Corporate in the UK, we promote local sourcing and positive agricultural practices.

Goal 3

Goal 3

3.4 Reduce premature mortality through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and wellbeing

Our Contribution
By pursuing our passion for wellbeing and nutrition, through projects around healthy eating and mental health such as teaching kitchens, awareness raising and mental health first-aid training, we are committed to helping and supporting our consumers and colleagues to adopt and enjoy a balanced lifestyle.

Goal 5

Goal 5

5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making

Our Contribution
Women are a driving force in our business. We aim to empower all our female colleagues, promote women-led suppliers and run many women’s development and training schemes. We are a lead supporter of WiH2020, a cross-industry initiative dedicated to increasing women’s representation in leadership positions across the hospitality, travel and leisure sectors.

Goal 8

Goal 8

8.5 Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
8.7 Take active measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and end child labour in all its forms
8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers

Our Contribution
Our people are fundamental to our great service and reputation. Around the world we are working with local communities to offer fair and safe employment and great career opportunities. We run diversity and inclusion action councils and many programmes to promote work for all. We work with our operations and suppliers to address human rights and modern slavery risks and conduct audits and provide training.

Goal 12

Goal 12

12.3 Halve per capita global food waste by 2030
12.5 Reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.6 Adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into reporting

Our Contribution
We are committed to halving food waste by 2030 and are actively reducing waste through measurement and targeted actions across all regions. Through environmental management systems at client sites, as well as education and toolkits, we encourage environmental stewardship and waste reduction through prevention, recycling and reuse. In 2019, we launched a comprehensive sustainability reporting system gathering thousands of data points across our business to measure and report on our sustainability efforts.

Goal 13

Goal 13

13.3 Improve capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation and impact reduction

Our Contribution
In 2019, we committed to setting Science Based Targets to do our part in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Through reducing food waste and increasing plantbased diets we are helping reduce our indirect (Scope 3) greenhouse gas emissions to help limit global warming and address climate change.

Goal 14

Goal 14

14.1 Prevent and reduce marine pollution
14.2 Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources

Our Contribution
We are committed to reducing single-use plastics across our business which can end up in waterways. We have taken great strides in this area, already removing millions of plastic straws, cutlery and more. We continue to promote sustainable and responsibly sourced seafood and have a growing number of restaurants certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Our policy is not to serve fish from the Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to avoid’ list.

Goal 15

Goal 15

15.1 Ensure the sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems
15.2 Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation

Our Contribution
We are working across our global supply chain to ensure we source our food and non-food products in a sustainable manner with the least possible impact on the environment. Through our membership of the Round Table on Responsible Soy and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and increasing our purchase of certified sustainable palm oil, we aim to halt deforestation and promote responsible environmental practices throughout our supply chain.

Goal 17

Goal 17

17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi stakeholder partnerships that mobilise and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the goals

Our Contribution
As a global business, we recognise the importance of working in partnership with our clients, suppliers, NGOs and other stakeholders to improve the positive contribution that we can make to help address some of the biggest issues that we face in the 21st century. In 2019, we signed a global partnership with the EAT Forum and we are working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to help promote sustainable diets and a circular economy for food.