Sodexo Pledges 40% Business Spend with SMEs

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15 February 2021

Sodexo has publicly stated its commitment to spending 40 per cent of its business’ spend with SME and VCSE suppliers – above the government’s own target of £1 in every £3.

The company has also made other CSR pledges that form an “ethical manifesto”. This includes gifting up to 25 per cent of its apprentice levy to SME suppliers, enabling them to create 100 new apprenticeships and cutting food waste by 50 per cent across all its sites by 2030.

Social Impact Pledge for CSR

This launch represents the fourth iteration of Sodexo’s Social Impact Pledge. First published in 2015, the business has faithfully reported on its progress against the pledges each year, demonstrating with evidence and examples the positive impact it is creating. This year, the pledges are focused on four social impact pathways: our People, our Planet, our Places, and our Partners.

In December 2020 Sodexo published its 2019-20 Social Impact Report outlining progress made on its commitments, these included:

• Exceeding its target on recruiting ex-offenders into the business, with 67 new recruits.  
• Five years ahead of schedule, achieving its pledge on supporting SMEs with 44% of total spend going to SME suppliers.
• Surpassing its projection for creating new apprenticeship opportunities by over 250, with more than 1,100 apprentices on plan.

 Sean Haley, Sodexo Regional Chair, UK & Ireland said: “It has never been more important than it is right now to operate with purpose and responsibility. Last year, despite the unprecedented circumstances, we fulfilled our commitments laid out in our 2019 ethical manifesto, meeting and even exceeding the ambitious targets we had set ourselves. 

 “You are, however, only as good as your last performance, so our challenge now is to continue to do even better. COVID-19 has touched every aspect of our work and personal lives, so this year our pledges reflect the impact the pandemic has had, and directly contributes to improving the communities we work within.”

Picture: a photograph of two Sodexo employees wearing hard hats and face masks. Image credit: Sodexo

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 15 February 2021

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