At Sodexo, our core values are funded commitments that we carefully track, report and aim to reach in support of corporate diversity.

Our Commitments

Embedding Responsibility into Our Sourcing

We incorporate corporate responsibility into our sourcing strategies for every product category we purchase. Our balanced approach assesses environmental, social and economic impacts as we set our goals, select products and services, and engage with suppliers.  

We're working with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to develop a sustainable sourcing strategy for the following priority commodities: fruits and vegetables, palm oil, soy, beef and dairy. These five categories are most important for our business and have the highest environmental impact. 

We also have a clearly defined criteria for sustainable seafood in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, based on guidance from expert organizations, including Monterey Bay Aquarium, NOAA, Seafood Choices Alliance and Greenpeace, among others. Our plan is reviewed and revised annually. Sodexo is committed to sourcing 100% sustainable seafood by 2025 globally.  

We are the first in our industry to adopt a company-wide animal welfare policy – read about the status of our commitments.  All our suppliers are signatory to our Animal Welfare Charter and work to continuously improve the welfare of animals in our supply chain.

Buying Local, Seasonal and Sustainable

Consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from, how it was produced, and importantly, that their choices can support sustainable and local food systems. We take pride in increasing the availability of fresh products, reducing our environmental impact and contributing to the livelihood of our clients' communities. Our supply experts target local and seasonal produce, and work with local farmers and producers near our client sites.

Our customers benefit from our policy of contractually requiring our produce vendor partners to source local and seasonal foods whenever possible. In 2017, this practice resulted in our purchasing more than 30 million pounds of local produce in the U.S. We support more than 2,000 farmers and farmer co-ops, contracting with more than 75 regional fresh produce distributors. We also monitor their performance and track the percentage of local foods purchased.  

Sodexo engages third party organizations, such as the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council and Business for Social Responsibility, to ensure we continue to execute leading practices in sustainable and responsible sourcing.

Building a Low-Carbon Supply Chain

Half of Sodexo’s carbon emissions come from our supply chain, primarily from commodities such as meat and dairy products, palm oil and paper, which also drive deforestation. Ensuring every dollar we spend will create a positive impact on individuals, communities and the environment is at the heart of our responsible sourcing strategy. For the natural ecosystem pillar of this roadmap, our approach is based on three key ambitions: promoting sustainable agriculture, co-developing products and services based on the principles of the circular economy and improving resource efficiency. 

Empowering Diverse Suppliers

 

How We Define “Small and Diverse” Suppliers

51% or greater ownership by a U.S. citizen (and Puerto Rico) or Permanent Resident who identifies in these classifications: African American, Asian-Indian American, Asian-Pacific American, Disabled, Hispanic American, LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender), Native American, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, Veteran-Owned, or Woman-Owned.

How We Support Diverse Businesses

Supporting diverse businesses is everyone’s responsibility at Sodexo. Our Supplier Diversity Team works with our supply managers to source diverse products and services for use throughout our supply chain. And regional account managers assist operations in optimizing procurement and opportunities for local, small and diverse businesses, as well as providing a dedicated call center. 

We have committed to nurturing an inclusive supply chain around the world, through our Better Tomorrow Plan. We actively recruit diverse businesses, educate employees about our contracting goals and provide a database for registered and certified diverse and small businesses. 

In addition, every year we track metrics defined by regional steering committees. To support our local communities, we’re committed to dedicating 25% of our spend to small and medium-sized businesses by 2025, with a focus on local and diverse suppliers. 

How We Find Diverse Suppliers

We want to work with you! We are actively seeking small and diverse businesses to innovate and deliver the best to our clients. We have dedicated resources and staff to help you register and certify so that Sodexo employees can easily find and work with you.

Register With Us

 

How We Partner: Our Joint Diverse Ventures

Sodexo is a 49% partner of two joint ventures with certified minority-owned businesses that continue to promote and grow business. SodexoMAGIC was formed in 2006 through a joint venture between Magic Food Provisions, LLC, which is owned by NBA all-star, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Sodexo, Inc. NANA Management Services (NMS) joint venture, a Native American-owned corporation based in Alaska.

 

Holding Ourselves Accountable

We hold ourselves accountable to behave responsibly in the way each of us does business with our clients, partners and suppliers.

Therefore, we put in place policies and codes to frame our practices and expected behaviors around key issues such as respect for human rights, animal welfare and sourcing policies.

To learn more, we invite you to consult the following documents: