Our Planet Promise is Compass Group’s global commitment to a sustainable future for all.
It encompasses our values as an ethical, sustainable and inclusive business; the commitments we make to our people, our clients and our suppliers; and our mission to have a positive impact on the world through sourcing responsibly, enriching lives and collaborating for global change.
Climate Net Zero
The international food industry has a major role to play in reaching Net Zero and we are committed to playing our part in driving the transition to a healthy and sustainable global food system.
That’s why we have announced a commitment to reach Climate Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our global operations and value chain by 2050.
Our Global Net Zero strategy has been developed in partnership with international climate consultancy South Pole and includes ambitious carbon emissions reduction targets over the next decade to 2030 which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Our Global Commitments
- 46% reduction in our absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030, from a 2019 base year; in line with an ambition to limit future warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
- 28% reduction in our absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from all food and drink purchased by 2030, from a 2019 base year; aligned with a Well Below 2°C trajectory
- Carbon neutral worldwide in our Group operations by 2030 (Scopes 1 and 2)
- Climate Net Zero across our global value chain by 2050
Case Studies
Net Zero Villages
Compass Group Australia has developed plans to turn our owned and operated mining towns into "Net Zero Villages," serving as role models for the sector across offshore and remote regions. The plans will see us convert our communities to run entirely on renewable energy, including electrifying our vehicles and equipment, establishing a circular economy for waste and water, and redesigning our food offer to be more planet positive.
Sustainability Dashboard
Compass Group Denmark created a customised sustainability dashboard which has been implemented for 50 clients throughout 2022. It presents valuable sustainability insights such as CO2 emissions, seasonal, organic and local produce trends, as well as food waste data to clients. This data-driven technology gives us access to information on pertinent environmental criteria, helping us minimise energy, water, and waste in our kitchens and allowing us to reformulate our menus with the planet in mind.
Take a look at our interactive example.
Switching to 100% renewable energy
From January 2022, Compass Group France switched to using 100% renewable energy in their direct operations. Following an internal assessment, they discovered that 82% of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy consumption were from electricity. In response, the team prioritised switching to renewable energy, including working towards electrifying their vehicle fleet, equipping buildings with clean energy solutions, energy-efficient lighting and heating, and using carbon neutral materials. Across all 2,200 sites that we operate in France, outstanding environmental practices are consistently applied, which has helped Compass Group France to achieve net zero Scope 2 emissions within their 13 central kitchens.
A 36% reduction in emissions from animal proteins
At the beginning of 2023, Compass Group UK & Ireland published its first in-depth climate impact report, reporting a 36% reduction in emissions from animal proteins following 18 months of targeted climate action. This achievement contributed to a significant 187,084 tCO2e absolute reduction in emissions (-20.37%) reported in its food and drink emissions alone (Scope 3, Category 1) between FY19 (its baseline year) and FY22.
Additionally, in the UK and Ireland we achieved our Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) validated target of 100% renewable electricity which is an increase from 2% in FY19, supported by the introduction of an 100% electric car policy.
Read the full Climate Impact Report here.
Chief Climate & Sustainability Advisor
Professor Sir Charles Godfray FRS, a renowned environmental specialist from the University of Oxford, has joined the executive team of Compass Group UK & Ireland as its Chief Climate and Sustainability Advisor.
His expertise will shape and implement our industry industry-leading goal to achieve Climate Net Zero in the UK and Ireland by 2030.
Proprietary Food Standards Dashboard
Bon Appétit Management Company launched the second generation of its proprietary Food Standards Dashboard in early 2022. This upgrade expanded the capabilities of the sustainability reporting tool, offering our teams and clients a comprehensive view of their cafés’ sustainability performance. From the greenhouse gas emissions related to purchasing, to the breakdown of animal versus plant proteins on menus, the tool clearly highlights where action can be taken to make the greatest environmental impact, providing us with the direction to make our operations and menus healthier and more sustainable.
Scope 1, 2 and 3 explained
Scopes form the basis for mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and categorise the different kinds of GHG emissions we create in our own operations and our wider value chain.
What we can control
Scope 1 - GHG emissions emitted directly including through using fossil fuels, from gases in our refrigeration units, gas used in our owned kitchens for cooking and emissions from our vehicles.
Scope 2 - GHG emissions we are in control of making indirectly, predominantly from the electricity we buy to power our owned operations globally.
What we can influence
Scope 3 — GHG emissions for which we are indirectly responsible, but not in control of directly, both up and down our value chain, from the greenhouse gas impact of the production of all the items we buy from our suppliers to how our products are consumed and disposed of by our consumers
Greenhouse gas emissions explained
This refers to all gases including carbon dioxide, methane, and refrigerants gases, all of which has a global warming potential which is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). “Carbon emissions” is often used as an abbreviation for “Greenhouse gas emissions”.
Carbon footprint explained
We use this term in reference to our greenhouse gas inventory, which contains a list of all direct emissions coming from our own operations (e.g. use of fuel in our own vehicles, use of electricity), as well as indirect emissions generated by activities in our supply chain (e.g. agricultural emissions associated to the food we buy).
Our total emissions footprint
Compass Group's value chain
We provide food and support services to clients and consumers around the world. Our impact across the value chain is as follows:
Our plan to deliver Climate Net Zero
Given the complexity of the global food system as it is today, we don’t underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead of us. Radical new collaborations are urgently needed across the entire value chain to make our collective ambitions a reality.
As the world’s largest food services group, operating at the heart of the global food supply chain, we are in a unique position to influence real change both with the people we serve and the suppliers with whom we work.
We will use our scale and international reach to promote the benefits of sustainable consumption on a global scale, collaborating with clients, industry associations, governments and suppliers to reduce our combined GHG emissions and help set their own Net Zero and Science Based Targets, so that together we can create a more sustainable global food system for future generations.
While we will need to pull many levers to achieve Climate Net Zero, our Global Roadmap sets out the priority interventions we can action and influence, which have the potential to deliver deep reductions to our carbon footprint over the coming decades.
Whilst reformulating menus to include more plants is key to decarbonising, mixed livestock grazing can help contribute to lowering emissions in farming.
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