Social Responsibility

Food Alliance: Sustainable products are those considered to be environmentally friendly and socially responsible, and Food Alliance certified farmers must meet strict standards in reducing the use of pesticides, conserving natural resources and wildlife habitats conservation and providing safe and fair conditions for their workers. [ more ]

Manufacturing Partners: Sodexo has been an active member of industry coalitions which encourage legislators, manufacturers and consumers to jointly develop rational, not reactionary, strategies to today's environmental needs... [ more ]

You can help in a number of ways:

• Take only the number of napkins you need per meal.
• Take only one cup for beverage purchases... [ more ]
• Sustainability

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  Trayless Dining Initiative

   

   

  As the leader in Quality of Life Services, Sodexo is committed to helping people make sustainable choices about their health, our communities, and the planet we must collaborate to protect. To that end, Sodexo works to support our local operations in more efficiently utilizing our limited natural resources and to protect them for future generations.

   

  Trayless dining is one significant initiative that helps to minimize waste as well as water and energy usage while creating a more sustainable food service operation. There are many benefits to going trayless in our dining operations, including:

   

  • Electricity, water and chemical usage are reduced because there are far fewer dishes and trays to wash. This effect alone can save thousands of gallons of water every day and generate hundreds of dollars in detergent and electricity savings.
  • Less detergents, solid waste and grease down the drain also improves our local community’s water supply. Food materials discharged to local waste water treatment plants contribute to increased levels of BOD (biological oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), TSS (total suspended solids), and O/G (oil and grease). Also, food materials discarded into the solid waste stream contribute to odor and methane generation at disposal facilities and to increased BOD and COD levels in local landfills.
  • Trayless dining substantially diminishes food waste by encouraging guests to take only the amount of food they can carry.
  • Trayless service also provides an overall positive impact on student health. It discourages overeating and requires guests to get up and walk to get more food.

• This service style also cuts back on dining overhead cost because there is no purchase or ongoing replacement cost for trays.

   

  Sodexo Campus Dining has implemented trayless dining with much success on several campuses across the country, including Colby College, Middle Georgia College, Rowan University and UMass Dartmouth. As a leader in environmental stewardship, we strongly recommend trayless dining in all locations. This practice will facilitate more sustainable operations that help to protect our valuable natural resources for the future.

Sodexo's Environmental Action Program is complex and multifaceted, offering solid information and tools to make our customers, clients, employees, and society at large aware of environmental problems and how they can help. [ more ]