Corporate Citizenship Statement

Download the Corporate Citizenship Statement.

Corporate Citizenship
At Sodexo, corporate citizenship is about doing the right thing. It is our contribution to sustainable development which seeks to integrate economic, social and environmental factors to ensure a better quality of life for present and future generations. Doing the right thing has always been a fundamental part of our every day business practice and is reflected in our mission - to improve the quality of daily life for the people we serve.

The issues that affect our clients, customers, employees, suppliers, the environment and other stakeholders also have an impact on the success of our business. As a responsible corporate citizen, we aim to consider these issues as part of our everyday business.

Our Corporate Citizenship Forum provides leadership and direction on the development and implementation of relevant policies and activities. It is chaired by our Corporate Affairs Director. We publish an annual corporate citizenship report.

Our mission
To improve the quality of daily life for the people we serve.

Our values

• Team spirit
  We believe strong teamwork is essential to deliver our services. Working together successfully means recognising our different qualities and skills. It depends on good communication, honesty and mutual respect, with everyone pulling together to achieve clear goals.
• Service spirit
  We are proud to provide service to others. We take care in getting to know our clients and customers. We listen to their needs and pay attention to detail. We make ourselves available and responsive, welcoming and efficient. What we say is what we do - we believe we must always keep our promises.
• Spirit of progress
  Excellence in service means finding every opportunity for improvement - going the extra mile, taking the initiative, looking for better ways of doing things in our daily routine. It means learning from mistakes when they occur. In these ways we each make progress and the company as a whole succeeds.

Our ethical principles
These principles are the foundation of the way we work.

• Loyalty
  We earn the mutual trust of clients, employees, shareholders and suppliers by establishing loyal and enduring relationships. Trust is one of the foundations of our business.
• Respect for people
  We are committed to equal opportunity for all regardless of their race, origin, age, gender, beliefs, religion or lifestyle choices. We seek to create a work environment based on mutual respect for all individuals, building a culture that appreciates and values the experiences and skills brought by each person to benefit our organisation.
• Transparency
  We are committed to ensuring that every employee is informed in clear, practical terms of their objectives, rights and duties, while also receiving updates about important corporate news and events. Employees are expected to be completely transparent in the information they provide. We will continue to provide all shareholders with the same accurate and clear information about our company. We will provide high-quality products and services to our clients and will always seek to create value for them. We will offer our suppliers clear, understandable contracts, with the expectation that they too will operate ethically.
• Business integrity
  We will not engage in corrupt practices and unfair competition - and we expect our partners to observe the same high standards of ethics. We condemn any and all practices not based on honesty, integrity and fairness.

Disclosure
We aim to ensure that our employees, managers and directors are confident that they can raise accounting, audit and control matters of genuine concern without fear of reprisals, in the knowledge that they will be taken seriously and that the matters will be investigated appropriately and regarded as confidential.

Diversity and inclusion
We recognise and are committed a leading role in promoting equal opportunities and valuing diversity, equality and inclusion. We are working hard to ensure that people of all ages, disabled people, men, women, people from black and minority ethnic communities, people of all religious beliefs, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people all have equal access to our business and the services we provide for our customers. We want to ensure that we continue to make progress in developing our workforce so that it better reflects the diverse population we serve.

Environment
We are committed to actively identifying those elements of the business that impact on the environment and, where possible, eliminating or reducing these through the development of management practices and procedures involving systematic planning, operational control, monitoring and review.

Ethics
We are committed to operating all aspects of our business in accordance with uncompromising ethical standards. The Sodexo Ethical Principles and Sustainable Development Contract form the framework for our Code of Ethics which promotes honest and ethical conduct.

Food and safety policy
We acknowledge our responsibility to customers in respect of food safety. As such, the policies and procedures that Sodexo has established not only ensure that all relevant statutory requirements are met but also that wherever possible they are consistent with recognised best practice. At Sodexo, the commitment to high standards of food safety starts with the Chief Executive and continues through all levels of management, down to every single employee involved in our catering activities. It is everyone's responsibility to adhere to and follow the Sodexo food safety policy and procedures. The cornerstone of Sodexo's food safety management system is a documented Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system which enables the delivery of safe and nutritious food to all our customers, from 'farm to fork'.

Food safety and suppliers
Our Food Safety Supplier Code of Practice addresses the standards required for food products, the method of production used and the environment in which foods must be produced. Suppliers are required to meet these standards on a continuous basis as a condition of the supply agreement. The Code is based not only on minimum legislative requirements but also on industry guides and good manufacturing practice. It is Sodexo policy to obtain only the best quality products from the most reputable suppliers. Suppliers are audited against this Code.

Healthy eating and well-being
As a caterer, Sodexo's role is to facilitate healthy eating. By providing catering to schools, hospitals, workplaces and other institutions our food forms a significant part of many people's diet. Sodexo is committed to working with its clients and the appropriate government departments to promote a balanced diet and to help address the issues of obesity, cardioviscular disease and diabetes.

Health and safety
We are committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that (1) all employees are safeguarded fully in respect of health, safety and welfare whilst at work and all reasonable risks are minimised; (2) members of the public who enter our premises as contractors, employees, or visitors, are not exposed to any health and safety risks during the course of their business; (3) no work is carried out by the company or its contractors that is liable to expose employees, clients or members of the public to hazards to health, unless suitable and sufficient assessments of the risk are made and necessary measures to prevent or control the risk have been introduced. This applies also to the storage and transportation of articles and substances.

Supplier conduct
Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out Sodexo's desire to do business with its suppliers, contractors and partners (collectively referred to as 'suppliers') who conduct their business based on responsible ethical, social and environmental practices. Suppliers are an integral part of our supply chain and it is essential that they share our goals. We expect all of our suppliers to comply with this Code, and we will not knowingly engage with suppliers that do not. The Code is based on the U.N. Global Compact to which Sodexo is a signatory.

Sustainable procurement
We follow the philosophy used throughout the Sodexo Group in supporting the practice of developing long term relationships with suppliers and producers to enable long term growth and planning strategies based on known market demand. Sodexo recognises that it is important for the future well-being of the UK and Irish countryside that farming communities are supported and able to contribute to our supply chains. A key consideration in our supplier selection is producers who practice and support sustainability within the food and farming communities that depend upon them, regardless of geographic location.

Sodexo Foundation
We recognise our responsibility to the communities in which we operate and strive to improve the quality of daily life for people living in these communities. We believe that our community involvement should reflect our business activities as this is where our strengths and areas of expertise lie.

The Sodexo Foundation is the registered charity behind the STOP Hunger campaign. Its objectives are to educate and provide relief from financial hardship in relation to health, nutrition and well-being through the provision of grants, goods and services. STOP Hunger consists of three main components:

• Financial donations through fundraising
• Sharing of Sodexo knowledge with our charity partners
• Employee volunteering through our charity partners

The Sodexo Foundation Code of Practice applies to all STOP Hunger related activities and enables employees to consider the relevant organisational, safety and emergency requirements for their event and ensure, as far as possible, a safe and successful outcome.