Our Sustainability Projects

Action Plan for Sept 2024 - Dec 2025

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260x260 Newsletter July

A Strategic Overview: Prioritising Key Areas for Maximum Impact

Keeping in pace with progress

We believe that feeding people well extends far beyond the plate. It's about nourishing both body and soul while respecting our planet. Our 2025 strategy sets out to do just that!


We strive to constantly improve areas of our business such as sourcing responsibly, reducing our environmental footprint, and educating our clients about sustainable choices. Our new sustainability strategy is designed to accelerate our impact. We've set specific targets supported by projects to drive progress. One thing we have learnt is that accountability is key! 

It’s not just about the data

Sustainability isn’t just about numbers; it’s about a mindset that is integrated in every aspect of our business.

By engaging with departments and creating a mindset that prioritises sustainable practices through our projects and initiatives, we empower our teams to identify opportunities for improvement, challenge what is familiar, and embrace new solutions. This way of working is essential for achieving our ambitious goals while navigating the challenges of operating a catering company in London. 

We’re committed to making a positive impact, even within certain limitations that we are determined to tackle such as our electricity capacity. Our efforts include waste initiatives to reduce our overall waste, energy optimisation to help make room to transfer gas items to electrical, and sourcing more sustainably for both environmental and social reasons.

We’re taking a proactive approach, striving for continuous improvement and making the most of our resources.

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Contents


Key Targets for 2025

 

Cooking for the Planet

  • Reducing Carbon
  • Minimising Waste
  • Conserving Water 

 

Caring for People

  • Our Clients
  • Our Team
  • Our Collaborators 

 

Partnering with the Community

  •  Community 

Live Project Tracker

2025 Key Targets

 

Hubspot infographics - key targets2

Our Strategy Focus Areas

3 pillars updated 150125

 

 Cooking for the Planet

Our 'Cooking for the Planet' section focuses on initiatives aimed at reducing our environmental impact through minimising greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and water consumption. Each project within this section is directly linked to a specific goal, ensuring accountability and measurable progress.

To delve deeper into the details of a particular project, including the team involved and project objectives, simply click on the 'Download Now' button at the bottom of each section.

Reducing Carbon

#1 Project: Menu Carbon Labelling

 

Goal: Introduce menu carbon labelling to understand the environmental impact of our menu items and ensure that at least 60% of our menu is considered low carbon, with a carbon footprint of 0.9 kgCO2e or less.

 

#2 Project: Onsite Energy Reductions


Goal: 10% reduction of gas consumption per meal compared to 2024 baseline.

 

#3 Project: Solar Installation 


Goal:  Generate 25% of the new central production kitchen's annual electricity consumption through on-site solar panels.

 

#4 Project: Sustainable Cleaning Products

 

Goal:  Transition 95% of our cleaning products at our central kitchen and client sites to a new, sustainable cleaning product range.

 

#5 Project: Electric Fleet Transition


Goal: Reduce fuel usage per meal by 20% as a step towards our 2030 target of having a fully electric fleet.

#6 Project: Scope 1 + 2 Certification


Goal:  Maintain a minimum 5% annual reduction in our carbon footprint with Planet Mark and actively participate in their engagement initiatives.

 

#7 Project: Scope 3 Certification


Goal: Complete data collection and evidence for a full activity based Scope 3 calculation.

 

#8 Project: Scope 3 Reductions 


Goal:  Analyse our 2023/24 Scope 3 footprint and identify areas for improvement - collaborate with suppliers and development chefs to reduce emissions - Collaborate with development chefs and suppliers to reduce emissions in identified high impact areas. 

 

#9 Project: Birthday Trees - Just One Tree


Goal: To contribute to global reforestation efforts and raise awareness of environmental sustainability through a company-wide tree-planting initiative.

Minimising Waste

#10 Project: Food Waste


Goal:  Reduce total food waste by 20% compared to 2024 baseline.

 

#11 Project: Recycling


Goal:  Maintain and make an effort to keep recycling rates to at least 55% (excluding food waste) through effective waste segregation.

#12 Project: General Waste


Goal:  Reduce general waste by 20% per meal (monthly target: under 0.06kg).

 

#13 Project: Paper


Goal:  Significantly reduce paper consumption across our central production kitchen and finance office by implementing digital solutions.

Preserving Water 

#14 Project: Taps


Goal:  10% absolute water reduction from direct operations compared to 2024 baseline.

 Caring for People

Our "Caring for People" section highlights initiatives focused on enhancing the well-being of our employees, clients, and supply chain partners.

To delve deeper into the details of a particular project, including the team involved and project objectives, simply click on the 'Download Now' button at the bottom of each section.

Our Clients

#15 Project: Informative Nutritional Pop-Ups

 

Goal: To educate a wider audience of employees at our client sites about health and nutrition by running various food based pop ups including; Gut health, Sports nutrition, Phytonutrient diversity.

 

#16 Project: Snack and Drink Initiative

Goal: Increase client awareness of sustainable snack and beverage choices through a scoring system and targeted recommendations.

#17 Project: Increasing Variety of Plants in Menu


Goal: Increase the varirty of plants in our weekly menu to 30 different types of plants.

 

#18 Project: Monitoring salts and sugars


Goal: Ensure all menu items consistently meet or are below government guidelines for salts and sugars through regular monitoring and adjustments.

 

 

Our Team

#19 Project: Mental Health Champions


Goal: Mental health wellbeing champion established in each department.

 

#20 Project: Family Friendly Policies


Goal: Update internal family friendly policies: carer’s leave policy already launched. New policies: Paternity and IVF policy.

 

#21 Project: Financial Wellbeing


Goal: Financial wellbeing awareness – to introduce more engagement around pensions.

#22 Project: Internal Sustainability Engagement


Goal: Incorporate sustainability-related tasks into all manager performance reviews

 

#23 Project: Internal Sustainability Training


Goal: New Sustainability training course for onboarding.

 

#24 Project: Employee Commuting Data

Goal: Collect comprehensive data on employee commuting habits to calculate a more accurate carbon footprint and identify opportunities for sustainable transportation initiatives.

Our Collaborators

#25 Project: EcoVadis


Goal: 60% of main suppliers assessed by EcoVadis.



#26 Project: Local Ingredients

Goal: Continuously improve the sustainability of our ingredients by focusing on local, minority-owned, regenerative agriculture, direct trade, and social enterprise suppliers.

#27 Project: Packaging Reductions

Goal: Collaborate with suppliers to reduce packaging waste associated with our produce and ingredients, exploring sustainable alternatives.



#28 Project: SRA Recertification

Goal: To successfully recertify with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) by Q1 2025, maintaining our 3-star rating and to identify and implement key improvements, particularly within the sourcing of ingredients.

 Partnering with the Community 

Our "Partnering for the Community" section highlights our commitment to giving back to the local community around our central production kitchen in South Bermondsey. 

To delve deeper into the details of a particular project, including the team involved and project objectives, simply click on the 'Download Now' button at the bottom of each section.

Community 

#29 Project: Charity Fundraising


Goal: Raise £1000 for selected charities.

 

#30 Project: Existing Partnerships


Goal: Continue and enrich our existing partnerships with Highshore and ELBA.



#31 Project: Cooking Classes 


Goal: Host monthly cooking classes to residents of Appleby Blue retirement home.



#32 Project: Litter Picking


Goal: Organise and encourage participation in quarterly litter picking events in the vicinity of our central production kitchen.

#33 Project: Soup Kitchen - Come Eat with Us Kitchen


Goal: Reduce food waste, provide volunteer opportunities for employees, and support our community through a monthly "Come Eat with Us Kitchen" Soup Kitchen initiative at Appleby Blue.



#34 Project: Volunteering opportunities


Goal: Increase employee use of the paid volunteering day benefit to 30% of staff.

260x260 Newsletter July

Stay up-to-date with our sustainability journey.

We believe that transparency and accountability are crucial for successfully integrating sustainability into every aspect of our business. We're committed to being open about our progress, including both our successes and challenges. Sustainability is a journey, not a destination, and we recognise that the path can be unpredictable. To keep you informed, we maintain a live tracker on Monday.com, updated monthly, which provides insights into our current initiatives, targets, and achievements. We invite you to follow our journey and see how we're continuously working to improve our environmental and social performance.

 

Our Partners

Hubspot infographics - partners 2

 

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