Working with local communities and our own supply chains as well as global partners, we leverage our scale to make a positive contribution to the world.
Our Core Areas of Focus:
Sourcing Responsibly
Demand for food will rise as the world’s population grows from 7 billion to more than 9 billion by 2050, placing additional pressure on agricultural land and threatening increased deforestation, biodiversity loss, and damage to marine ecosystems from pollution and overfishing.
As the foodservice industry’s largest supplier of fresh food we are driven by the desire to sustainably deliver the best in Ireland. We want to use our buying power to be a force for good in the world and we take care to make sure our suppliers are doing the same: we expect them to act responsibly towards their workers, livestock and local communities.
The welfare of farm animals is important to us and we only buy meat reared in conditions that respect the Five Freedoms, the internationally accepted standards of care that affirm every living being’s right to humane treatment. Supply chain transparency is something we take very seriously and knowing the provenance of meat is an important aspect of our approach to animal welfare.
In Ireland, all our eggs are Quality Assured by Bord Bia and the milk is sourced from an Origin Green member and is National Dairy Council approved.
We avoid serving endangered species of fish or seafood on the ‘Fish to Avoid’ list, as defined by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and engage with our suppliers to increasingly source fish and seafood from certified sustainable fisheries.
We continue to develop our understanding of the risks to our business of modern slavery and human trafficking, and the measures available to protect our business. We require all suppliers and their supply chain to meet our human rights standards.
Enriching Communities
We use our purchasing power as a force for good by championing local suppliers and choosing to buy fairly traded products. We are also active supporters of numerous charities, giving time and money to causes that are important to us and our clients.
Subject to availability we source from Irish suppliers and promote seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables wherever possible. We are working with our chefs to understand how adapting menus in line with seasonal availability can further reduce our dependency on air and sea freight.
Project Homegrown has sustainability at its core, working with the best that nature has to offer. We believe that it’s important for Irish companies to support farmers and the Irish countryside. Our mission is to work hand in hand with farmers to source sustainable local produce and reduce our carbon footprint.
Buying fairly traded goods is about paying a fair price to enable farmers and their workers in developing countries to combat poverty and enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods. We continue to engage with our core suppliers of tea, coffee, sugar, cocoa and bananas to buy from fairly traded sources.
Our work with charities, schools and community groups goes above and beyond financial donations. We aim to give back by getting involved in projects that benefit communities within the local area and further afield. Perhaps more important than just raising funds for a broad variety of partner charities, we’ve empowered our people to lend their expertise and time to making a difference in our local communities.
In 2015, Compass Group Ireland partnered with the Temple Street Foundation to introduce practical cookery lessons into the W82GO programme, promoting the numerous health, wellbeing and economic benefits of cooking at home and as a family. The programme has gone from strength to strength, and five years on, we are still bringing the joy of cooking to families of the programme. It has seen 493 children and parents engage in cooking lessons to date, with over 100 more fresh faces expected to take part in 2020. This success comes as a result of over 396 hours of dedicated volunteering work from 6 of our talented Chefs, who tailor each and every engaging session to fit the needs of the families and participants involved.
Collaborating for Big Change
We recognise the importance of engaging with our key stakeholders to drive positive change, which include our suppliers, partners, clients, customers and colleagues.
In 2017, Compass Ireland became a verified member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green Sustainability Programme, emphasising its commitment to sustainability in the Irish food service sector.
We have committed to a comprehensive development plan that sets out clear targets in key area such as environmental impact, responsible sourcing, health and wellbeing and social sustainability. We continue to monitor our progress and report on all target areas on an annual basis.
We positively engage with suppliers on sustainability to reduce supply and reputational risks across our supply chain and encourage joint action for mutual benefit. We collaborate to find more sustainable products and to stimulate innovation.
We also conduct audits on our direct suppliers to ensure that they meet our standards for health and safety, labour, environmental and ethical practices.
We dedicated half of this year’s annual summit to sustainability. Educating over 500 clients, colleagues and suppliers on the sustainability challenges facing the industry, and ways in which we can all begin to turn back the clock.
Our internal subject matter experts and a number of high-profile guest speakers discussed current trends related to the environment and health and wellbeing.
