Sustainability Magazine April 2024 | Page 21

Q . WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FROM COLLABORATION IN SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY ?

ยป From conception , the way we do business is led by our purpose ; this is why our clients choose to partner with us . We acknowledge that we can only achieve these targets in collaboration with them .

Collaboration in sustainability strategy is paramount , as exemplified by Sodexo ' s community of practice . This initiative brings together sustainability leaders from diverse organisations , promoting a safe space for collaboration , knowledgesharing and support . The benefits are : shared best practices , collective problem-solving and leveraging each other ' s experiences . This collaborative approach ensures a more robust and impactful response to sustainability challenges , driving positive change on a broader scale .
As we all know when looking at GHG emissions , we look at the different categories of Scope 1 , 2 and 3 GHG emissions as per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol , which is the international GHG accounting standard .
For us scopes 1 and 2 account for just 1 % of our GHG emissions , our indirect Scope 3 emissions are our biggest opportunity and challenge . If we look at the biggest contributors , supply chain and client sites it is clear collaboration is the key to addressing this .
We were one of the first organisations globally to have our near- and longterm science-based targets validated by the SBTi . We have been transparent about our net zero journey and progress , including the fact that just 1 % of our emissions sit in Scopes 1 and 2 and are in our direct control . Of the remaining 99 % of total emissions , 34 % sit within our supply chain .
To address this we have recently announced our net zero supply chain engagement strategy which sets out five key milestones to 2030 where we will only partner with suppliers that can demonstrate tangible progress through published reporting .
We first shared this with them in March 2023 , at our supplier conference , and we are providing considerable support and mentoring to SMEs to help them achieve their net zero milestones . We have also granted a two-year grace period on the milestones requiring SBTi validated
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