Aramark Announces New 2025 Sustainability Plan

PHILADELPHIA, December 10, 2019 /3BL Media/ — Today, Aramark, the leading U.S.-based provider of food, facilities and uniform services, announced a new 2025 sustainability plan, Be Well. Do Well., focused on positively impacting people and the planet. 

Be Well. Do Well. is built around several key priorities.

• People priorities: to engage employees, empower healthy consumers, support local communities, and source ethically and inclusively.
• Planet priorities: to source responsibly, operate efficiently, and to effectively manage food waste, packaging, emissions and other activities that could adversely impact the environment and planet.

“Aramark strives to do our part with respect to environmental, economic, social and ethical considerations,” said Kathy Cacciola, Aramark’s Vice President, Enterprise Sustainability. “Be Well. Do Well. focuses our efforts to help people and our planet, as we serve our client partners, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders.”

Aramark’s people priority is to facilitate access to opportunities that will improve the well-being of the Company’s employees, consumers, communities and people in its supply chain. Building on current work, Aramark continues to help people develop careers and livelihoods; access, choose and prepare healthy food; and grow communities, businesses and local economies.

“As a top-scorer of the Disability Equality Index (DEI), Aramark has committed to learning and improving inclusion efforts, ultimately driving a culture of inclusion that extends beyond the U.S. to their global operations, impacting thousands of people across the world,” said Jill Houghton, President & CEO, Disability:IN and publisher of DEI. “We proudly congratulate Aramark for advancing a welcoming workplace culture for people with disabilities.”

With respect to the environment, Aramark is focused on several initiatives, including climate change. The Company is working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by offering more vegan and vegetarian meals, sourcing responsibly, operating more efficiently, minimizing food waste, and reducing packaging.

“It is great to see Aramark putting equal emphasis on people and planet,” said Meghan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). “We applaud them for working to reduce GHG emissions, with efforts that range from plant-based menu options to vehicle fleet efficiencies, and for recent announcements, like their support of Swipe Out Hunger and addressing food insecurity on campuses.”

The Company’s efforts, to date, have already shown significant progress. Be Well. Do Well. reaches further in accelerating a positive impact on people and planet over the next five years.

Engage Employees: Aramark’s management and operational leadership teams currently include approximately 56 percent women, and 57 percent of the workforce is racially/ethnically diverse.

Empower Healthy Consumers: Aramark has effected a 15 percent average reduction in calories, saturated fat and sodium across its menus served in workplaces, hospital cafes and college and university dining halls, where 30 percent of menu offerings are now vegan or vegetarian.

Support Local Communities: Since the inception of Aramark Building Community in 2008, Aramark volunteers impacted more than five million adults and children in underserved communities, helping to improve community health and the employment success of youth, adults and families.

Source Ethically and Inclusively: Aramark works with over 6,000 small and diverse suppliers to supply goods and services to support clients. About 18 percent of those are formally certified as diverse suppliers, and we seek to continue our focus on supporting diversity among our ecosystem of supplier partners.

Source Responsibly: Building upon work surrounding animal welfare and sustainable seafood, Aramark has also made a commitment to implement a No-Deforestation Policy. The Company is acting on commitments to purchase broiler chickens, eggs and pork from partners who embrace humane practices.

Operate Efficiently: Aramark is executing on initiatives that aim to materially improve fuel efficiency over the next three years.

Minimize Food Waste: Aramark has eliminated more than 15 million pounds of waste since 2015, contributing to the Company’s overall goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.

Reduce Packaging: The Company has reduced its purchase of plastic straws and stirrers by 20 percent over the last year, with a goal to reduce purchase of these items by 60 percent by the end of 2020.

For more information on Aramark’s Be Well. Do Well., visit the Company’s new online resource, www.aramark.com/sustainability, or join the conversation on social media, #AramarkBeWellDoWell. To download the Be Well. Do Well. Media Toolkit, click here.

About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world. Our 280,000 team members deliver innovative experiences and services in food, facilities management and uniforms to millions of people every day. We strive to create a better world by making a positive impact on people and the planet, including commitments to engage our employees; empower healthy consumers; build local communities; source ethically, inclusively and responsibly; operate efficiently; and reduce waste. Aramark is recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Human Rights Campaign (LGBTQ), DiversityInc, Black Enterprise and the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.