Aramark Publishes Annual Update on Responsible Business Practices in the 2023 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report

PHILADELPHIA, January 29, 2024 /3BL/ - Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a leading global provider of food and facilities services, with operations spanning the education, healthcare, business and industry, sports, leisure, and corrections sectors, today published the 2023 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report, which provides updates on its global responsible business practices and performance. In the report, Aramark shares progress on its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments, and community building, climate, food and worker safety, responsible sourcing, and waste reduction programs, among other topics.

Introduced in 2019, Be Well. Do Well. articulates Aramark’s purpose and directly connects to the company’s mission: Because we’re rooted in service, we do great things for our people, our partners, our communities, and our planet. The platform’s interconnected people and planet goals focus Aramark’s efforts and inspire its organization, strengthening the company’s core foundation and long-term value proposition.

“Aramark is a company committed to a culture of hospitality. It’s how we support our people, our communities, and the planet,” said John Zillmer, Aramark CEO. “We have made some significant commitments in these areas, and the annual Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report provides a comprehensive view of our ongoing efforts. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and of who we are as a company, as a responsible business, as a partner, and as a neighbor.”

In July 2023, Aramark achieved a key milestone in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by securing SBTi validation of its global near-term and net-zero enterprise-wide science-based targets. Other highlights from 2023 include:

• Building local communities – supported more than one million students, families, and individuals globally. Support includes, but is not limited to, serving a meal, providing a meal, snack, toiletry, or other kit, giving a backpack or collection of school supplies, facilitating nutrition education, funding scholarships, creating educational or employment readiness opportunities, leading workshops, or demonstrations.
• Embedding circularity – launched a new five-year strategy to eliminate, or substantially reduce, reliance on single-use plastics and other disposables across its operations.
• Empowering healthy consumers – increased the percentage of vegan, vegetarian, or plant-forward[1] main dishes and sides offered in U.S. Workplace Experience Group, Collegiate Hospitality, and Healthcare+ to 39% (up 1% from 2022).
• Engaging employees – increased the percentage of U.S. managers and/or salaried employees who are female to 46% (up 3% from 2022) and who are people of color to 33% (up 2% from 2022). New membership in employee resource groups grew more than 20% from 2022.
• Sourcing ethically and inclusively – increased spend with local, small, and diverse businesses in the U.S. by 18%. This includes $157 million spent with local farms and producers, a 60% increase from 2022.

To learn more about Aramark’s responsible business practices and progress from last year, please read the 2023 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report at https://www.aramark.com/environmental-social-governance.

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 15 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet. Aramark has been recognized on FORTUNE’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies,” Fair360’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” and “Top Companies for Supplier Diversity,” Newsweek’s list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2024,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality,” and earned a score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

[1] Plant-forward is a style of cooking and eating that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains but may contain a small amount of animal protein.