Compass Group contributes to new forest at Vilhelmsborg
Some CO2 emissions cannot be avoided – not even by us. At Compass Group Denmark, this includes air travel related to client meetings and collaboration across Compass Group globally.
Our priority is always to reduce the number of flights we take. Among other initiatives, our travel policy has ensured that 50% of our vehicle fleet had been converted to electric cars by 2025, and employee bicycles have been introduced for shorter distances.
When air travel cannot be avoided, we encourage our employees to plan several meetings during the same trip, so we do not fly for a single meeting only.
For the remaining flights, we have chosen to contribute to afforestation – a contribution outside our own value chain. In 2025, a contribution of DKK 49,750 was donated to the Danish Climate Forest Fund and a project at Vilhelmsborg, where new untouched forest is being established in Denmark. Over the next 100 years, the forest is expected to absorb 199 tonnes of CO2.
The contribution does not neutralise our flight emissions, and we do not see it as compensation that offsets them.
Recently, we took the first step towards establishing a new untouched forest at Vilhelmsborg, and several of our colleagues literally got their hands dirty while planting the first trees.
For us, it has been important that the project is concrete and local. The forest will be open and accessible, allowing both employees and local residents to use it for recreational purposes in the future. One of the colleagues who got involved on the day was Thomas Vorm, Head Chef at one of our canteens:
“It was great to get out and do something completely different from our usual day-to-day work. We got our hands dirty, spent time together with colleagues and helped plant trees. I’m proud to be part of a company that supports a project like this,” he says.
“One of the things we value about the collaboration is the transparency provided by the Danish Climate Forest Fund. We can see exactly what the contribution supports, follow the project’s development over time, and it all takes place here in Denmark,” says Anne-Sofie Hattesen, Head of ESG at Compass Group Denmark.