Our impact on the planet
One of the major contributors to our carbon footprint is the CO2 impact of our food. Our food choices can significantly affect the planet, which is why we support the transition to more plant-based options in our canteens, in line with the EAT-Lancet recommendations for a plant-friendly diet. Plant-based meals are part of our Planet Promise throughout Compass Group. We are also committed to educating our kitchen staff and inspiring guests to make new, greener choices.
We incorporate the official climate dietary guidelines in our work towards 2030, which is not an easy journey. It requires an understanding of our current eating habits and the impacts they have on society.
A partnership with our customers
We collaborate with our canteen customers to introduce more plant-rich meals. This serves purposes such as health, climate, and biodiversity. In 2023, we placed significant emphasis on how meat should be reduced in the canteen of the future.
This requires cooperation with each customer and ensuring that the dining guests in the canteens understand the importance of a healthy and more sustainable eating experience.
Meat should increasingly serve as a seasoning that supports the rest of the meal.
Our climate emission goals
Compass Group has set SBTI targets for reducing CO2 emissions by 2030. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions from scope 1 and 2 by 100% and from scope 3 by 32%.
We have tested the canteen of the future
Testing a more climate-conscious diet in two Compass Group canteens shows that it is possible to reduce climate emissions by up to 60% by following the government’s new climate dietary guidelines.
Four weeks of climate-conscious dining was the recipe for the pilot project “Canteen of the future.” During the four weeks, canteen guests were presented with a menu based on the new climate dietary guidelines.
This meant much less meat, more seasonal vegetables, and many Danish legumes. The expectation was that preparing green meals would be much more time-consuming, but the pilot project showed that once the staff learned the routines, it took the same amount of time. The focus must be on properly training the kitchen staff in routines and providing good inspiration for green, tasty dishes. Ongoing skill development is crucial.
Good communication in the transition to a greener canteen is essential – especially when embracing a more plant-based diet. In the coming years, we will work purposefully with the many insights gained from the Canteen of the Future pilot project.
Towards a greener choice
At Søndre Campus, part of the University of Copenhagen in Amager, the meat percentage of total procurement has been successfully reduced from 11.4% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2023 within just two years. Compass Group’s vegetarian concept, Wicked Rabbit, has played a significant role in this achievement for the university.