When sustainability gets complex, collaboration creates impact 

Across sectors, organisations are being asked to prove progress on climate, nature and social impact. Targets are set. Roadmaps are written. Expectations rise. Yet the practical question remains: how do you make change real inside complex organisations and supply chains — and ensure sustainability ultimately improves the experience of the people those organisations serve? 

Too often, teams are trying to answer that alone. 

At Sodexo, we see a different path. One built on collaboration.

What the Community of Practice is

Partnered with Future Planet, the Sodexo Community of Practice is a cross-sector forum that brings together sustainability, procurement and operational leaders from the public and private sectors, including corporates, healthcare and universities. It is a structured, facilitated space where members explore shared challenges, test ideas and learn from one another's experience. 

We convene it because of where we sit — at the intersection of clients, suppliers and partners across food and facilities. That vantage point allows us to connect organisations who are often working on the same problems, but in isolation, and to ensure that sustainability is not abstract policy, but something that enhances everyday environments and experiences.

Members leave with ideas they can adapt, frameworks they can test and a clearer sense of what works in comparable organisations, approaches that strengthen sustainability outcomes while enhancing the lived experience of employees, students, patients and visitors.

Sessions are shaped by members and focus on the issues that matter most: decarbonisation, nature, supply chain transparency, sustainable food and social value, always with a lens on how these priorities translate into better workplaces, campuses and healthcare environments. 

When the Community explored sustainable eating, the conversation centred on a simple but powerful tension: how do you reduce carbon without removing choice, enjoyment and personal connection to food? Members examined practical tools such as carbon labelling, lower-impact protein swaps, seasonal sourcing and behaviour-led engagement — approaches designed to make sustainable choices attractive rather than restrictive.

In other sessions, leaders have unpacked what high-performing sustainability teams look like in practice — the governance structures, commercial literacy and cross-functional influence required to move from strategy to delivery.

Members leave with ideas they can adapt, frameworks they can test and a clearer sense of what works in comparable organisations, approaches that strengthen sustainability outcomes while enhancing the lived experience of employees, students, patients and visitors.

Collaboration is grounded in three principles: 

• Risks are aligned, shared and relevant
• Relationships are long term and built on trust
• Rewards are linked to the KPIs that matter within each organisation 

For clients, this delivers tangible value: faster learning, reduced duplication and lower risk. It strengthens the connection between sustainability ambition and operational delivery, ensuring commitments translate into measurable improvements in service quality, wellbeing and user experience.

For the wider community, it builds bridges across sectors and supply chains, encouraging shared responsibility for climate, nature and social outcomes. It moves the conversation from isolated targets to collective progress — recognising that sustainability, at its best, serves people as well as the planet. 

It also complements Sodexo’s broader sustainability commitments, including our net zero roadmap, nature-positive ambition and responsible sourcing strategy, by translating intent into coordinated action at scale

"Having a safe space to reflect and share with peers facing similar challenges has been incredibly valuable. You quickly realise you’re not alone — and that there are practical ways to move forward."

Director of Sustainability, Bunzl Catering & Hospitality

"I’ve found it encouraging to hear from organisations who are further ahead, and to take those stories back into our business to help drive action."

Director of Global Energy, Smith & Nephew

“Being part of the Community has accelerated sustainability initiatives and helped unlock collaboration across our value chain.” 

Chief Sustainability Officer, Savills Investment Management

"My experience with Sodexo’s Community of Practice has been universally fantastic"

Head of Sustainability Procurement and Supply Chain, NHS England

Moving forward

The challenges around climate and nature will continue to evolve. Expectations will grow. Complexity will not disappear.

The Community of Practice is one of the ways Sodexo supports clients through that complexity — by convening the right people, focusing on what works and turning shared insight into credible, practical progress.