Our corporate responsibility

Our Corporate Responsibility Framework is a key part of everyday life, with everyone taking accountability for their actions.

The UK Government aims to pursue sustainable development through an integrated approach: achieving a sustainable, innovative and productive economy and a just and healthy society, while respecting the limits of the planet's environment, resources and biodiversity.

We look to the UK Government's strategy to inform our objectives and how we should work to achieve them. We also engage with various parts of the government to demonstrate our approach in helping to shape the health of the nation.

Over the last year we have reviewed our process for identifying and prioritising corporate responsibility issues. This has led to the development of a revised Framework for managing the issues that are important to our business and our stakeholders, and is in line with guidance provided by Business in the Community and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

We have established roadmaps for key issues of concern, including meeting the climate change challenge. Embedding the Corporate Responsibility Framework is a key driver in our Management and Performance framework (MAP) and is essential in our drive to grow our business.

Our strong approach to corporate responsibility ensures that everyone within Compass Group understands their responsibilities to clients, consumers, colleagues, the community and the environment. We also work in close partnership with our clients to support their corporate responsibility strategies.

Each day we look to:

• Support and develop our employees
• Run our business to the highest ethical standards
• Ensure the good health and well-being of our consumers
• Reduce our impact on the world in which we live
• Make a positive contribution to the communities in which we live and work.

Our UK Corporate Affairs and Corporate Responsibility Director leads and co-ordinates our activities and draws on the high levels of specialist skills and expertise from within our business. These areas include nutrition, health and safety, environment, purchasing and supply chain, and people development.

Our corporate responsibility performance is rated by independent organisations that assess the extent to which we manage social, environmental and ethical matters. We are a member of the FTSE4Good Index Series. This measures the performance of companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.

As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, we are also committed to taking action to support and uphold each of the principles it describes in relation to business integrity, human rights and the environment. We report annually on compliance with these principles.

We are also a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which assesses companies' strategies on corporate governance, economic performance and impact on the environment.