Sodexo ranks top in 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for 9th consecutive year

Sodexo has been recognized as best-in-class for social, environmental and economic responsibility by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) for the 9th year in a row. Sodexo has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and DJSI Europe since 2005. This year, continuing its unbroken nine-year run, Sodexo was named Global Sustainability Industry Leader for its sector.

S&P Dow Jones Indices works in partnership with RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing that tracks the performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The annual DJSI review is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, climate strategy, environmental policy/management systems, supply chain standards and labor practices.

Among the highlights of Sodexo’s corporate responsibility achievements in 2013 were its classification as a Gold Class sector leader in sustainability by RobecoSAM at the World Economic Forum 2013 in Davos; its recognition of Sodexo’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, a pillar of its human resources philosophy, by DiversityInc; and its worldwide agreement on wild-caught seafood with the Marine Stewardship Council.

“Sodexo has consistently ranked as the leader in its industry, demonstrating that the company is not resting on its accomplishments but instead dedicated to continuous improvement based on the company’s founding principles to improve quality of life and contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates,” said Manjit Jus, Sustainability Operations Manager, RobecoSAM. “Sodexo has shown that creating value for its stakeholders and communities must not come at the cost of creating business value. It has leveraged its experience in proactively managing sustainability issues and its position as a leading global service provider throughout its value chain to include its customers and suppliers.”

“Sodexo is honored to be recognized again as the leader in our industry when it comes to our social, environment and economic performance,” said Damien Verdier, Sodexo Executive Committee member for Sustainable Development.“Sodexo’s strong results in impact in local communities, healthy living and environmental policy and management are confirmation that we are improving the quality of life through the services we provide."

Some of Sodexo’s 2013 achievements in corporate responsibility include:

• Sodexo was recognized at the World Economic Forum 2013 in Davos with three awards: Sector Leader, Gold Class, and Sector Mover in the RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook, earning the highest overall score in its business sector, the only company in its sector to attain Gold Class status and was named Sector Mover, having achieved the largest improvement in its sustainability performance compared to last year. Sodexo earned the best scores in economic and social elements and was highly ranked in the environment category.
  

• Sodexo US was ranked first on the 2013 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list among close to 900 companies evaluated on objective criteria in four categories: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications and Supplier Diversity. DiversityInc awarded Sodexo first place because of the company’s on-going commitment to diversity, the engagement of our leadership and our ability to implement, measure, and assess strong internal initiatives.

• Sodexo signed a worldwide agreement with the Marine Stewardship Council for wild-caught fish with the view to promoting MSC-certified seafood across the 80 countries where Sodexo operates and maximizing awareness and collaboration with both our Clients and Consumers. MSC’s Chain of Custody Certification assures Sodexo, our clients and consumers that in every step of the chain – from the fisher, to the processor, to the distributor and the end user – MSC-certified seafood is not mixed with or substituted for non-certified seafood. In the United Kingdom, all Sodexo sites (more than 600) are MSC certified. This year Belgium achieved MSC certification for 4 sites including the European Parliament, the USA launched MSC certification in several corporate sites and Sodexo France has launched the MSC “Fish and Kids” program to educate school children on the importance on sustainable seafood.