Sodexo Achieves Highest Level NHS Evergreen Supplier Status
Food services and facilities management company Sodexo has achieved the highest level status on the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment maturity matrix.
The NHS Evergreen framework is a pivotal initiative aimed at promoting sustainability and ethical practices among suppliers to the NHS. It aligns suppliers with the NHS’s ambitious goal of achieving net zero by 2045, focusing on carbon reduction, social value creation, and ethical sourcing.
Achieving Level 4 status demonstrates Sodexo’s high level of commitment to sustainability, setting a benchmark for other suppliers and showcasing best practices in sustainability.
Suppliers are assessed against four maturity levels which indicate alignment with NHS sustainability priorities:
Level 1: Publicly committed to net zero carbon and engaged with sustainability.
Level 2: Comprehensive net zero targets and reporting for carbon emissions.
Level 3: 2045 Net Zero targets that are independently validated.
Level 4: 2045 Net Zero targets, independently validated, across the global organisation.
The maturity criteria are informed by leading, independent sustainability initiatives such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the modern slavery assessment tool (MSAT), as well as NHS sustainability requirements including those set out in its net zero supplier roadmap. It is a reporting tool enabling suppliers – like Sodexo – to engage with the NHS on their own sustainability journeys and to understand how to align their strategies with the NHS net zero and sustainability ambitions.
The data and information provided by Sodexo enables the NHS to understand its supply chain carbon footprint, measure progress against its targets, and tailor engagement to support its suppliers. For Sodexo Evergreen helps it to understand its alignment with NHS sustainability priorities and identify those areas in which it needs to accelerate progress.
Philip Leigh CEO Health & Care, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the NHS in its vision to deliver the world’s first net zero health service. This recognition reinforces Sodexo’s sustainability maturity.
“We would like to demonstrate and motivate other NHS suppliers that levels 1-4 are achievable, enhancing their sustainability efforts and contributing to the NHS’ overall goals.
“We know that to achieve sustainability targets organisations need to collaborate. At Sodexo we have a community of practice which has over 40 members in sustainability roles from client organisations across our business and our supply partners, the aim of the group is to share experiences to support each other tackle challenges and identify opportunities which helps them move closer to achieve their sustainability and nature goals.
“We acknowledge there is still much work to do, which is why a collective effort to reduce carbon emissions and have a positive impact is so important.”
The assessment is valid for 12 months, after which Sodexo will again use the tool to assess its status.
Sodexo’s climate targets cover scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions
Sodexo UK & Ireland was one of the first organisations to have a SBTi approved net zero target. It started its net zero journey in 2010, calculating its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, working in partnership with WWF.
In 2017 it set a baseline that covered not just its scope 1 and 2 direct operations, but all scope 3 categories across its value chain. In January this year, Sodexo UK & Ireland reported that it was ahead of schedule having achieved a 37% reduction in absolute GHG emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3, compared to its baseline year of 2017, this reduction represents the removal of approximately 400,000 tonnes of carbon (tCO2e).
Sodexo based its award-winning net zero supply chain engagement strategy on the rigour and ambition of the NHS Evergreen framework to support its own supply partners to be able to report against the framework recognising a number of its supply partners would be NHS suppliers.
Sodexo operates in 45 countries. In 2024 it was the only company in its sector included among the global leaders in the CDP Climate Change A list. It was also ranked among the 2024 ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies®’ by Ethisphere.
