Aramark, a prominent global provider of food and facilities services across various sectors such as education, healthcare, business and industry, sports, leisure, and corrections, has unveiled its annual update through the 2023 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report. This report details the company’s global responsible business practices and performance across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) domains, encompassing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments, community engagement, climate initiatives, food and worker safety, responsible sourcing, and waste reduction programs, among other key areas.
Launched in 2019, Be Well. Do Well. reflects Aramark’s mission and purpose, emphasizing the company’s commitment to service and its positive impact on people, partners, communities, and the planet. The platform sets interconnected goals for people and the planet, directing Aramark’s efforts and motivating its organization, thereby reinforcing the company’s foundational values and long-term value proposition.
John Zillmer, Aramark CEO, expressed the company’s dedication to a hospitality-centered culture, emphasizing support for people, communities, and the environment. Zillmer highlighted Aramark’s significant commitments in these areas, underscoring the comprehensive nature of the annual Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report. He expressed pride in the company’s achievements and its identity as a responsible business, partner, and neighbor.
In a notable accomplishment in July 2023, Aramark obtained SBTi validation for its global near-term and net-zero enterprise-wide science-based targets, marking a crucial milestone in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Additional highlights from 2023 include:
- Building Local Communities: Aramark supported over one million students, families, and individuals globally through various initiatives, such as providing meals, snacks, toiletries, backpacks, school supplies, nutrition education, scholarships, and employment readiness opportunities.
- Embedding Circularity: The company launched a new five-year strategy to significantly reduce or eliminate reliance on single-use plastics and other disposables across its operations.
- Empowering Healthy Consumers: Aramark increased the percentage of vegan, vegetarian, or plant-forward main dishes and sides offered in specific sectors to 39%, showcasing a 1% increase from 2022.
- Engaging Employees: The percentage of U.S. female managers and/or salaried employees rose to 46%, a 3% increase from 2022, while people of color in these roles increased by 2%. New membership in employee resource groups experienced a growth of over 20% from 2022.
- Sourcing Ethically and Inclusively: Aramark enhanced its commitment to ethical and inclusive sourcing by increasing spending with local, small, and diverse businesses in the U.S. by 18%, including a notable 60% increase in spending with local farms and producers to $157 million.
To delve deeper into Aramark’s responsible business practices and progress over the past year, the 2023 Be Well. Do Well report is available for further exploration.
