In July 2021, Sodexo committed to start measuring and tracking the carbon footprint of the food served in the canteens they manage across the UK. They teamed up with Klimato, as the first Klimato partner in the UK, to calculate the carbon footprint of their recipes, carbon label the menus, and track emissions and sustainability metrics over time.

One of the first restaurants to roll out Klimato’s solution was the canteen at the AstraZeneca Research & Development Centre (RDC) in Macclesfield, UK. In addition to AstraZeneca’s purpose to push the boundaries of science, they are now also pushing the boundaries for climate action, by helping hungry researchers make more climate-friendly food choices for lunch. 

For restaurants, typically 80-90% of total emissions are Scope 3 emissions. This is essentially emissions attributable to the food as the ingredients make their way along the value chain to the plate. Therefore, by putting measures in place to reduce emissions from food, a restaurant or foodservice business can significantly reduce their total carbon footprint. And that’s exactly the result that has been observed in the canteen at AstraZeneca RDC!

Tangible progress

Since the launch of Klimato’s solution at AstraZeneca RDC, Sodexo has produced monthly sustainability reports to track the development and impact. Even though it can take time to see any major progress, the results of the partnership instantly proved to be very fruitful.

Tracking emissions month over month using Klimato’s reporting function becomes incredibly important, to really prove the impact and value of the measures made by a business. 

“I’m impressed by the user-friendliness of the app - it is very simple, clear and precise. Composition of new recipes is not too time-consuming, and monthly reporting is great to keep us updated on our progress.”

- Karl Griffiths, Head Chef, AstraZeneca RDC

Results

In accordance with WWF’s One Planet Plate to reach the Paris Agreement’s goals for reducing climate change, each lunch or dinner should be reduced to 0.5 kg CO2e on average, a 75% reduction from today’s average. In the UK, an average lunch/dinner serving emits roughly 1.6 kg CO2e.

From July 2021 to February 2023, AZ Macclesfield has reduced the carbon footprint (kg CO2e) per dish served by more than 51% (from 1.5 kg CO2e to 0.7 kg CO2e)! This progress just goes to show that knowledge is key, and by measuring first, you can easily find ways to reduce. 

Upwards and onwards

Considering that the average carbon footprint per meal was below the UK average prior to the collaboration, the Head Chef at RDC was on the right track before working with Klimato. However, guidance and support on how to improve recipes to further reduce the carbon footprint and implementation of monthly reports to track the progress, has made it easier to stay on track to constantly improve.

“I’ve received excellent service from Klimato, they’re always just a quick email or text away”

- Karl Griffiths, Head Chef, AstraZeneca RDC‍

Karl and his kitchen team at RDC are true climate champions, and we look forward to following their continued progress towards lowering the carbon footprint of the food served in the canteen at RDC, as well as in the rest of Sodexo’s canteens across the UK.