ESG IN ACTION CH&CO

Food made good

Bananageddon, Magic Breakfast, sustainability misconceptions and the importance of context for Net Zero. We talk to catering business CH&CO’s Head of Sustainability, Clare Clark.

April 2024

Clare Clark, CH&CO’s Head of Sustainability and 2023 winner of the Planet Mark Sustainability Game-Changer Award.

FOOD ACCOUNTS FOR approximately one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, while large amounts of food are wasted worldwide every day – from farm to fork. For everyone in the business of buying, selling or serving food, ESG is an intricate endeavour.

Equistone-backed CH&CO – specialists in event, leisure, workplace, school, hospitality and fine dining catering – understands the weight of this responsibility. With nearly a thousand sites in the UK and Ireland, CH&CO is a standard bearer in its industry, securing the top-level three-star ‘Food Made Good’ rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association. It also happens to hold a Royal Warrant.

Helping the company to uphold its responsibilities is Clare Clark, Head of Sustainability. She’s had recognition from the Mayor of London for work contributing to the reduction of food waste, and her annual sustainability report for CH&CO won a Planet Mark Award for the most transparent and effective reporting of an organisation’s sustainability progress.

“When I joined CH&CO, I came in at the tail end of the Blue Planet and Greta Thunberg effect; the pre-pandemic moment when everyone was sitting up and taking sustainability more seriously,” explains Clare Clark, CH&CO’s Head of Sustainability. “My job is an exciting opportunity to influence our food system. I’m driven by the scope and the vastness of it – from the social aspects of food within state schools, to fine dining restaurants that are setting sustainable food trends.”

My job is an exciting opportunity to influence our food system. I’m driven by the scope and the vastness of it – from the social aspects of food within state schools, to fine dining restaurants that are setting sustainable food trends.

The sheer scope aside, perhaps the most complicated hurdle is that sustainability means different things to different people. For investors, high-level strategy and certifications are a must – such as CH&CO working with CDP, a global disclosure system to manage environmental impacts and measure risk. And science-based targets – an initiative that independently verifies the company’s emission reduction targets.

For CH&CO’s portfolio of clients, sustainability looks very different, reflecting their own agendas. Reducing plastic, for example, is often seen as a pressing priority, because it’s visible, tangible evidence of good work – and what their customers want. The greatest impact, however, happens at farms. But that’s a distant concept for most. Other misconceptions are rife: road miles are often demonised, and yet our food transport systems are generally efficient. While local doesn’t always mean more sustainable. And when it comes to sustainable food, it isn’t innovative or complex – it’s actually very simple. It’s simply how our grandparents ate.

“Net Zero is incredibly important. But you have no Net Zero without protecting nature. And carbon isn’t always the best measure of food sustainability – because without biodiversity and nature, we don’t have all the processes that support life on Earth. We don’t have food. Our culture of monocropping and eating a small array of ingredients is where a lot of the nature risk lies. So, we need to support farms to support nature better. By having more diverse ingredients on our menus, crops become less vulnerable.”

Banana appeal

Bananas are the perfect example of the lack of diversity we have on our collective menus – and the danger thereof. Nearly all exported bananas are the ‘Cavendish’ variety – seedless, able to stay green for weeks in transit and (mostly) disease resistant, they’ve become our go-to. But a fungus is threatening their existence, and unlike in the 19th century, we now have few, if any, other crop options to fall back on.

With so many facets for consideration, CH&CO has honed four strategic priorities: Net Zero, reducing waste, a green supply chain and a culture of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Beyond the environment…

The ‘S’ in ESG is certainly taken seriously. Volunteer days encourage CH&CO people to give back to the community. For example, by picking surplus ‘fruit and veg’ at Kent farms for donations to soup kitchens and food banks – and Magic Breakfast, a charity that provides meals to families that can’t afford them.

While behind the scenes, Equistone’s ESG team has been a guiding light, not least from a regulatory point of view – keeping it on the front foot when it comes to best practice.

“Jessica Clavette and Equistone’s ESG team support me in growing our impact. From a risk perspective, nature conservation is hugely important. They help me gauge such topics and act as a sounding board. Our priorities are having a task force for climate-related financial disclosure, establishing an ESG committee and getting even better at data.”

Above all, ESG is a trinity that needs to be consistently balanced. It ebbs and flows – and for companies in the thick of our food system, like CH&CO, it comes laden with duty to people and the planet. As Clare Clark puts it: “We all need food to live. But that means that organisations like CH&CO have a huge responsibility to influence and drive impact.” ☐

On 22 January 2024, Equistone announced the realisation of its investment in CH&CO through the sale of the company to Compass Group UK & Ireland.

A full version of this article appeared in PLATFORM 10, Winter 2023/24