Caring for our planet

Our Environmental Ambitions & Goals

Environmental management is an imperative aspect of gategroup's overall ESG strategy. We understand that our business has a significant environmental footprint, and we have a responsibility to do our part to minimize it. That is why we established environmental ambitions and targets for Water, Waste, and Energy management and we are committed to putting in place relevant actionable measures.

Our global Environmental Policy defines a group-wide commitment to environmental protection and management of natural resources.  

Water

From the farmlands we rely on for high-quality produce to the kitchens where we prepare meals and sanitize cookware, water plays a vital role. We recognize that protecting this vital natural resource is not only important from a humanitarian perspective but also critical for our business operations.

By focusing on water conservation, we are actively working to develop strategies to reduce the volume of wastewater we generate and identify opportunities to reuse water. We have started a program to monitor wastewater at our production units and have examples of actions at various locations such as reusing rinse water, collecting rainwater and water from dishwash waste, and reusing water from cooling towers.  

Taking steps to cut water usage across our locations in water-stressed areas is one of our environmental ambitions. We are committed to implementing water-saving technologies and practices, as well as raising awareness among our employees and suppliers about the importance of water conservation. 

Waste

At gategroup, we understand the significant impact that waste has on the environment. That is why we are taking a serious approach to reimagining our waste management processes.

Waste not only increases pollution but also accelerates the pace of climate change and contributes to the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. As such, we recognize the importance of implementing zero-waste initiatives and minimizing our waste production to help protect the planet. 

A good example of some of our actions on this topic is the waste management system in place at our Zurich unit:

Our ambition is to achieve zero food waste solution across our production operations (i.e. our kitchens), while in parallel setting up the necessary processes to reduce our total waste to landfill and incineration by 50% by 2040. This is something that cannot be achieved overnight, but we are confident that we will find solutions (ourselves and in collaboration with our customers and partners) to achieve this. For example, we have implemented a waste management plan in Brazil that collects an average of 28,000 kg of recyclables each month, including cardboard, tetra pack, plastic, aluminum, metal, glass, wood, used cooking oil, used engine oil, batteries, and electronics. 

Energy, Climate Change & GHG Emissions

gategroup recognizes that, as a provider of CO2-intensive services, the company has a responsibility to participate in the transition to sustainable energy sourcing and use. Over the past years, we have begun testing alternative drive technologies for our delivery vehicles. Our Nordics units, for example, have committed to and begun a transition towards 100% biodiesel-powered high-loaders. Various units have been implementing local energy-efficiency initiatives to reduce their energy consumption, be it through upgrades to infrastructure or implementing behavioral changes. Solar panel installations at some of our units help reduce gategroup’s reliance on non-renewable energy sources and make financial sense as well.

These efforts are being given strategic focus as part of the ESG Framework 2025, and we are focusing on processes and infrastructure with highest energy consumption and potential for improvement, as well as broader opportunities for self-generation of energy.