Many contract catering companies, public sector authorities and suppliers are waking up to the buzz phrase 'corporate social responsibility' and working to make it part of their strategic business plan.

 

The trend now is to drop the word 'social' and simply call it corporate responsibility, but either way it is an attempt by the industry to look beyond the bottom line and face up to its wider obligations – to the society in which it operates and the environment in which we all have to live.

 

While this stance waves goodbye to the last vestiges of the approach characterised by 19th century mill owners, it has only made sense to do it now that attitudes in society have changed sufficiently and companies can see a business case for adopting a more enlightened outlook. Or, as importantly, they see a business penalty for not doing so.

 

As Val Carter at Aramark admits: "With us there's a real drive from the top that says it's the right thing to do and we stand by our ethics, morals and integrity.

 

"Equally, there's a business need to do it. Our clients and customers demand it and are adopting their own CR initiatives and we must make sure we dovetail with them. I would say the motivation for our policy is about 50:50."

 

Starting this month Aramark is rolling out to more than 700 contract sites and its 12,200 UK workforce an ambitious CR programme that Carter hopes will explain such issues as climate change, local sourcing and recycling and show everyone how they can get involved.

 

If things go according to plan the company's annual awards in September will include a new category – the unit that has generated the most CR points.

 

As 'points mean prizes', the members of this Star Team will then get to nominate a charity or project that Aramark UK will contribute to.

 

"Our first priority is to ensure that everyone working for Aramark is fully aware of and engaged in the overall objectives of CR. The media constantly report on the subjects that CR covers, but rarely do you find clear and easy to understand information on what this really means," says Carter.

 

To do that the contractor is this month launching a CR Training and Awareness Package that will be sent to every unit. It includes a CD presentation that guides staff through the various CR issues from obesity to sourcing, climate change and community activity. There are also posters and a newly designed brochure that advice, explanations, suggestions and ideas.

 

"Embedding behavioural change throughout Aramark is absolutely critical to our success. It's relatively easy to launch initiatives and make new 'sustainable' products available, but ensuring the whole team understands why we are doing this and consequently change their behaviour is fundamental to long-term success.

 

"To encourage the teams to take part, the training session also launches a scheme that rewards them for demonstrating changes at work, as well as in the community and at home."

 

All units have to run through the training CD and then take part in an online quiz that monitors their understanding of CR issues.

 

"Everyone has to take part in the training, but what they do after that is down to them. We've introduced a points scheme that allows all units to get credit for CR initiatives from the introduction of recycling schemes to charity work down to buying energy-efficient light bulbs for the home if they can show us the receipts.

 

"If even half of our staff take up this challenge at work and in their lifestyles then I shall be pleased. The reward points scheme will allow us to monitor the response of our staff and measure the impact of the training.

 

"Feedback from the business so far is very positive. Teams like the fact that the Aramark leadership is demonstrating that there is more to business than just profit."

 

The company has identified four main strands of its CR policy: the marketplace, the workplace, the environment and the community.

 

Much of the initial focus in the marketplace is on food sourcing. In consultation with clients Aramark has defined 'local' at three levels: National, Regional and County.

Says Carter: "Defining 'local' is also a challenge. Everyone has an opinion on the right things to buy and those to avoid. Integrity in this area is so critical and it's wrong when companies take the opportunity to use marketing spin to confuse their customers. We need to be very clear if products are UK produced or UK manufactured or processed.

 

"There is nothing wrong with being honest about it – we can't possibly buy everything we sell from the UK as the availability and range simply isn't there. However, there are clearly certain product groups which are readily available. We are looking to maximise these across the business."

 

The role of suppliers in this is not being forgotten, with Aramark upgrading its existing Supplier CR Forum so that key suppliers have quarterly meetings and the agenda is broadened beyond purely the environmental impact.

 

As with many of its new CR initiatives Aramark is building on existing efforts. So its environmental plans start on the basis that it already sends more than 300,000 litres of waste cooking oil to be converted into bio-fuel each year.

 

"Recycling, composting, and reducing packaging waste is high on all of our clients' agendas. Collaboration to find the right solution is essential to ensure the full range of options is available to our business and we're in the process of working up a matrix to help everyone understand the pros and cons of each solution."

 

The workplace aspect of CR sees Aramark concentrating on the health and wellbeing of staff and customers. But Carter says this goes beyond the provision of healthy and nutritious food.

 

"We need to measure and investigate sickness days and absence to see how we can maintain a healthy, motivated workforce. That surely makes sense for   any business."

 

To this end she is involved in a Business in The Community initiative team that aims to convince the top 250 companies on the FTSE index to report employee health and wellbeing statistics by 2011.

 

The 'community' strand of Aramark's CR policy is being built on the Star Teams concept in which staff from all parts of the business work together in their Star Team to "make a difference" to the communities where they live and work.

 

"Our Aberdeen Offshore team currently leads the way in community activity," says Carter. "They sent a group of employees to the local Northfield Community Centre to lay new flooring, paint walls and fit new cupboards in the kitchen. And another group joins the Reading Bus that tours schools in Aberdeen to read stories to children.

 

"We hope our new CR initiative will encourage other units to get as involved with their local communities."

 

As with the issue of sourcing, community work will operate on different levels. In 2007 Aramark units throughout the UK raised £50,000 in one day for Children in Need, while its continuing promotion of One Water across its business paid dividends with the installation and launch in South Africa of the first Playpump by One Water on the back of sales achieved by Aramark.

 

Carter attended the Playpump launch and said: "This was a great experience and very humbling. It's also such a simple thing to do. Include One Water in the range and we can give African children water at school to drink, to grow food and to improve sanitation. We plan to install many more pumps over the coming years and send our teams and our clients out to experience the impact it makes."

 

 

Aramark has just announced it is to continue its lead sponsorship of British Food Fortnight for a further three years. The event, which takes place from September 20th until October 5th, promotes the use of British produce.

 

CR director Val Carter says: "Success breeds success as our teams talk to each other and encourage colleagues to visit schools and colleges during the fortnight. They work with children of all ages to develop their knowledge of British food and cookery in general. This doesn't just stop at the end of the fortnight though.

 

"Many of the people involved stay in touch with the schools and support them throughout the year. A great example of this is Robert Milligan, Executive Hospitality Chef, who supports Belhus Chase School in Essex.

 

"Robert has put so much of his personal time into supporting the school that he gained the highest internal accolade this year by being given the President's Award at the annual Aramark Achievement Awards."

 

"I feel that British Food Fortnight means a great deal to Belhus Chase School," explains Robert, "and it has now become part of their school calendar. The children and the staff all get actively involved each year and there is always a real buzz around the classroom during my visits."

"The children who have been involved with food tech classes while I've been there have all been amazed at the British produce on show and also by what can be grown and bought locally.

 

"The children that have been involved with Aramark, either at the bank where I work or at our Innovation Centre, have felt a real sense of achievement."