As QUASEP integrates environmental issues into different areas of the company, we sat down with Aramark’s sustainability director Michael Yarymowich to share his experience and reflect on the process. Using his expertise, he answers the question: how can QUASEP help foodservice operators incorporate environmental responsibility into their operations?
How do you define environmental responsibility?
For us, environmental responsibility is about minimizing any negative impact on both natural ecosystems as well as community.
Fighting climate change has quickly become a key priority of ours, and we are actively on a path towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Part of our strategy is to seek out partnerships with other organizations that are prioritizing this path for their own development.
But there’s more to it than just the natural environment. Even though “Environmental” and “Social” are two different pillars of ESG, our approach is based on the idea that the two are not mutually exclusive! We want to ensure that the people who are involved in the creation of the products we buy, whether they are employees or people in the communities where the products are being sourced, are not impacted negatively by the business processes of our supplier partners. And then of course, we ourselves have a responsibility to do the same within our operations at Aramark.
Who are the best partners to collaborate with?
That is a great question, and it depends on the product. When and where possible we try and source locally – that is, from within the respective province - and within Canada. In these cases, we take into consideration certain criteria such as animal welfare, reduced single use plastics and/or minimized plastics in the packaging, and a reduced carbon footprint in the supply chain and production to name a few.
If it's a product where the ingredients are sourced internationally, and in particular from economically sensitive parts of the world such as the Global South where some of our favourite commodities like coffee or cocoa are grown, our focus may shift towards priorities like human rights or equitable trade, and environmental considerations such as deforestation. Third-party certifications like Fairtrade International and Rainforest Alliance help keep us on track and simplify the communication of our goals to stakeholders.
What is the impact on employees?
Now more than ever it’s important for employees to feel they're working for a company that they believe are doing good things and we have seen how this can have a direct impact on a company’s ability to attract employees. The generation of employees just entering the workforce now are especially interested in being part of an enterprise that lists environmental stewardship amongst their priorities. Aramark has been noted by MediaCorp Canada as one of “Canada’s Greenest Employers” several times over the past 10 years – people looking for the next step in their careers see this in job postings or on LinkedIn or wherever, and it helps them make a decision on whether or not to apply for that role. It also helps to retain people when they are given an opportunity to get involved themselves - for instance, someone working in our procurement team has the opportunity to create new partnerships with suppliers that are producing ingredients in a responsible way.
How can environmental responsibility be incorporated into a foodservice operation?
To start with, every company should try to look for ways to reduce their emissions and lower their carbon footprint. For us, the best way to do that is to be very careful about which products to purchase. In our business, the vast majority of our emissions are associated with our supply chain, or what we would refer to as our Scope 3 emissions. We have tasked our vendor partners to find less carbon intensive ways of bringing their products to market and we will continue to prioritize the suppliers that have successfully done that.
We also share our knowledge and experience by providing tips for clients on how too can make an impact through their purchases, as well as in other related areas such as the way they prepare food or manage their facilities in areas such as cleaning and laundry. Depending on the type and scope of our operation, we can provide a lot of helpful ideas and insights. Waste management is a very big focus for us right now and we're sharing a lot of useful information with the accounts we support on how they can reduce the amount of waste that’s not currently being diverted, whether it's recycling or compost.
Of course we also try to lead by example where we can. We prioritize reusables and avoid single-use products as much as possible in our office spaces and managed service locations We’ve also implemented a framework for reducing the footprint of our actual office space. For example, our headquarters in Philadelphia is certified by WELL; this is a certification that seeks to create healthier environments for people to work in, both in terms of their health and the environment.
Can you talk about some of the challenges to environmental responsibility?
Many things can happen within the supply chain. One of the most common is in the distribution of products since we require such a large volume. For example, our suppliers may make commitments towards more responsibly produced products, however it can be a challenge to produce enough at the scale that we need, or sometimes there may be challenges in transporting some items to a remote part of the country.
How do you address this challenge?
Often we’re limited by the realities of supply and demand. We do our best to ensure we maintain the demand we have committed to with our suppliers, and we work with our clients to ensure that there is enough flexibility that allow us to live up to these commitments when demand drops. Conversely we understand that suppliers may need additional time to ramp up production to the level we will require.
If a supplier informs us they can't meet our targets we may have a secondary solution with another supplier. Our business leverages supply chain contracts and our dedication towards any particular initiative can depend on a supplier’s willingness or ability to meet our requirements. Increasingly, our contracts with suppliers will include language around responsible sourcing.
Sometimes we need to go a bit further outside of the box to find solutions – for example, we have a partnership with an organization called Bioenterprise that gives us a sneak-peak into local and sustainable product innovations in the Canadian market, as well as an opportunity to work with them directly on overcoming any barriers to making their product market-ready.
How can environmental responsibility be incorporated into an operator’s marketing?
This has been an exciting undertaking for Aramark and something we are very proud of. We have a development team that work on a lower carbon footprint recipe and menu development. This initiative has helped us to create and share pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through strategic food purchasing while staying on trend.
In the near future we will be rolling out our plan to become a net-zero organization by 2050 under the framework of the “Science Based Target Initiative.” In this initiative, we share a series of shorter-term targets such as reducing food waste and promoting plant forward dining options into our operations; our quantifiable targets will be made available on our website once it’s finalized. We are also launching global reporting that will provide updates on our progress.
What tools can you offer foodservice operators?
We make resources available that can really help raise awareness and hopefully encourage more people to make better purchasing choices. Our Responsible Sourcing Guide is an example of that. The info found in that Guide serves as a vehicle to share sustainability advancements made by some of our vendors who may not have much consumer visibility, and therefore lack the opportunity to tell their story. It also helps people trying to understand the difference between all the third-party certifications for sustainability – using our knowledge and experience in navigating that space, we’ve provided a glossary to clarify claims suppliers make with respect to environmental responsibility and ultimately simplify the procurement decisions our partners need to make every day.
Highlight: Increasingly, the contracts we write with our supplier partners includes language around responsible sourcing.