The CEO of Sodexo on Building More-Sustainable Food Systems

Over the several weeks that Paris will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, Sodexo will prepare and serve up to 40,000 meals a day to 15,000 athletes, their fans, and organizing committee staffers at 22 venues in and around the city. Catering an event on that level is quite a challenge. But so is the one the company has set for itself around sustainability. As one of the world's largest food-services companies-managing dining options at hospitals, schools, office buildings, and much more in 45 countries around the world-Sodexo has been spearheading a push toward more-sustainable consumption, and it intends to take that ethos to the Olympics. Ingredients will be sourced from eco-friendly suppliers and, where possible, local ones. Waste will be kept to a minimum. And as part of an ongoing effort to shift eating habits away from resource-intensive choices, menus will emphasize delicious plant-based dishes. The company has become a market maker in sustainability-not just to improve the efficiency and productivity of its value chain and ensure financial success, but also for the benefit of society at large.