Earth Day is approaching.

Earth Day is quickly approaching. Each year, on April 22nd, I take the opportunity to reflect on what companies have been achieving and progressing on, and to be inspired by the initiatives for a brighter future. Social media has become a great tool to view what companies have accomplished in our unified path to protect the environment.

This year, I was recently named Sodexo’s Group SVP Corporate & Social Responsibility, and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some personal leadership actions, my initial feedback, and my day-to-day small contribution to a more sustainable world.

Corporate Responsibility Has Been Central to My Career

As a father of four, I strongly believe that sustainability is essential to protect our future generations. We all have a role to play to limit our impact on individuals, communities, and the environment.

When I started my career in the 90’s, sustainability was certainly not at the same level of importance as it is today. Nevertheless, I always considered it as a priority and tried to guide and drive the business on a responsible path by limiting the impact of company activities on the environment.

Recently, with senior leadership roles in Europe, such as in Germany, I was particularly engaged in implementing corporate responsibility programs with strong positive impact. My efforts mainly focused on the food services area where Sodexo’s impact can be huge.

To give some recent concrete examples, in Germany, I strongly encouraged our operational teams to deploy our WasteWatch program to avoid food waste on our sites and those of our clients. Food waste has negative impacts on the planet, it increases carbon emissions, costs a lot and is a humanitarian scandal as people around the world suffer from hunger and food shortages. I also advocated for and implemented the elimination of single-use plastics as we are all aware of the negative impact of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. It started with our German HQ, where we removed all plastic water bottles and replaced them with water fountains, reusable mugs and thorough cleaning processes. We’ve had many accomplishments, but of all our accomplishments, I am particularly proud of our awareness campaign on the benefits of sustainable eating aimed at school children because it is essential to engage the future generation on this topic. I’m also delighted to say that this campaign was well-received by others, which has deepened my convictions and motivated me further to continue working towards a sustainable future.

These actions may seem simple, small, or even basic, but I am convinced that positive impact starts with small actions. These actions are attainable for many and promote a clear path to sustainability.?One small change each day implemented over time creates a better every day for all.

Driving Sustainable Progress with Our Communities around the World

Now, as Sodexo’s Group SVP Corporate & Social Responsibility, I take on the role of driving sustainable and responsible progress in all our activities. While corporate responsibility may seem like a challenge, it is imperative for every organization to make progress, and collaborative practices are essential to reduce the impact on the planet.

It is still quite early, but I want to talk about the key takeaways from the last three months in this position. First, corporate responsibility covers a wide range of topics that are complex in a global organization and multiservice company like Sodexo. And, I am convinced that if we want to engage more people on these topics, we need to simplify the way we talk about it. To do so, I count on a strong team of experts to support me, and I am thankful for them. Their experiences and knowledge have been essential in my onboarding, and together our role is to engage all our stakeholders on a sustainable and responsible journey. I’m convinced that, with our operational experience, our brilliant and diverse CSR expertise, the strong engagement of our clients and consumers, and the commitment of all our operational teams, Sodexo will have a large-scale and positive impact.

I am sure that today, and even more tomorrow, our commitment to sustainability is a solid advantage for our clients and suppliers, who can rely on our experience to help them achieve their own sustainability goals.

Simple Actions Can Make a Difference

As I have already said, I am convinced that simple actions can make a difference. As citizens of the world, we all have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment.

And I am doing my best to play my part.

For me, it starts at home by setting my home temperature at 19°C, by diversifying my diet with alternatives to meat, and by sorting my waste.

Outdoors, as much as possible, I avoid using a car and limit my consumption of plastic and purchase of products wrapped in plastic-based packaging.

We can also act when engaging with others. I am spreading the word among my loved ones, family, and friends, while trying not to be a pain in their neck.

Finally, we all, whatever our job is, can be fully committed towards sustainability and aim to have a positive impact on climate, nature, and the well-being of all in our professional environment.