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Our strategy and targets

Force For Good Strategy

We know that being a Force for Good is not only the right thing to do, but it makes business sense too. With over 275 years of history we understand the importance of making decisions now that will have a positive impact on the future of our business, our teams, our guests and the world around us. 

Our most stretching targets


Net zero by

20 40

Eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic by

20 25

Cutting food waste
by 50% by

20 30

Creating our strategy

Each year we undertake a robust process to help shape our sustainability strategy, ensuring we focus on tackling the risks and opportunities presented at this time of great social and economic change.

In 2020 we took the opportunity to undertake learnings from our stakeholders and from wider sustainability trends to identify the programmes and issues that need our focus. We used this as the basis to reset some of our targets and to ensure they are fit for our current business.

Our strategy is called ‘Force for Good’, and is more important than ever before. The strategy is split into three pillars; opportunity, community and responsibility.

“Whitbread is tackling the complex social and environmental challenges that we face, today and for the future. We know that focus, direction and collaboration is required to make positive and impactful change.

Our specialist sustainability function helps to align Whitbread’s sustainability programme to the overarching business strategy whilst also providing specialist support to solve sustainability challenges. We remain focused on being a Force for Good even in the most challenging business environments and are proud of our ability and progress thus far to enable our people to live and work well.”

Rosana Elias
HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY AT WHITBREAD

Targets and reporting

Each year, we deliver an integrated Sustainability and Annual Report which highlights our progress against the targets outlined below. In 2020 we also released a stand-alone Environmental, Social and Governance report (ESG Report) to showcase the breadth of our Force for Good programme and achievements.

We strive to strike the right balance between clear disclosure on key indices that map to the material issues we face, whilst also not throwing the net too wide that could result in duplicated reporting. We annually report on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and have now started to report to Sustainability Accounting Standards (SASB) as well as providing an update on our progress towards responding to the Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

Our programme is underpinned by a number of policies, each outlining the standards we commit to working towards as we move towards achieving our targets. The full list of sustainability policies and reports can be found here.

We will be for everyone, championing inclusivity across the organisation and improving diversity
  • We will actively seek to break down all barriers to entry and be an inclusive and representative prospective employer
  • Our people will feel represented and respected, no matter how they identify
We will have industry-leading training and development schemes
  • Through our apprenticeship programmes we will support people to find and develop their hospitality careers
  • We aim to promote internal succession above external recruitment and will support our teams in this endeavour
  • We will be bold about broadening career opportunities, supporting cross-functional and meaningful career development
Team member wellbeing will be considered in everything we do
  • We will listen genuinely to our teams, ensuring their views help inform decision making
  • We will support the physical and mental wellbeing of our teams
We will make a positive contribution to the communities we serve
  • For every new site, we will donate our time to actively supporting local community activity
Working collaboratively with our teams and support chain, we will support our charity partner to meet their mission
  • We will raise £20m for Great Ormond Street Children’s hospital by 2020
We will support the wellbeing of our guests and customers
  • We will improve the nutritional value of our menu by continuing to reduce sugar, salt and calories and will continue to develop inclusive menus for customers with a range of dietary needs. We will do this in a responsible and transparent way whilst maintaining great taste, quality and value for money for our guests
  • We will strive to be a leader in our sector for delicious, appealing and healthier children’s food
We will source responsibly and with integrity
  • Human rights will be respected across our value chain
  • We will work with our supply chains to source to internationally recognised sustainability standards
We will reduce our environmental impact
  • We will eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic by 2025
  • We will cut food waste by 50% by 2030
  • We will not send any waste to landfill
  • We will minimise water use across our business and champion water stewardship with high risk areas
  • We will reduce our carbon emissions intensity by 50% by 2025 and net zero by 2040
We will always do business the right way
  • We will always operate with integrity and respect
  • We will always support our people and partners to do the right thing
  • We will always be honest and transparent in our communication

Delivery

We work hard to make our Force for Good programme is part of everyone’s job. We dedicate time to embedding our strategy across our business, setting accountability and ensuring this programme lives and breathes in everything we do. From our CEO to our housekeepers, we want to ensure everyone has a stake in enabling us to be a Force for Good.

Force For Good Team

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