Sodexo Recognized at World Economic Forum in Davos for Its Corporate Sustainability Practices

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News :

“Earning the top rank in our sector is particularly gratifying because of our strong achievements in each of the three areas, social, environment and economic, that makes up this recognition”

Sodexo’s (Paris:SW) (OTCBB:SDXAY) commitment to sustainability has been recognized for efforts and results in social, environmental and economic performance at the World Economic Forum 2013 in Davos with three awards: Sector Leader, Gold Class, and Sector Mover.

The RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook is regarded as the world's most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability performance. These three distinctions recognize Sodexo’s strong performance in social, economic and environmental practices.

Sodexo earned the highest overall score in its business sector, 82 percent (compared to a sector average of 47). Sodexo was the only company in its sector to attain Gold Class status and was named Sector Mover, having achieved the largest improvement in its sustainability performance compared to last year. Sodexo earned the best score in economic and social elements and was highly ranked in the environment category.

Since its founding, Sodexo has recognized its opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the cities, regions and countries where it operates. From this fundamental, the company created ‘The Better Tomorrow Plan,’ a set of measured, actionable objectives that span a wide range of efforts ranging from reduction in waste and energy use to building a massive global supply chain that sources locally whenever possible.

“Earning the top rank in our sector is particularly gratifying because of our strong achievements in each of the three areas, social, environment and economic, that makes up this recognition,” said Damien Verdier, Sodexo Executive Committee member for Sustainable Development. “For Sodexo, sustainable development is more than what we do; it is who we are and how we engage with our clients, customers, suppliers and communities.”

To create the rankings, sustainability factors are weighted based on particulars of the business sector. For Sodexo, the social pillar represents the majority of the total score. Sodexo’s industry leading performance in this area, particularly in light its large number of employees (420,000) and the decentralized nature of its business (34,000 client sites in 80 countries) is particularly impressive. The most recent employee survey from 2012, covering 130,000 people working in 60 countries and carried out by an independent consultancy, showed that 85 percent reported a preference to work for Sodexo over its competitors and overall employee engagement has increased nine percentage points in the last four years. For more about Sodexo’s commitments as an employer, visit http://onlinereportsfy2012.sodexo.com/better-tomorrow-plan-report/

Methodology
This yearbook is published by RobecoSAM (http://www.robecosam.com), a leading asset management company focusing on sustainability funds and the international accounting firm KPMG. Each year more than 2,000 companies are evaluated for inclusion in the yearbook, using up to 120 financial, environmental, social and economic indicators to evaluate companies in eight sectors.

For more information on RobecoSAM’s Sustainability Yearbook visit: http://www.robecosam.com/yearbook

About Sodexo

Sodexo Group
Founded in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 45 years of experience: from reception, safety, maintenance and cleaning, to foodservices and facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance and concierge services. Sodexo’s success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 420,000 employees throughout the world.

Key Figures (as of August 31, 2012)   Sodexo in the world   18.2 billion euro consolidated revenue 420 000 employees 20th largest employer worldwide 80 consumers served daily 34,300 sites 75 million consumers served daily 10 billion euro market capitalization (as of January 8 2013)