A BIT of background

In 2021, with the support of our partners at Bold Green Strategies, we committed to tackling another issue close to our hearts: sustainability. For us, social and environmental concerns are connected. We see our business as ‘a force for good’, so, as well as entering into the B Corp process, we have joined the Better Business Act coalition, which seeks to change the UK law to ensure every company in the UK aligns its interests with those of wider society and the environment: we have updated our Articles of Association to reflect this.

We have launched many impactful projects with the support of our dynamic and enthusiastic team. For example, in the last couple of years alone, we removed global plastic polluters from our drinks menus and ushered in brands that better fit our ethos. We became Living Wage Foundation accredited. Social pantry recently opened our first behind bars café at HMP Feltham. We also surpassed our goal for our team to always be made up of 10% prison leavers.

We love that through our hard work, we are now a leading voice in sustainable food: we’ve joined panels at Wilderness Festival, brought our expertise to the Unique Venues of London Caterers Roundtable, and even appeared on BBC Newsnight. We’re also excited to be able to support so many prestigious venues with their own sustainability goals.

As a result, we’re excited to share our Impact Reports and Net Zero plans. To learn more about how we’re moving away from fossil fuels, and greening our operations, read on.

WORKING WITH prison leavers

Working within the prison system, alongside charities, PELs and prison leavers is an central part of Social Pantry.

Back in early 2023 we announced that although we aim for a 10% average of prison leavers within our workforce, this figure sat at around 8% due to a myriad of factors. Now, at the end of the year, we were able to say that on average throughout 2023, we have surpassed our goals and our percentage of prison leavers sits high at 11%!

In addition to Alex’s position on the Employment Board at HMP Wandsworth, providing advice for both employers and prison leavers, we are expanding our work within prisons with our new café inside HMP/YOI Feltham. Open after 3 years of planning, it is a huge achievement with our ultimate goal securing employment for the young men who have worked with us on the inside. Creating the pathway for a seamless entry into the team at SP HQ, providing solid support at a time where some can struggle to reintegrate into society.

GLOBALLY INSPIRED, locally sourced

Fresh, local, seasonal food is at the heart of what we do. We source our produce from the UK, with the exception of items like chocolate, tea or coffee, which are from Fairtrade or trusted direct sources. We regularly review our supply chain and actively engage our suppliers. Social Pantry are committed to high-welfare animal products, and we support regenerative farming practices.

We tackled our drinks list too and said goodbye to some of the world’s biggest plastic polluters. We ensure any third-party products we stock are as thoughtfully chosen as the ingredients on our menus.

FOOD waste

ZERO-to-landfill

We’re certified Gold by First Mile for our recycling rates. First Mile operates a zero-to-landfill policy that offers many recycling streams, with non-recyclable waste harnessed for green energy generation. Collections operate on an all-electric fleet and are optimised to utilise clean-air routes.

SERVEWARE & packaging

Our Styled & Served option uses real crockery to eliminate waste. Any single-use packaging is 100% recyclable and/or compostable. This summer (2024) we’re trialling a fully compostable packaging take-back scheme for workplace clients.

NET zero

Our food carbon footprinting tool allows us to calculate and report the climate impact of the food we serve. We can use this to support our workplace clients with any in-house sustainability targets they may have, such as low-carbon no-red-meat-or-dairy menus.

CLIMATE contributions

Carbon offsetting isn’t the answer to climate change, so we use this practice responsibly and see this as complementary to our Net Zero reduction strategies.

We use Ecologi Zero to measure our emissions and identify hotspots. Offsetting is used for residual emissions that remain an essential part of our operations and is an opportunity to support valuable projects in the U.K., and those that benefit our global communities living on the frontlines of climate change.

DIVESTING from fossil fuels

We have been switching to 100% renewable electricity and green gas as contracts expire. Our renewable-powered EV charging station serves our burgeoning fleet of electric vehicles. Our Electric Vehicles cut our average journey emissions by around 75% compared to traditionally fuelled vehicles.

We also ensure new starters are enrolled in a fossil fuel-free ethical pension fund by default.

CARBON literacy

TIncluding our whole team in these conversations is so important in what can be tricky discourse. Therefore, we have bespoke online sustainability training at the onboarding stage. To enhance this, we have committed to rolling out carbon literacy training company-wide throughout 2024 using the Carbon Literacy Project and Climate Fresk frameworks.

This will support our team in communicating our policies, and as a result, empowers them to take ownership over sustainability within their roles, encouraging a sustainability-first mindset as part of our workplace culture.

ANNUAL impact reporting

By pursuing B Corp, and pledging to the UN Race-To-Zero Campaign via the SME Climate Hub, we have also committed to annual sustainability reporting that will be publicly available.

This not only guarantees transparency, it also allows us to compare data points year-on-year to ensure we are always pushing in the right direction and bringing our environmental impact down.

ACCREDITATIONS & affiliations

We’re accredited by and affiliated with the organisations and bodies below, they keep us accountable and help to move us forward.