Contract caterer Elior UK’s campaign aims to elevate social value awareness and unite efforts into a companywide focus with one vision: to deliver 28,835 days of social value by 2025.
The company’s Lifetime of Enrichment campaign aims to create a lifetime of social value that impacts every stage of life – mirroring its catering business and areas of activity. It has a target to deliver 28,835 days of social value in the next three years – reflecting the average number of days in a lifetime. Aligned with its established Social Value policy, the Lifetime of Enrichment programme will encompass social, environment and economic values.
Over the years, the busness has delivered social value activity across the organisation including apprenticeships, volunteering, fundraising, and working with social enterprises. The caterer wanted to devise a method of consolidating all social value activity into one place that could be monitored, and the impacts measured.
The company aims to educate every colleague across the business about the role they play in delivering social value. Colleagues can undertake two paid volunteering days per year in addition to getting involved in wider company social value activity such as fundraising or supporting other charity initiatives. Its nominated charity is The Alzheimer’s Society and the company has pledged to raise £100k by the end of 2024. It will also encourage its employees to get involved in social value activities that its clients are hosting.
To kick start the Lifetime of Enrichment campaign and lead from the front, the senior leadership team volunteered at Refrettorio Felix in London. Refrettorio Felix strives to tackle the dual societal issues of food poverty and food waste and offers an open-door, drop-in centre providing a welcoming atmosphere and safe haven for all vulnerable adults to enjoy a three-course lunch, which is freshly prepared from surplus food and served in Refettorio Felix’s dining hall. The team catered for 220 people over their two volunteering days this month.
Director of CSR and wellness Charlotte Wright said: “The Lifetime of Enrichment campaign defines Elior UK’s coordinated approach to taking account of the economic, social, and environmental impacts of our actions and working together to make a positive difference. Importantly, it aligns everyone in pursuit of one vision.”
