Should the company canteen be the real measure of an organisation’s sustainability commitment?
By David Derbyshire; Freelance business, financial and sustainability writer.
I recently found myself with 20 minutes to spare ahead of a meeting with a client. I opted to while away the time over an iced coffee in one of a number of restaurant spaces that this prominent corporate giant provides for its staff members. The experience ended up providing some valuable insights into the transformation progress this particular client has most certainly made; but it also offered an interesting lesson on how corporate SA may still be missing the mark when it comes to the achievement of truly integrated sustainability.
On the positive side, if the demographic breakdown of patrons in attendance at this particular restaurant at that time is any representation of the organisation’s overall employee complement, corporate SA would appear to finally be making headway in achieving real employment equity and contributing meaningfully to transformation. I was one of only four white people in the establishment. And of the 53 diners (I counted), 37 were women. Of course, I recognise that my impromptu research could never be said to be definitive, nor was my sample truly representative of the business, given the thousands of employees working in this particular building. But, despite these caveats, the observation was a heart-warming one.
Unfortunately, the warm and fuzzy feelings soon dissipated as I began to notice that, while employee equity is undoubtedly a priority for this company, environmental protection and employee wellbeing do not yet appear to form part of its own, internal sustainability efforts.
The first inkling I had of this was when I noticed that most of the patrons had ordered one of the lunch dishes on offer at the deli section, and every one of these had been served in a polystyrene container and were accompanied by plastic cutlery.
My slightly raised eyebrow then went full tilt when I was served my iced coffee in a plastic cup, accompanied by a plastic straw. Granted, the outlet from which I purchased my beverage was in no way affiliated with the company at whose premises it plies its trade; but the truth of the matter is that it is operating on said corporate premises and primarily serving the employees, service providers and clients of that company. Given the horrific statistics regarding the havoc that plastic and polystyrene are wreaking on our planet, particularly its ocean inhabitants, one would think that a company that professes an absolute commitment to sustainability would implement a ban on the use and supply of such harmful packaging at all of its premises.
I did notice, on my way out, that there was a recycling bin at the exit. However, this was fairly empty as many patrons appeared unable to finish their meals and most opted to take the leftovers with them when they went back to their offices. This means that, in all likelihood, these plastics are finding their way into normal household bins and then making the journey to their final resting place atop one of SA’s many fast-growing and increasingly toxic landfills.
And this inability of most of the diners to finish their meals also speaks volumes about the company’s failure to commit to the health of its employees as a cornerstone of its sustainability efforts. Most of the meals I saw being consumed were not only excessively large, they were also clearly not healthy, and almost every one was accompanied by fries and a sugary beverage of some sort.
Now, it could be argued, and quite compellingly so, that the onus for healthy eating choices rests firmly on the shoulders of the individual. But surely companies that profess to be serious about the wellbeing of their employees have a responsibility to educate those employees about the importance of making healthy choices, and then ensure that it is difficult to avoid making those choices when visiting the company canteen. A quick tour of the facility revealed this to be very far from the case.
The fact that at least 80% of the diners were overweight – some significantly so – also tells a very different story about the corporation’s commitment to employee wellbeing than the one that is undoubtedly being communicated in its annual report every year.
The bottom line (pun intended) is that for corporate SA, real, meaningful and impactful sustainability begins at home. Or at least it should. While the massive financial investments being made by most large organisations into environmental, social, economic and transformational sustainability are invaluable and absolutely vital, a failure to bring that sustainability commitment home ultimately lessens its credibility.
After all, while banning plastic packaging in your canteens and helping your employees live healthier, longer lives may not make for front page news, media exposure isn’t the main reason why companies invest in sustainability. Or is it?