The big sustainable swap

• Sustainable solutions introduced by major catering services company
• The move away from single-use cups leads to big savings and environmental gains

Sodexo provides catering services to a large IT company based in Cork, Ireland which employs around 2 000 people. Every year, around 1.2 million paper cups were being used and then sent to landfill. Altogether, it cost about € 120 000 a year. 

To reduce this cost and prevent this waste stream from ending up in landfill, Sodexo decided to introduce reusable cups instead of the single-use ones as part of its drive to become more sustainable through increased recycling and reduced waste.

Key impact

Sodexo invested about € 9 000 on buying thermal mugs, which were given to all staff free of charge. Employees were responsible for washing and taking care of these mugs themselves.

The initiative was well-received by staff who found that coffee stayed hot for longer. The move also proved to be less expensive than landfilling and incineration, which benefited the company and environment.