As one of the UK’s largest employers and a truly people-powered business, Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Social Value journey has already made a huge impact on individuals and communities across the country.
In fact, Social Value is the thread running through the organisation, brought to life through three key promises:
- Climate Promise: To achieve Net Zero by 2030. Earlier this year, Compass released its Transition Plan, which adheres to five core disclosure elements and 19 sub-elements recommended by the UK Government’s Transition Plan Taskforce
- Social Promise: Through the “Mission to a Million” campaign, Compass aims to support one million people by 2030, both within and outside the organisation, by focusing on job creation, education, training, and community engagement
- Wellbeing Promise: Compass is committed to improving access to healthier food for clients, customers, and colleagues, fostering a culture of healthier eating
In this spotlight, we explore how Compass, with the support of Social Value Portal, has made huge progress in delivering on these promises, as well as improving its Social Value reporting and strategic direction.
Compass Group UK&I’s Social Value journey
Compass’s Social Value journey has evolved significantly over the last three years, with the organisation committed to continual learning and improvement and Social Value increasingly embedded as part of its DNA.
This momentum is reflected in a remarkable figure: £2.14 billion of Social Value delivered since 2021, including £838 million generated in 2023 alone.
These numbers are more than just statistics – they represent transformative outcomes like:
- 17k+ weeks of apprenticeship weeks
- Nearly £300k in donations or in-kind contributions to community health interventions
- Over 32.6k hours of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training
- £4.4m spent with Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs)
- Employability workshops and work experience reaching 9k students
- 15 mental health campaigns and 85 supply chain audits
💡 Discover: Compass Group UK&I’s 2023 Social Impact Report
Driving transparency: Reporting with the TOM System™
Compass is committed to transparency, using the Social Value TOM System™ (Themes, Outcomes, and Measures) to structure and evaluate its impact.
Supported by a network of Social Value Ambassadors across the business, this focus on target setting and progress tracking has allowed Compass to better capture and structure its Social Value contributions.
Here are just some of the key initiatives driving impact at Compass, under three Themes from the TOM System:
Jobs
Career Pathways
Over 1,500 employees at Compass are enrolled in Career Pathways to develop skills and advance their careers, while 600 apprentices participate in programmes ranging from Level 2 to Degree Level 6/7.
Compass even transfers part of its apprenticeship levy to other businesses, facilitating 250 apprenticeships at over 170 organisations, and committing over £3 million since 2019.
Compass Group Apprentice Chef of the Year Jess Miller!
Social Partner Hub
The Social Partner Hub supports individuals facing barriers to employment and has seen Compass collaborate with 15 organisations in Ireland, such as Turas Nua, Open Doors, and Business in the Community.
I am very happy with the support I received from Compass’s Social Partner Hub and Restart Scheme. It has given me the opportunity to work again after having 5 years employment gap and I am now working as a kitchen assistant. The recruitment experience I had was very motivating as the person who interviewed me was very accommodating and the person who oversaw my trial shift was also very helpful. Thank you for changing my life for the better.
Graslin Fuela Pathmathasan, Hub user
Growth
Teaming with socially conscious and regional partners
Through Foodbuy (Compass’s procurement division) the business has onboarded six socially and environmentally conscious suppliers.
Plus, following the establishment of Compass Scotland in 2020 and Compass Cymru in 2021, Compass has reinforced its commitment to regional sourcing by working with local suppliers like Flawsome Drinks and Wickedly Welsh Chocolate.
Life Water
In 2023 Compass’s Life Water initiative had funded over 300 clean water wells in developing countries in the life of the partnership.
Social Value in action through Life Water!
Social
Beyond the Chartwells Kitchen
In 2022-23, Compass’s Chartwells Kitchen initiative delivered 2,159 workshops on food, nutrition, wellbeing, and sustainability to 106,000 students, while another 4,000 pupils participated in 59 workshops during World Food Day 2023.
Compass Foundation
Launched in January 2023, the Compass Foundation supports inclusive job creation, local suppliers, and emergency responses – funding 14 organisations in its first 3 months, including FoodCycle.
FoodCycle participants
Partnering with Social Value Portal
Working with Social Value Portal’s Consulting team has given Compass the tools to understand how to gain deeper insight into successes and improvement areas – constantly analysing and assessing challenges and progress.
Over the past three years, Social Value Portal have been invaluable in supporting our social impact journey through the robustness of the TOM System, which has given our reporting true credibility and transparency. We have also been able to work with them to build up a relationship with the Consulting team, which has supported our work from strategy to reporting, and our future commitments in this space.
Laura Neville, Head of Social Value, Compass Group UK & Ireland
What’s next for Compass?
Having just published analysis of its 2023 Social Value activity, Compass has been able to report effectively to internal and external stakeholders, including clients, customers and its people.
This latest report demonstrates brilliant progression, from new charity partnerships and money raising activities to award wins, D&I, and people programmes – as well as the actual monetary value of the work to date.
The team is focused on enhancing its impact with each year, and we can’t wait to continue supporting their journey and delivering for people, planet and communities.
When businesses use their capabilities and resources to create positive outcomes for communities, the results can be transformative. Compass is leading the way, with Social Value embedded across the organisation. It’s a great example of what can be achieved through a strategic approach grounded in robust measurement and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Jenny Xue, Consultant, Social Value Portal
Want more examples of Social Value in action?
If you’re looking to see how other organisations are driving measurable positive change, browse our Social Value success stories.
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