Our Social Promise
Our impact
Generating Social Value that matters
At Compass UK and Ireland, our purpose is to create meaningful Social Value that transforms lives, strengthens communities and sustains the planet. Social Value means making a measurable difference by creating lasting economic, social and environmental benefits. We do this by investing in local jobs, supporting skills development, partnering with small and diverse suppliers, championing wellbeing and driving initiatives that protect our environment.
Our Social Impact Report highlights a selection of initiatives delivered in 2024 and the impact they created. It also includes the social value delivered by CH&CO who joined Compass in April 2024.
Promises that deliver more value
Our promises set out our ambitions for delivering impactful action on sustainability social mobility and wellbeing. From changing lives and communities through job creation to providing opportunities for all.
Our three promises include: our Social Promise, to break down barriers and support communities; our Planet Promise, to protect the environment and reduce our impact; and our Wellbeing Promise, to improve people’s health and happiness. Each is underpinned by responsible sourcing and transparent measurement to ensure we deliver lasting, positive change.
Our teams work across thousands of sites across the country every day, providing essential food and support services. Climate, social mobility, health and wellbeing and working with our supply chain, have been central to our business for many years. I have always believed that you can run both a successful business with an ambitious growth agenda, while also doing the right thing.
Chief Executive Officer of Compass Group UK & Ireland
Social Value is important because it goes beyond financial outcomes to measure the broader impact we have on people, communities and society. This year’s Social Value impact report allows us to analyse our impact so we can make future decisions and investments. The progress we’re making is creating ripple effects - enriching not only our workforce but the communities we serve. We are excited to share some of our qualitative evaluations alongside our quantitative data, for example in the form of a Social Return on Investment study undertaken by Compass One.
Chief People Officer, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Our social impact in numbers
We have measured our Social Value using the TOM System Framework across themes – Work, Economy, Community. The overall Social Value (Including NT1 and CH&CO) is £1.1bn.
*NT1 is locally employed people (within 15 miles from where they live)
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Offering Opportunities
- 220 long term unemployed into work
- 1,000 supported with job interview training and guidance
- 3,500 people trained at Xcelerate with Edgbaston
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Real Living Wage
- 400 clients now moved to Living Wage contracts
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Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise
- Almost 40% spend with SMEs in 2024
- £7.4m spend with VCSEs
- £550,000 donated to charities across the country
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Education
- 250 14-16 year olds supported via Junior Chef Academy since it began
- 98,000 young people & families provided with food, nutrition, wellbeing and sustainability workshops
Junior Chef Academy highlights 2025
Our Junior Chef Academy is designed for 14 to 16 year old school students. It's about more than teaching cooking techniques. The programme helps build confidence, nurture creativity, and inspire the next generation of culinary talent.
Our ambition is for the 10 week programme to take aspiring chefs on a transformative culinary journey, helping them master essential techniques and create a wide range of delicious dishes.
Since launching, we have reached over 250 young people, giving them a taste of what a career as a chef could look like.
Our memberships
To further demonstrate our commitment to delivering on our company promises, Compass UK & Ireland is an active member of task forces and professional bodies that are focused on corporate initiatives that bring about social value.
Creating social value in the communities we serve