Compass Group Canada recognized with Green Leadership award

Compass Group Canada was chosen because of its "strong and comprehensive commitment to environmental responsibility."

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 23 /CNW/ - Compass Group Canada is proud to have been recognized for the third time for its leadership with regard to environmental stewardship by its industry peers.

The 2010 Green Leadership Award was presented to Compass Group Canada at an awards breakfast held in Toronto, which was attended by members of the foodservice industry.

The Green Leadership award was introduced by Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine in 2009. Since then, the award has quickly become a significant symbol of achievement across the foodservice industry. Compass Group Canada's submission was judged by a jury of industry peers and key leaders, who faced the challenge of making the final selection from an impressive collection of nominations.

"When it came time to select this year's winner of our Green Leadership award, our jury had the difficult task of choosing from a strong field of candidates," said Rosanna Caira, Editor/Publisher, Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine. "Ultimately, we chose Compass Group Canada because of its strong and comprehensive commitment to environmental responsibility," Ms Caira said.

Compass Group Canada's partnership with Ocean Wise, a Vancouver, BC Aquarium conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood, demonstrates the significant impact the organization has had with respect to the annual elimination of more than 200,000 pounds of unsustainable Atlantic cod, and more than 37,000 pounds of unsustainable farmed Atlantic salmon.

"Our purchasing decisions are one of the ways that Compass is making a significant difference to the supply chain and ultimately to the health of ocean ecosystems," said Laurie Brager, Director of Sustainability, Compass Group Canada. "The growing awareness of our associates and customers across the country is also having an influence on restaurants and grocery stores with regard to purchasing and offering sustainable seafood.

"Our driving vision is to fully integrate sustainability principles and actions so that it simply becomes 'the way we do business...the cultural norm.' The key to effecting this change lies in raising our associates' awareness of environmental stewardship, and introducing it into existing business tools and practices," said Brager.

Through the implementation of its unique "our 360 degrees" program, the organization has worked diligently to help reduce its environmental footprint while at the same time realizing significant cost savings and making green initiatives top-of-mind for staff and suppliers alike.

This recognition for Compass comes on the heels of also being named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2010. The announcement was made in April by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

In March, Compass Group Canada's Eurest Services team at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) was awarded the EcoLogo(TM) Environmental Stewardship award. EcoLogo is a third-party, multi-attribute eco-labelling program approved by the Global Ecolabelling Network, an international association of eco-labelling programs, as meeting the ISO 14024 standard.

About Compass Group Canada

Compass Group Canada is the country's leading foodservice and support services company, with revenues of $1.25 billion in 2009. Operating sectors include: ESS, Eurest, Eurest Services, Chartwells, Morrison, Crothall, Canteen Vending Services, Compass Leisure & Entertainment, Levy Restaurants, Restaurant Associates, Gourmet Cuisine, and The Hurley Group. Compass Group Canada has been names one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2009 and 2010. With 386,000 associates worldwide, its parent company, Compass Group PLC had revenues of 13.4 billion ($22.9 billion CAD) in the year to September 30, 2009.

For further information: Cindy Harris, Senior Advisor, Communications, Compass Group Canada, at: 905-568-4636 x 432, [email protected], www.compass-canada.com