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Cool food pledge
September 25, 2019

Sustainability

Fostering climate protection in company catering:
BASF joins international „Cool Food Pledge“ initiative

September 25, 2019

BASF SE is the first company in Germany to join the international “Cool Food Pledge” initiative. BASF is thus committed to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of its company catering services at the Ludwigshafen site by 25% by 2030. 

“We offer delicious dishes and want to use resources as responsibly as possible in the preparation of our meals. By participating in Cool Food Pledge, we have for the first time set ourselves a measurable and ambitious target for reducing our carbon footprint,” says Frank Stauder, Head of BASF Gastronomy. The Cool Food Pledge was founded by the World Resources Institute and is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, among others. Besides BASF, companies such as IKEA and the Hilton Hotels as well as other organizations, including numerous universities, are involved in the network. Together, the partners serve over 800 million meals annually.

At the Ludwigshafen site, BASF Gastronomy operates eleven staff canteens serving more than 10,000 meals per day. Moreover, the portfolio includes a restaurant at BASF’s Gesellschaftshaus and the 4-star superior hotel René Bohn. Recently, numerous measures to foster sustainability have been realized, such as the “0 kilometer dish” with seasonal products from the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, the expansion of vegetarian and vegan meals or a project to reduce food waste. “We will continuously share our experiences within the worldwide network and hope to gain many new ideas from this cooperation in order to further improve our offer and at the same time actively contribute to climate protection,” says Stauder.

BASF SE D 105 Betriebsgaststätte
Colleagues from BASF Gastronomy serve more than 10,000 meals per day. 

How the Pledge works

  • Pledge: Signatories commit to a collective target of reducing diet-related GHG emissions associated with the food they serve by 25% by 2030 relative to 2015—a level of ambition in line with keeping global warming below 1.5°C. The Cool Food team advises signatories on how to gather the necessary data and monitor progress.
  • Plan: The Cool Food team helps signatories and their catering companies develop plans for serving more climate-friendly food while meeting other dining-related targets (e.g. number of diners, financial performance, nutrition). The Cool Food Pledge also connects signatories or their catering companies with a network of organizations producing innovative products, solutions and training to achieve more sustainable diets. Cool Food signatories are able to share their experiences and learn from others.
  • Promote: The Cool Food team provides inspiring messaging that signatories can use to support existing sustainability campaigns. The collective performance of companies against the GHG target will be published annually. 
Last UpdateSeptember 25, 2019