Planet: preserve the environment

Reduce the carbon footprint and the consumption of energy, natural resources and wasteCarbon footprint & resources

Edenred aims to improve its energy efficiency thanks to its environmental management system based on the principles of the ISO 14001 standard. Since 2013, the Group has been committed to reducing its GHG emissions, particularly those related to its energy consumption. In 2019, its total emissions per surface area were reduced by 30% compared to 2013.

By turning to electronic media such as cards, smartphones and online platforms, Edenred is able to reduce the impact of its activities on paper resources. In 2019, total paper consumption has decreased by 11%.

Paper use (in metric tons)

Design eco-services for mobility and food waste Eco-services & food waste

The Ticket EcoCheque vouchers, created in 2009 in Belgium, promote products and services that respect the environment. They encourage more responsible purchasing in various fields, including food, decoration, furniture, and transport.

Edenred has also developed programs in Latin America such as the Carbon Credit program in Brazil which generates carbon credits by replacing petrol with ethanol, and the Ticket Car Carbon Control in Mexico which gives detailed information about CO₂ emissions.

Since 2018, the German UTA subsidiary introduced an electric vehicle charge card in partnership with NewMotion for its clients. Moreover, employee users can apply for a UTA eCharge card through their customer service provider grants them access to 80,000 charging stations across Europe.

The Commuter Benefits solution of Edenred US allows American employees, since 2017, to use different means of transportation (bus, subway, bicycle) instead of their own car. 

Finally, Cycle to Work is a solution devised by the UK subsidiary that allows employers to reduce their payroll costs by subsidizing the purchase of bikes for their employees. The model strongly encourages employers to promote this healthy, alternative mode of transportation.

In its fight against food waste, Edenred Italy supports Cena dell’Amicizia and encourages merchants to use doggy bags. Similarly, in partnership with Pausa meditarrena by Food, this subsidiary organized a cooking contest to prepare recipes and dishes from leftovers.

Edenred Chile has developed Ecomida - a mobile application to fight against food waste in which Edenred affiliates can offer unsold food in real time, with a discount for meal voucher holders. In 2019, Edenred Chile formed a new partnership with Karübag, a company that uses vermicomposting to treat and recover organic waste from offices, homes, restaurants and others. Since its launch, over 25 of Edenred’s corporate clients have joined the Karübag initiative.

Framheim, a startup specialized in the fight against food waste, sent a questionnaire to some 180,000 Edenred partner restaurant owners in France to find out more about their anti-food waste practices and commitments. Following this survey, 100 establishments were awarded the label in 2019.

Managing the impact of solutions during their lifetime Impact of solutions

With the help of the consultancy firm HAATCH, Edenred carried out a comparative study of the environmental impact of its "Ticket Restaurant" vouchers (paper and card) in France. This survey assesses the impacts on three indicators: climate change, resource depletion and water consumption.
All the results of the study

In this case, paper vouchers are printed using pre-printed stock from external providers. In 2019, 17 subsidiaries (representing 70% of employees and 70% of business volume in subsidiaries producing paper vouchers) used FSC or recycled paper to produce their vouchers.

In addition, the Group was the first to set up a system for collecting and recycling cards within its French subsidiary. When the "Ticket Restaurant" card expires, the beneficiary receives a new one along with the conditions for returning of his/her old card so that it can be recycled. The old cards are pulped by the Edenred partner company, Bigarren Bizi, using a completely mechanical, environment-friendly process. The materials obtained (98% plastic, 2% metals) are then used to manufacture new products.
 

* GHG = Greenhouse Gas. 2019 total emission for point sources = 4,242 t.  
** Targets calculated using the Science Based Targets initiative methodology.