Graduate Sustainability Executive

The Role and Team

• Great Food to be Proud of
• Enhancing Health & Wellbeing
• Ethical and Sustainable
• A passion for service

Having previously created a market leading position in ethics and sustainability in the health and social care sectors, in 2021 apetito announced one of the UK’s strongest Net Zero commitments and with it - an ambition to be seen as one of the UK leaders in sustainability. This role has a key role to play in helping us deliver that and is a hugely exciting opportunity for a graduate to become involved in the front-line delivery across a breadth of net zero pathways. In becoming leaders we aim to create real competitive advantage, getting the support of current and potential customers and helping our business to grow. We seek an individual with the passion, drive and commitment to share and deliver on our vision.

apetito is the UK’s leading supplier of food to the health and social care sectors. Servicing over 400 hospitals, 450 care homes and thousands more through our work with Local Authorities, we produce delicious, nutritious and sustainable meals for people at home or in care. Through our food we look to make a real difference to all our customers, up and down the country.

Our Values

Established in 1958, as a family-owned business, as a family-owned business, our values sit at the very heart of what we do. We are proud to be a business that makes a real difference, committed to producing great food to be proud of. We have developed a range of products designed to enhance health and wellbeing for all our customers. We are proud supporters of British food and farming and focus on using the best ethical and sustainable produce.

We are driven by a passion for service, dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people, offering healthy and delicious meals to customers across the UK.

Ethical & Sustainable

As a business which operates within food manufacturing, we believe we have an obligation to make a positive contribution on society. With over 300 products in our range, we ensure our produce is ethically and sustainably sourced, working only with suppliers who share our commitment to making a positive impact.

We’re a proud member of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs, that promote respect for workers rights globally. All our new suppliers now operate under the ETI’s guidelines.

We are also a member of The UK’s Plastics Pact, an initiative looking to transform the plastic packaging industry in the UK. As part of the initiative, we have committed, along with other ambitious targets, to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic completely by 2025.

We have also made a commitment to our employees – we’re recognised as an accredited Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation. Joining an elite group of FTSE 100 companies and public sector organisations.

Giving Back

Here at apetito, we take our duty to give back to our local communities and chosen charities very seriously. In 2018, we raised over £30,000 for Alzheimer’s Support and Alzheimer’s Society alone, thanks to the incredible efforts of our employees and charity committee. We also support our communities through the apetito Staff Foundation, which gives financial support to the chosen charitable causes of our staff and their children. Since 2005, we’ve raised over £175,000 for these charities.

This role forms part of our Graduate Development Programme full details on the programme can be found on our careers pages at Graduate Development Programme

• Support our execution of the strategic aims below:

• Support the Food Waste Reduction programme across manufacturing and distribution to deliver on our targeted 50% food waste saving by 2025
• Build network with WRAP, FDF and other industry bodies to ensure food waste initiatives are at the forefront of industry

• Support our Ethical Trade programme
• Build an Internal Awareness Training programme across apetito and complete training
• Supplier Risk mapping - create proposal for Suppler ethical and risk mapping working with key stakeholders

• Work closely with Environmental Manager to drive ongoing improvements in Waste reduction and recycling through our contract with external providers.

• Provide support to ensure all mitigation pathways are progressing against project deadlines.
• Support the business across Net Zero initiatives

• Help apetito progress its packaging strategy to be industry leading in the UK

• Work with key industry stakeholders and represent apetito with influencing organisations, such as WRAP, FDF, ETI and others

• Support the development of effective partnerships across the ethical and sustainable sector, that bring real value to apetito and its customers
• Work closely with Director of Corporate Affairs/Public Relations/Marketing to ensure our internal and external communications shares our progress/successes

• You will have graduated or be studying towards a degree related to sustainability (or similar) degree with the expectation that you will receive a 2:2 or above, graduating on or before 2023. You must be able to showcase proven sustainability and business knowledge and understanding including effective stakeholder management, communication and collaboration.

• Understanding of Net Zero principles, food sustainability, ethical trade and waste
• Sustainability working experience
• Driving licence
• Experience of project management

• 
  High level of intellectual ability
• Strong influencer with excellent all-round communication skills who inspires and motivates.
• Thrives in cultivating strong, cross-functional partnerships to deliver through others
• Passionate about ethical and sustainable issues – with real life experience
• Well organised
• Good project management skills
• Self-starter with initiative in overcoming challenges