Environmental matters

Environmental stewardship

Companies often face the challenge of balancing competing stakeholder priorities. However, environmental management is widely supported across all stakeholders – from investors and lenders to customers, suppliers, consumers, and local communities where gategroup operates.

The significance of environmental management for gategroup was reinforced in 2024 by the results of our Double Materiality Assessment, where six out of the nine identified priority areas related to environmental matters. Environmental stewardship is both an ethical responsibility and a critical factor in long-term business growth and sustainability.

In 2025, gategroup:

Climate

Energy management and climate change

Our approach

Climate-related action is one of gategroup’s top priorities as part of our global ESG Framework. Our Global Environmental Policy stipulates gategroup’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while the Global ESG Charter serves as a global mandate outlining ESG roles and responsibilities worldwide.

In 2023, aligned with Switzerland’s national emissions-reduction goal, we set a target to become a Net Zero business by 2050. To reach this, we are prioritizing initiatives with the greatest potential to reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint.

gategroupʼs action plan for reducing energy consumption and Scope 1 and 2 emissions includes adopting energy-efficient practices in our buildings, such as metering solutions for systematic energy monitoring, optimizing dishwashing and laundry operations, and exploring energy recovery opportunities. We are also increasing self-generated energy solutions, expanding the use of renewable energy within our purchased mix, and transitioning our high-loader and support vehicle fleet to low-emissions models while deploying additional charging stations for electric vehicles.

In 2025, we made significant progress on data collection and emissions calculations. We completed a full GHG inventory including all relevant Scope 3 categories and covering 100% of emissions-generating activities within our organizational boundaries. We applied the most appropriate and feasible calculation methodologies using the activity data currently available. For example, Category 3.1 (Purchased Goods and Services) presented a particular challenge due to the complexity of our supply chain. Therefore, we applied a spend-based approach and extrapolated where necessary. As expected, Scope 3 emissions represent a major part (82.5%) of our overall emissions, and Category 3.1 alone is responsible for 61% of our total GHG footprint. Completing a full corporate carbon footprint is a significant milestone and sets a baseline we can work with to improve calculations and data quality to manage and track progress in reducing our GHG footprint year-on-year.

Our tableware solutions brand deSter is already committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for near-term and net-zero targets based on the 1.5°C mitigation scenario, which was validated by SBTi in 2024. In early 2024, deSter also started engaging with its suppliers to reduce GHG emissions. The initial pilot that was designed based on insights from the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action (BACA), aimed to gather more supplier-specific data to better understand the carbon footprint of purchased materials and products. As part of this effort, a carbon emissions questionnaire was sent to a selected group of suppliers, providing valuable insights into their progress.

In 2025, deSter continued its supplier engagement and joined a Belgian sustainability network The Shift to gain practical insights on decarbonization of supply chains and share their knowledge with other companies. A special webpage was developed with resources for suppliers to use, sharing information and giving guidance to support their journey. A second questionnaire was sent out at the end of the year to a bigger group of suppliers than the initial pilot. The next steps will be defined in 2026 upon the analysis of the feedback. The goal of the supplier engagement program is to encourage deSter suppliers to enhance their carbon accounting, set targets, and implement reduction actions. By underscoring the importance of decarbonization for deSter as well as the vital role of suppliers, we aim to accelerate progress and meet the objectives.

2025 actions across our global network

Shift towards renewables: As part of our Net Zero carbon business ambition, we set a goal to strive for 100% renewable electricity sourcing by 2030. As the first step, our EMB approved a transition in electricity supply, aiming to source at least 20% of purchased electricity from renewable sources in 2025. By year-end, we reached 8% of our total electricity consumption supplied by renewable sources. Even though this is lower than expected, we made some important learnings about the sourcing process and the available instruments, building momentum to strengthen our approach in subsequent years.

Self-generation: gategroup is increasing self-generated energy solutions. For example, the deSter packaging manufacturing plant in Thailand, one of our most energy-intensive facilities with the highest electricity-related emissions, installed a rooftop solar array with an estimated annual energy production of 3,000 MWh, covering 17% of the unit’s annual electricity consumption (based on the 2025 use). Other locations are following suit and assessing the feasibility of solar panel installations.

Low-emission vehicles: gategroup is committed to continuing the decarbonization of its fleet. We are thus actively evaluating options to reduce our daily carbon footprint from vehicle operations, including:

For support vehicles, over 80% of cars newly added in 2025 were electric.

Upgrade of refrigeration and cooking systems: Over the past two years, our servair units in Paris have been undergoing major upgrades of their industrial refrigeration systems and introducing heat recovery, significantly reducing overall energy use. Two renovations have been completed and another is underway. Moreover, kitchens are being modernized to shift from gas burners to full induction cooking.

Metrics

During the 2025 reporting year, gategroup’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 footprint amounted to 326.5k tonnes of CO₂e emissions, accounting for 17.5% of our overall footprint, primarily driven by electricity consumption and the use of refrigerants.

Our Scope 3 emissions added up to 1,540.2k tonnes of CO₂e, representing 82.5% of our total GHG impact, largely dominated by the purchase of goods and services.

In 2025, we expanded the scope of our greenhouse gas inventory to reach full coverage, including all three Scopes and all entities within our organizational boundaries. Therefore, we re-calculated our 2024 baseline to ensure consistency and comparability year-on-year, hence the change in values compared to last year’s report.

Where activity data was not available, we extrapolated using revenues as a proxy or facility type and surface area where known. Moreover, in the 2024 baseline re-calculation, Category 3.11 (Use of Sold Products) was assessed and found to be negligeable relative to total Scope 3 emissions (0.03%). Based on this immateriality and with no significant changes in product portfolio or use conditions, Category 3.11 is excluded from the current reporting year.

Going forward, we will continuously enhance data granularity to improve the accuracy of our Scope 3 calculations, enabling us to pinpoint emission sources more precisely and focus our actions where they will have the greatest impact.

TCFD disclosure on climate risks and opportunities

At gategroup, we acknowledge our responsibility to mitigate climate change. Various risks related to climate change including hurricanes, flooding, sea level rise, and fires, can negatively impact our business, along with wider society and nature. Our climate strategy addresses both mitigation of the contributing factors of climate change and resilience to its effects, combining effective near-term actions to secure important long-term results.

gategroupʼs climate strategy outlines our approach to reducing GHG emissions through the following key actions:

Governance (TCFD-GOV-a, TCFD-GOV-b)

As of the start of 2025 and in alignment with the Chairman of the Board, the ultimate oversight and responsibility for ESG, including climate change matters, lies with gategroupʼs full Board of Directors (BoD). The BoD receives updates on ESG topics, including climate change issues, at its meetings on a bi-annual basis. The Chief People Officer, one of the representatives of the Executive Management Board (EMB), holds responsibility for ESG matters, including climate-related issues, at the EMB level. In addition, the EMB reviews progress on key ESG initiatives, such as Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, energy consumption, setting a baseline for Scope 3 emissions, and the reduction of said emissions.

The Global ESG team, supported by the Global Quality, Health & Safety, and Security (QHSSE) team, leads the development of the group’s environmental strategy. Within each region and business segment, dedicated team members are responsible for adapting global environmental ambitions at the regional level, ensuring implementation and ongoing discussions with individual locations (see “ESG governance organization” chart). This governance structure maintains a globally aligned approach to GHG emissions reduction while allowing for targeted actions tailored to the specific needs of our local business units.

Strategy and risk management (TCFD-STR-a, -b, TCFD-RMA-a, -b, -c)

In 2024, gategroup adopted a systematic approach to identifying climate-related risks and opportunities. At the time, and as described on pages 38-41 of the ESG Report 2024 ¹, we conducted an analysis to assess potentially relevant short-term (in 2025), medium-term (by 2030), and long-term (by 2050) exposure.

Specific impacts identified as material and consolidated under “Climate change” included:

Specific risks related to these impacts were incorporated into the Global Risk Registry based on specialist assessments by the Global ESG and Global Risk teams and validated by the EMB.

The second step involved an initial deep dive into potential chronic and acute physical risks affecting gategroup’s operations and value chain. The Global ESG and Global Risk teams conducted a desktop assessment, which was validated by internal regional stakeholders. The assessment followed the EU Taxonomyʼs classification of climate-related hazards (2021) ² and applied the critical exposure lens based on production locations, customer operations, and the impacts of climate change on agricultural suppliers.

As a result, we identified 13 physical risks, highlighting vulnerabilities across gategroup’s supply chain, operations and customer network.

Physical risks

Transition risks

To identify transition-specific risks and opportunities, we conducted a high-level screening of four interest areas - policy and legal, technology, market, and reputation - within the context of the shift to a low-carbon economy.

While many of the identified physical risks and opportunities have already been incorporated into the business continuity plans at affected locations, their mitigation - along with that of transition risks - is our strategic priority.

In Q4 2025, the Global Risk and Global ESG functions initiated a project to deepen the assessment of both physical and transition climate-related risks. The work is supported by a specialized external consultancy and the use of a digital risk intelligence tool for quantitative modeling. This project aims to further test the resilience of our strategy to climate-related risks and opportunities, quantify potential financial impacts, and help gain insights into where our efforts should be enhanced to better mitigate the identified exposures. The physical risks assessment relies on three of the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios along multiple time horizons, as mandated by the TCFD. The transition risks assessment considers an optimistic shift to a low carbon economy associated with 2°C of warming or lower by 2100. By the end of the reporting year, we defined the scope of the analysis to cover a total of 100 sites globally, including gategroup locations representing 80% of our total insured property value, as well as the most important supplier sites. The project is expected to conclude by the end of Q2 2026.

As part of our efforts to integrate ESG management, including climate matters, into gategroup’s business strategy, the topic has been among our company’s key priorities for future innovation since late 2024. This ensures that climate-related considerations are comprehensively embedded in the development and implementation of global initiatives, enabling proactive risk mitigation and the pursuit of meaningful opportunities.

Metrics (TCFD-MET-a, TCFD-MET-b)

Details on Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions, associated risks, and climate targets and performance are outlined in the “Energy management and climate change” section, as well as in the “Environmental performance indicators” table of this ESG Report. To date, gategroup has focused on climate change mitigation and has not yet set any additional public targets for managing climate-related risks and opportunities.

Waste

Responsible advocacy

As a company operating a global business in a B2B context, we recognize that some ESG challenges can only be addressed through collaboration. That is why we actively work with our customers, suppliers, industry peers, and cross-industry organizations to help accelerate progress.

One of the most significant topics on our ESG agenda  – for the wider aviation sector worldwide – is aviation waste.

Since the early 2000s, worldwide regulations have classified all airline catering waste generated during international flights as high-risk (International Catering Waste Category 1 waste) and required it to be incinerated or disposed of by deep burial in an authorized landfill. According to a 2014 report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the aviation industry estimated that 400,000-450,000 tonnes of Category 1 international catering waste are generated annually. This volume could be reduced by up to 40% if uncontaminated waste were allowed to be reused or recycled.

Since the projected airline passenger growth will increase flight volumes, cabin waste could double before 2030 according to IATA’s waste handbook (2019). This leads to escalating landfill contributions due to the Category 1 classification. Despite ongoing challenges to these regulations by key parties – including airlines, caterers, and airport operators – significant regulatory shifts have yet to be realized. ¹

To accelerate progress, gategroup is collaborating with cross-industry organizations such as IATA, the Airline Catering Association (ACA), the International Flight Services Association (IFSA), and the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF). Our goal is to enhance circularity and reduce CO2 emissions within the aviation sector. In recent years, alongside several airline customers, we have participated in transatlantic recycling trials coordinated by IATA. We have also endorsed the cross-industry joint statement to the EU “Towards Smarter Regulation of International Catering Waste (Category 1) in Aviation ²  as well as the related campaign by KLM. ³

To do our part, we work closely with our customers to minimize waste sent to landfills and incinerators. Initiatives include segregating waste on board to reduce the Category 1 portion, allowing more materials to be reused or recycled. Concurrently, we are committed to reducing waste and closing the loop in areas of our business unaffected by the ICW restrictions.

Any material classified as waste that has not been integrated into a circular system harms the environment. Incinerating or landfilling food waste exacerbates global food distribution inequalities and contributes to soil degradation. While we acknowledge the concerns behind the ICW regulations, we are driven to lead efforts that reduce waste and combat food scarcity. Driving positive change in our industry, our customers’ industries, and the broader ecosystem remains a cornerstone of gategroup’s social and environmental priorities.

Waste management

Our approach

Our global ESG Framework targets:

To bring our long-term waste reduction goals to fruition, we follow an integrated waste management hierarchy, implementing measures that prioritize resource efficiency and minimize waste, including:

Our existing waste management programs across all reporting locations globally currently facilitate the monthly collection of approximately 2,240 tonnes of recyclables, including cooking oil, cardboard, tetra packs, plastic, aluminum, metal, glass, wood, batteries, and electronics. In line with our commitment to digital solutions and emerging technologies, we continue to pilot IT-based solutions that screen waste from our customers, helping to identify opportunities for optimizing menu selection and minimizing product waste.

Our actions on waste reduction

Building on the success of the #mindfoodness campaign, inspired by the Stop Food Waste movement and launched in 2024 to encourage responsible food handling and waste reduction, we ran a second edition in 2025 to reinforce its importance and inspire continued efforts. gategroup units and employees worldwide contributed creative and practical ideas ranging from recipes using food scraps to process optimization proposals to reduce waste from the very start of the value chain.

The campaign saw a strong increase in participation, demonstrating a collective commitment and global effort to reduce food waste. In Japan, vegetable scraps are repurposed into hearty soups; in Colombia, surplus fruits become infused waters and smoothies; and in Chile, salmon trimmings and vegetable offcuts are reimagined as flavorful broths. These examples, and many more, demonstrate how everyday kitchen scraps can be transformed into delicious, nourishing dishes for airline passengers, lounge guests and staff alike. Meanwhile, smarter sourcing practices, like switching to smaller ingredient packaging in our French overseas unit, help reduce spoilage and improve efficiency across the board.

Metrics

In 2025, the total volumes of waste generated amounted to 238.2k tonnes, with 99.5k tonnes sent to landfill. Meanwhile, gategroup recycled and composted a combined volume of 26.9k tonnes of different materials from our own operations and offloaded from our customers, representing 11% of the total waste generated throughout the year and improving our performance compared to 2024 (9% waste recycled).

gategroup’s Central Kitchen in Germany: Innovating to use less, achieve more

Evertaste is one of gategroup’s key subsidiaries, serving as both a producer and distributor within the group. The company is headquartered in Germany and operates additional facilities in Finland, Spain, and the UK. Its broad product portfolio includes ready‑to‑eat and ready‑to‑cook meals, pre‑packaged salads, sandwiches, baked goods, and desserts, supplying mostly the aviation sector as well as some other specialized segments.

As gategroup’s Central Kitchen in Germany, Evertaste operates a highly efficient frozen meal hub where precise batch planning, advanced forecasting, and close customer collaboration have strengthened both operational performance and environmental outcomes. Over the past two years, these measures have contributed to a 15% reduction in food waste. In 2025, the facility also increased output by around 17% compared with 2024 while keeping total energy use broadly stable, resulting in an estimated 15% improvement in energy efficiency per meal.

Case study – Packaging system optimization

In 2025, Evertaste Germany, implemented a unified packaging optimization program combining carton redesign with a carton assembly system that automates box folding and forming, replacing manual assembly and enabling consistent, high-volume operations.

The carton packaging portfolio was streamlined from 12 formats to two, reducing operational complexity and enabling more consistent, scalable processes. The redesigned cartons were engineered to use approximately 18% less material per box while increasing capacity from 34 to 40 meals, optimizing packing density and lowering overall packaging intensity. These improvements delivered complementary reduced fiber use and saved over 123,000 boxes each year.

The higher-capacity boxes reduced daily pallet requirements from 60 to just 6.5 Euro pallets. This streamlined configuration also decreased pallet wrap usage by roughly 20% and reduced internal forklift handling and optimized transport capacity use, cutting energy consumption, fuel consumption, and associated CO₂ emissions.

Operational performance strengthened alongside these environmental gains. Automation doubled hourly output, increasing productivity by 100%, while packaging cost per unit declined by more than 50%. Additionally, the redesigned workstations follow ergonomic principles, providing better support and reducing strain on employees’ backs. This case demonstrates how thoughtful design optimization and process automation can simultaneously reduce material inputs, improve logistics efficiency, and enhance financial performance, positioning sustainable innovation as a driver of scalable operational excellence.

Circular economy

At gategroup, sustainability is at the core of our operations, driving innovation in every aspect of our business, from supply chains and kitchens to packaging and operations.

As the global leader in airline catering, we are committed to reducing waste, improving resource efficiency, and advancing circular solutions that benefit both our customers and the environment. Our approach integrates sustainable product design, responsible sourcing, and closed-loop recycling to minimize environmental impact while maintaining the highest industry standards.

Innovative design and responsible sourcing

With growing demand for sustainable catering solutions in the airline industry, we leverage our brand deSter’s strong track record of developing innovative food packaging and serviceware solutions to meet customers’ current needs and support progress toward circularity.

This leadership is reflected in deSter’s track record and portfolio development: since 2020, every newly introduced product has been reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and as a result, almost the entire portfolio meets these criteria. Furthermore, deSter is committed to sourcing 100% of its paper, wood, and fiber materials for food contact from sustainably managed forests.

Our approach

Sustainability is integrated into our packaging from the initial design phase, ensuring that products minimize environmental impact while maintaining quality and functionality. The waste reduction strategy begins with research and development, where our designers, engineers, and material specialists explore ways to minimize environmental impact.

Working closely with our customers, we evaluate the necessity of each product and identify opportunities to reduce or eliminate waste. Whenever possible, we introduce either durable, reusable products that can be closed-loop recycled, or home-compostable alternatives made from renewable resources such as wood fibers.

Switching from plastics to renewables reduces reliance on fossil fuels but raises concerns about deforestation and biodiversity loss. To mitigate this, we prioritize responsibly sourced materials, increasing the share of FSC-certified paper- and fiber-based products to 38% in 2025, a slight temporary decline compared to the 41% in 2024, due to lower sales of food contact paper and fiber-based material products, which included FSC-certified products. Nevertheless, this remains a significant increase compared to the 7% in 2019. We continue our journey to promote certified materials. All our packaging production locations are FSC-audited as well.

In recent years, deSter’s goal to make every product reusable, compostable, or recyclable has led to groundbreaking innovations, such as paperboard cutlery – a fully home-compostable alternative to plastic – and RFID-tagged reusable packaging. The latter enables seamless tracking and deposit-based return systems, helping organizers reuse waste while improving the visitor experience (e.g., reusable cups for customers such as Tomorrowland and professional league soccer clubs).

Furthermore, when our reusable food packaging reaches the end of its lifespan, it can be recycled at deSter’s facilities and used to create new products, reinforcing a low-waste, circular approach.

Sustainable design principles

With over 50 years of industry experience, our deSter brand has become synonymous with innovative design that enhances efficiency while reducing waste. The company continuously seeks ways to minimize its footprint with a few key strategies:

Beyond sustainable product design, responsible sourcing and ethical production remain priorities. gategroup is strengthening supplier management by evaluating not just materials but also the social and environmental standards of their partners (see “Responsible supply chain management” section in this report).

Closed-loop recycling and carbon calculations

gategroup remains an industry pioneer in closed-loop recycling. Since deSter became the first company in the travel industry to receive EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) approval in 2021, we have implemented circular systems in collaboration with five major airlines – KLM, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Emirates, and TAP Portugal – across three continents to implement closed-loop recycling processes at our facilities in Belgium and Thailand.

Additionally, since 2024, deSter offers a carbon footprint calculator that enables customers to compare the carbon emissions of different products across each item’s life cycle for specific items or set-ups. Calculations are provided upon request. The tool was developed in alignment with the GHG Protocol standards, together with external experts, to ensure coverage of all lifecycle stages. This helps our customers make more informed choices about certain products and set-ups. Furthermore, it also guides internal efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions, which primarily stem from product materials and end-of-life processing.

Water

Our approach

Water conservation is not only a responsibility to the planet that we take very seriously, but it is also essential to sustainable growth as a business. Every stage of our value chain – from agricultural processes and food preparation to dishwashing and sanitization – depends on clean, safe freshwater.

According to The UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 ¹, agriculture accounts for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals, followed by 15% from industry and 13% from services. Responsibly managing this resource is therefore critical for broader progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, making water a core priority in our ESG Framework.

In 2023, we used the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct tool to identify gategroup locations at high risk of experiencing extreme water stress by 2040. Our goal in defining this scope was to focus on minimizing additional stress on these local ecosystems. This priority aligns with our business continuity mandates, ensuring our operations are resilient and less reliant on water in areas where it is scarce. Preliminary results of the climate risk assessment that we started in 2025 point to extreme precipitation and drought as the two physical risks that our facilities are most exposed to, reinforcing the need to adapt and use water mindfully.

Our global target is to reduce the water intensity ratio (water withdrawn relative to revenues) by 20% in water-stressed areas by 2035 compared to the 2024 baseline. In 2025, this water intensity ratio increased to 0.70 (compared to 0.67 in 2024) due to a rise in business activity. However, focus initiatives in key locations have been identified to optimize water withdrawal moving forward.

Dishwashers and washing machines are our largest water consumers. We are addressing this through equipment upgrades, water metering, and operational efficiency measures. These efforts will be particularly important as we transition from single use to reusable packaging, which may increase the need for dishwashing. However, ongoing monitoring and analysis will help us balance both plastic reduction efforts and water conservation.

Our actions on water management

In 2025, we continued rolling out a dishwash metering solution to monitor machine operation and optimize use, ultimately reducing water as well as chemical and energy consumption. By year end, 92 machines had been connected - up from 68 in 2024 - covering most units in Region Europe, all units in Hong Kong, Japan, and two in North America. This represents about 21% of the total inventory. Moreover, a pilot in Amsterdam is currently underway to identify and test the different actions that can be taken to optimize dishwasher use, confirming great potential for both operational and cost efficiency.

Metrics

During the reporting period, our water withdrawal in water-stressed locations was 1,434.6k m³, accounting for 37% of our total water withdrawal and leading to an intensity ratio of 0.70.

Pollution

Our approach

In our catering business, potential soil and water pollution primarily stem from the use of chemicals in dishwashing, alongside limited air emissions from vehicles used to deliver meals. Waste-related impacts from our operations and the downstream value chain are covered in the “Waste management” section of this report. Meanwhile, the environmental impacts of our upstream activities are more closely linked to biodiversity and are addressed in the next section.

In our packaging operations, we strive to minimize pollution from both production processes and products, whether it is affecting air, water, or soil. deSter has set specific anti-pollution targets for soil and air pollution in its Global Environmental Policy ¹ and reports progress in its separate ESG disclosure ². Minimizing marine water pollution is also a key focus of our efforts to prevent downstream waste, particularly through packaging product circularity (see the “Circular economy” section for details).

At group level, we are committed to pollution prevention across our operations. Our target is to implement water treatment solutions at all main production locations by 2035 and mitigate air pollution where applicable.

In 2025, we started establishing a baseline of units with water and/or air pollution mitigation measures in place and will continue this screening in 2026. The results of this assessment will be the basis for a decision on a broader rollout. In the meantime, two additional water pollution mitigation projects are already underway. Our catering unit in Barcelona (Spain) initiated the construction of an onsite wastewater treatment plant. Our packaging production site in Hoogstraten (Belgium) is installing an end-of-pipe treatment system to filter heavy metals out of wastewater before discharge.

To ensure food safety compliance, our cleaning processes rely on significant volumes of chemicals. Therefore, we are working with our global chemical solutions provider to transition toward cleaner alternatives that contain biodegradable ingredients, are concentrated (to reduce transportation), and come in recyclable and/or reusable containers. Pilot testing is underway at selected locations across Europe to assess their suitability prior to a gradual broader rollout.

Biodiversity and ecosystems

Biodiversity loss has accelerated in recent decades and creates new risks for people, businesses, and the environment. Considering the environmental challenges ahead, gategroup is investigating how best to play a role in biodiversity preservation.

Through our Double Materiality Assessment, we identified adverse impacts on biodiversity linked to procurement activities – such as farming, resource extraction, and deforestation – as a key material topic.

The direct impact of gategroup’s operations on biodiversity is limited, as our catering sites are primarily located in existing industrial parks, often in or near airports or train stations. None of our tableware manufacturing sites are near a recognized biodiversity-sensitive area or pose significant risks to local ecosystems. Implementing water treatment solutions at production locations and mitigating air pollution, where relevant, are the key levers to also minimize a potential biodiversity impact from our own activities.

Climate change mitigation and pollution reduction are addressed through gategroup’s Net Zero strategy and commitments to minimizing waste and pollution.

Overall, our upstream activities, such as purchasing, have a significantly greater influence on biodiversity than our direct operations.

Catering activities

Being part of the agricultural value chain, gategroup has a responsibility to shift toward a more sustainable supply chain model. In 2024, we set a goal to develop a group-wide framework to integrate responsible resource use and biodiversity considerations into our sourcing strategy by 2027.

In 2025, we initiated work to explore options to source ingredients stemming from nature-positive farming practices, including opportunities for direct engagement, as well as collaborations with our customers and external organizations to foster change toward future-forward food systems.

Packaging activities

Our upstream impact on land use and land-use change is directly linked to sourcing paper, fibers, and wood materials, which can pose deforestation risks. Our global approach, targets, and actions on responsible resource use are detailed in deSter’s ESG Report ¹ in the “Product” section.