From No Straws to Strategy: How Compass Group Is Turning Everyday Meals into Climate Action

Heidi Spurrell | 16th October 2025 | 4min read

In this episode of Future Bites, Heidi sat down with Gigi Lau, Customer Experience and Sustainability Director at Compass Group Hong Kong, a long-time Future Green member and partner.

Compass has been steadily transforming the food service industry — from pioneering plastic-free initiatives to co-creating a sustainability roadmap through a Future Green Strategy Sprint.

Listen to the full podcast interview here

Conversations that matter — Gigi Lau and Heidi discuss how everyday meals can drive climate action.

Serving up to 50,000 meals a day across schools and corporate offices, Compass is in a powerful position to influence how Hong Kong eats — and thinks — about food. For Gigi, that influence carries both opportunity and responsibility.

“When you feed that many people every day, you have a real chance to shape habits,” she says. “Even small changes can create lasting impact.”

Small swaps, big impact — Compass’s journey towards sustainability started with saying no to single-use.

Source: Compass Group HK

Small Swaps, Big Shifts

Compass’s sustainability journey began with a simple but symbolic move — removing plastic straws from all its operations across Hong Kong. It was a small step that signalled a much larger shift.

Soon after came the “Bring Your Own Container” and “Bring Your Own Mug” campaigns with major corporate clients. Partnerships with Foodlink and Feeding Hong Kong soon followed, helping to redirect surplus food to those in need and reduce waste across multiple sites.

Each initiative has encouraged a culture of awareness.

“It’s not about being perfect,” Gigi notes, “it’s about pausing before you throw something away — that tiny pause changes how people think.”

These early actions laid the foundation for Compass’s wider ambition: to make sustainability second nature in both its kitchens and its customer experience.

Collaboration in action — creating a culture of shared responsibility from the kitchen to the canteen.

Source: Compass Group HK

Collaboration at Scale

With hundreds of clients and multiple stakeholders, driving sustainability in food service is as much about communication as it is about innovation. Compass has learnt that progress comes from partnership — aligning the needs of clients, chefs, and suppliers under a shared vision.

“We can’t do sustainability alone,” Gigi says. “Our role is to help clients see what’s possible and then move together.”

By creating a sense of shared ownership, Compass has turned sustainability from a top-down directive into a collaborative journey. The result is an organisation where environmental responsibility is woven into every conversation — from menu planning to waste reduction.

A Sprint Towards Shared Vision

Earlier this year, Compass partnered with Future Green for a Sustainability Strategy Sprint — an intensive two-day workshop designed to align teams, test ideas and uncover roadblocks.

The Sprint brought together leaders, chefs and procurement teams to map challenges and opportunities. One revealing discussion highlighted that some initiatives were not stalling because of cost or logistics, but due to simple communication gaps.

“Once people had a safe space to talk, the barriers melted away,” Gigi recalls. “Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from simply asking the right questions.”

The Sprint didn’t just produce a plan — it reignited motivation, ownership and clarity across Compass’s teams, setting the stage for faster progress.

Teamwork that transforms — Compass and Future Green co-creating sustainability solutions in a Strategy Sprint.

Innovation on the Menu

Following our Sprint, Compass began developing a series of creative, practical projects to embed sustainability into everyday dining.

One standout idea was a Green Café — a plant-based food truck that would serve sustainable meals and coffee made exclusively with plant-based milk. Another focused on integrating WWF/Unilever’s Future 50 Foods into menus to diversify ingredients and promote climate-friendly diets.

“We want sustainability to be the default,” says Gigi. “If every coffee counter started with plant-based milk, and dairy became the exception, habits would shift almost overnight.”

These concepts use design thinking and behavioural science to make the sustainable choice not just easy — but irresistible.

Celebrating the Future 50 Foods — ingredients that nourish people and the planet.

Learning, Adapting, Educating

Compass’s sustainability journey hasn’t been a straight line. A carbon labelling pilot launched in 2022 didn’t resonate as hoped, but it became a valuable learning opportunity.

“We realised that data alone doesn’t change behaviour — education does,” Gigi reflects. “You need stories and context for people to care.”

That understanding now drives Compass’s approach to engagement. From sustainability workshops for corporate clients to gamified sessions in schools, the company is helping people connect their everyday choices with wider environmental impact. “Once young people understand it,” Gigi adds, “they become the best ambassadors for change.”

A Plant-Forward Future

Compass is also leading a quiet dietary revolution through its 30:70 model — 30% animal protein and 70% plant-based. It’s a flexible, balanced approach that supports both human and planetary health without compromising on flavour.

“You don’t have to give up meat,” says Gigi. “Just shifting a few meals each week makes a difference — for your health and for the planet.”

In a city that consumes more meat per capita than anywhere else in the world, Compass’s work to normalise plant-forward eating is both bold and necessary.

Shaping a plant-forward future — exploring Compass’s sustainability model for healthier, low-impact dining.

The Road Ahead

For Compass Group, sustainability isn’t a campaign — it’s a long-term commitment. From reducing waste and rethinking menus to building circular systems, the company continues to prove that change doesn’t require grand gestures — just persistence and partnership.

“Be patient. Be flexible. Don’t give up,” says Gigi. “Change takes time, but every small action adds up to something bigger.”

From banning straws to building plans through strategy Sprints, Compass Group Hong Kong is showing how even the most ordinary moments — a coffee break, a school lunch, a staff canteen — can become opportunities for climate action.

Moments that Matter — from workshops to events, building sustainability through partnership.

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Join the Movement

🌿 Work with Compass Group Hong Kong
Discover how Compass Group is embedding sustainability into every meal. Visit Compass Group Hong Kong to learn more about their initiatives.

💡 Become a Future Green Member
Would you like your organisation to join a community of changemakers like Compass Group Hong Kong? Join Future Green membership to access insights, support and collaborative opportunities.

🚀 Run Your Own Sustainability Strategy Sprint
Want to unlock innovation and align your team’s sustainability goals? Enquire about running a Strategy Sprint with Future Green and turn big ambitions into action.

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8th October
2025