Sustainability at Bento

Our Commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Principles.

Our approach to sustainability is our commitment to a healthier planet. From responsible sourcing to environmentally-friendly packaging, we ensure every roll supports a sustainable future.

“We are committed to making the right choices today to ensure a sustainable tomorrow for future generations. With over 30 million servings of sushi sold annually, we understand the strength of our ability to impact the lives of our customers, partners, and the communities that we serve.”

Our ESG pillars: Planet, People and Products

Our sustainability approach is grounded in three interconnected pillars that define our impact, guide our operations, and reflect our values.

Planet

We aim to minimize our impact by reducing our carbon footprint across our supply chain, in our operations and in our consumer experience.

People

Our people are at the heart of our success. We foster an entrepreneurial and inclusive culture while supporting the communities we operate in and serve.

Products

We work closely with our suppliers and industry partners to continuously improve the traceability and transparency of our products.

Our environmental focus areas

We measure what matters. Each focus area reflects our commitment to reducing impact across operations and supply chains.

Greenhouse gas and energy use

Reducing our carbon footprint

We measure what matters. Each focus area reflects our commitment to reducing impact across operations and supply chains.

Our 2026 ambitions:

Continue to improve the quality of data across our company as we identify information gaps and implement processes to gather comprehensive emissions data across our direct operations, energy use, and supply chain.
Integrate energy use reduction options into all equipment and facility build-out or refurbishment decisions.
Establish an energy use monitoring program at company-owned or operated locations to track energy consumption, identify efficiency opportunities, and develop a baseline for future reduction targets.
Implement effective preventative maintenance programs to reduce refrigerant and gas leaks.

Waste

Waste diversion

Supporting a circular economy where everything is valued allows resources to be used more efficiently. Categorizing our waste and identifying diversion-from-landfill opportunities is an important first step.

Feeding the world responsibly

Growing food to feed the world’s increasing population uses vast areas of land and abundant amounts of energy and water. To minimize food waste, we have taken meaningful action.

Our 2025 waste reduction efforts:

1,709t

Organics
composted

319t

Mixed recyclables processed

258t

Went to
Landfills

107t

Wood
recycled

307t

Cardboard
recycled

Thanks to these efforts, we prevented 1841 tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

66,169

Meals rescued with Too Good To Go, equivalent to roughly 165,422 sushi packs diverted from disposal, preventing 195 tons of CO₂ emissions.

28,298 Kg

Of organic waste prevented from being disposed of in landfill. Avoiding 53 tons of CO₂ emissions, thanks to the composting programs with our grocery retailer partners in Canada.

Our 2026 ambitions:

Achieve an overall diversion rate of 80% for commissaries as part of our waste reduction efforts.
Maintain collaboration with waste management partners to enhance diversion rates, and advocate for improved reporting standards.
Continue to provide education and raise awareness among employees to ensure engagement with diversion programs.

Continue expanding our partnership with Too Good To Go and explore opportunities to implement food waste reduction initiatives across our non-traditional locations.
Connect and collaborate with potential retail partners and participate in their composting and recycling initiatives to help minimize landfill waste.
Further investigate food donation and food rescue opportunities for other suitable locations.

Plastics, packaging & paper

Better with less

We are focused on the approach of reduce, re-use, and recycle (in that order wherever possible), so that waste is seen as a resource as part of a wider circular economy. We support the Canadian and US Plastics Pact and work collaboratively with innovative suppliers and industry partners to reduce the demand and impact of our primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging.

Our 2025 progress:

We remain committed to fulfilling our retail brand partners’ sustainable sourcing standards and will ensure that our main seafood products, such as salmon, tuna, shrimp, and surimi, are sourced both sustainably and ethically.
Implementation of our Responsible Sourcing Standards Guide with 100% of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.

98%

Of Bento’s primary packaging was 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable

54%

Of Bento plastic packaging contained 30% PCR content

Teaming up with How2Recycle, we integrated recyclability icons onto our Bento at Home offerings and Bento Express line.

Our 2026 ambitions:

All primary plastic packaging will be 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2027.
50% average post-consumer recycled content across all plastic packaging.
Eliminate all unnecessary and problematic plastics by the end of 2027.
Fibre-based packaging to be 100% deforestation-free & FSC/PEFC certified by 2030.
Investigate opportunities for re-usable packaging to support the circular economy.

Responsible Sourcing

Quality without compromise

We recognize that we are only as sustainable as the suppliers from whom we buy our products. Sustainability is integrated into our buying practices, and we collaborate closely with our suppliers and industry partners to continuously improve the traceability and transparency of our products, as well as their overall sustainability performance.

100% of our main seafood products (salmon, tuna, shrimp & surimi) were sustainably sourced.

Our 2026 ambitions:

We remain committed to fulfilling our retail brand partners’ sustainable sourcing standards and will ensure that our main seafood products, such as salmon, tuna, shrimp, and surimi, are sourced both sustainably and ethically.
Implementation of our Responsible Sourcing Standards Guide with 100% of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.

Sustainability partners

Meaningful change requires collaboration. Through strategic partnerships, we extend our impact beyond our own operations to drive systemic improvement.

Too Good To Go

Reducing food waste across kiosks and commissaries.

Join our food waste movement

veritree

Restoring ecosystems through verified tree planting and monitoring.

View our impact

Longo’s

Strategic retail partnership for sustainable waste diversion and community composting programs.

How2Recycle

Using recyclability icons on the Bento at Home and Bento Express lines for consumers to do proper disposal.

ASI Food Pantry

A permanent program that provides a rotating selection of non-perishable foods, canned goods, and fresh produce to support students in need.

Download our sustainability reports

Transparency builds trust. Access our formal reports and policies to learn more about our progress, priorities, and commitments.

Sustainability Policy

Our core values and strategy for environmental and social responsibility and stewardship.

Sustainable Seafood Policy

Our criteria for sourcing, mapping, and certifying seafood across our global supply chain.

Bento 2025 ESG Report

A comprehensive overview of our environmental, social, and governance performance across Bento.

For more information or inquiries related to sustainability, please feel free to contact us or reach out via email at sustainability@bentosushi.com.

Investing in systemic change: The Bento Foundation

At the heart of the Bento Foundation is a commitment to giving back. We focus on three primary objectives: Community Engagement and Support, Environmental Sustainability, and Disaster Relief. Our strategic initiatives, advocacy, and partnerships promote social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. Through these efforts, we extend our reach into the communities we serve.