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.”
President & CEO
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
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
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:
107t
Thanks to these efforts, we prevented 1,841 tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Meals rescued with Too Good To Go, equivalent to roughly 165,422 sushi packs diverted from disposal, preventing 195 tons of CO₂ emissions.
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
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.
Of Bento plastic packaging contained 30% PCR content
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 and FSC/PEFC certified by 2030.
- Investigate opportunities for reusable packaging to support the circular economy
Responsible Sourcing
Quality without compromise
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.
Longo’s
How2Recycle
ASI Food Pantry
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.