Our Impact
Sustainability
At IFS, we are focussed on the impact we have on Environmental, Social and Governance areas, which affect our daily operation.
At the heart of the IFS organisation is its people and the communities in which it offers its services. It is a priority for IFS to conduct its operations and deliver quality services to all its clients in a way that is mindful of its impact on the environment, society and fair and equal governance practices.
In this way, IFS contributes to the building of an overall sustainable global community and environment that is around for future generations to grow and flourish in.
ESG Milestones in 2023
Level 1 BBBEE certification
Group staff weekly safety moments
Group ethics hotline
Successful Completion of 1st Camp Management Development Program
Employee health and safety training initiatives
Mozambique CSI Program –192 jobs created
Local content initiative
– 27% locally procured goods & services
– 61% of goods & services procured nationally
– 98% of staff employed are from local communitiesReduction of 1500 kgs per month of waste
Employee access to continuous learning & development through IFS Academy
Our Responsibility
We recognise the importance of fostering national economies and local communities in the host nations where we operate.
We prioritise local employment and social investment with over 98% of our workforce recruited in-country with the majority from surrounding rural and urban communities.
We adhere to local content guidelines for goods procurement and supplier selection, collaborating with local companies across Africa to enhance their capacity and infrastructure. Currently, more than 98% of our produce is sourced locally in each country of operation.
Our Community
At IFS, Corporate Social Responsibility and ensuring we focus on being good corporate citizens, looking out for our communities and helping them, is paramount to our Culture: who we are and what we stand for.
Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of IFS’s commitment to sustainable development and an important mechanism for the business as a valued service provider and a social and economic partner among its clients, suppliers and its communities.
Zao La Nyumbani in Swahili means Home Grown, growing local communities, ensuring they encompass our core values of HOME as Good Corporate Citizens: As Helpers, Owners, Mentors and Energisers.
We identify partners and initiatives across Africa to ensure sustainable long-term growth and improving communities we touch:
Giving back to and empowering communities to be equipped and educated for sustainable growth.
Ensuring we assist in driving local content purchases by developing sustainable initiatives in areas close to our camps.
Provide positive social value and being a good corporate citizen to the lives we touch.
We have a number of key CSI projects that we are passionate about, working with our clients and communities to ensure we are making an effective impact in all that we do.
MOZAMBIQUE BROILER CHICKEN FARMING INITIATIVE
As Good Corporate Citizens, we have conducted extensive research and piloted sustainable initiatives in collaboration with local communities, aiming for long-term benefits such as employment creation, skills development and food security.
Our sustainable out-grower chicken farming solution in Mozambique empowers local villagers by providing chicks, stockfeed, training, and access to markets, thereby unlocking the productive potential of small-scale farmers.
Under this initiative, local communities raise broiler chickens in designated areas, ensuring adherence to health, safety, and quality standards. IFS is committed to sourcing food locally and serves as a key supply partner in this endeavour.
We ensure safe slaughter and production through fully functional portable Abattoir containers, approved by health authorities, allowing for the processing of up to 1000 chickens per 8-hour shift. All poultry is handled in accordance with food safety standards to supply both local communities and regional contracts.
FARM TO FORK – FRESH PRODUCE FARMS
Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to ensure continuous development for communities worldwide. With this in mind and with the aim of promoting local employment, IFS has successfully developed and currently manages a 5ha farm in Mozambique. Over 40 community members have directly benefitted from the farm as farm owners and all revenue generated goes to them. They have made tremendous progress as they have improved and developed new agricultural skills besides earning monthly revenue from the sale of produce.
This sustainable initiative not only provides skills and employment, but essential food sources to communities, and fresh produce for our sites, utilising the “farm to fork” model.
IFS will use the same model and expand to other areas/villages within Mozambique, Lesotho, Zambia and DRC helping small scale farmers improve and generate more revenue. IFS as a catering company, will purchase all produce from the local growers.
Health and Safety
Safety first! We don’t just say this, we do it. The health and safety of our workforce is important, and we ensure that all our staff adhere to our health and safety measures.
Our foundational value is to provide a safe and healthy work environment exceeding legal responsibilities and incorporating the clients' standards.
This commitment means that:
Safety is a “way of life” at IFS with the principle of prevention as a core value of the highest priority.
We implement effective Risk Management principles to provide a safe and healthy workplace.
AT IFS, we ensure managers, supervisors and employees actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment.
FOOD SAFETY
Food Safety is of paramount importance in the catering operation.
To ensure this, IFS has extensive Food Service Safety Programmes and HACCP-based processes in line with industry standards that are fundamental to producing safe food. Our programme systematically identifies the potential hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur in the catering operation, with food safety compliance being monitored from source to plate .
We adopt the highest hygiene standards and monitor effectiveness through the use of surface testing equipment.
