Forth Valley College

Social impact auditing

Forth Valley College has helped to ‘road test’ what is believed to be the UK’s first social impact auditing tool for the food and drink industry. The pioneering initiative, which has been developed with Forth Valley Food Futures and Forth Valley Food and Drink, aims to inspire the sector to prioritise sustainability, foster community engagement and uphold ethical working practices.

Funded by Sustainable Food Places, the new toolkit empowers businesses and organisations to measure their social impact themselves. By taking part in the tool’s development, Forth Valley College used this opportunity to identify and celebrate work taking place across the College’s campuses, such as offering free meals to students, “Food to Go” packages and working with the local community.

Forth Valley College is dedicated to supporting its students while making a positive impact on the surrounding community, through initiatives focused on student well-being, community engagement and environmental sustainability.

What the Judges Thought

The Social Impact Audit tool is a fantastic initiative that clearly has implications for the services offered, the community and the sector. The social benefits of this project are impressive from a small institution and the college have show the impact on attainment and drop out rates.

What it Means to Win

“Winning a Green Gown Award is an honour, as it shows that we’re on track to meet our net zero targets which are extremely important to us as a responsible institution. It also helps inspire our students and further encourages sustainability within our local communities and beyond.”

Kenny MacInnes, Principal

Top 3 Learnings

1. Starting small to gauge the impact of free meals helped us to expand following feedback.
2. Sustainability is a team effort – working with partners and the community shapes provision and impact.
3. Small things can be more achievable.