Selecta Group, the European route-based unattended self-service retail, has published its second annual Sustainability Report which outlines 2019’s key achievements and the progress made against the company’s commitments.

David Flochel, chief executive, commented: “We’re delighted with the initiatives we carried out in the last year and the demonstrable progress we’ve achieved against all our commitments.

“Because we serve more than 10 million consumers each day, we understand our broader responsibility on the communities we engage with and to minimise our environmental impact. Over the coming year, we have even more ambition to scale-up our activities and we look forward to collaborating further with our customers, consumers and stakeholders on our journey to ‘make the day work’ for generations to come.”

Selecta’s sustainability strategy achievements are as follows:

Respecting the environment

In line with its goals to minimise its environmental impact by reducing its carbon footprint, the company has made progress last year through the use of telemetry.

Selecta operates 94,000 machines equipped with telemetry to remotely monitor the machine’s condition and stock, improving service levels to clients. Furthermore, telemetry enables the company to plan its routes dynamically and help reduce unnecessary kilometres travelled.

To make optimal use of coffee waste, the company is also collaborating in Netherlands with an urban farming initiative that uses spent coffee grounds as soil for growing oyster mushrooms turning them into snacks for local restaurants. In Italy, used coffee grounds are collected from clients and used as a source of renewable energy.

Offering responsible products

Selecta is committed to sourcing its raw materials and products responsibly and to stimulating healthier choices through innovative concepts and offers a wide range of certified sustainable products and a variety of healthy food and drinks.

Last yearthe company roasted approximately 15,000 tonnes of coffee of which 52% is certified by Fairtrade, UTZ or Rainforest Alliance.

During the year Selecta increased the production of certified coffee by 1,716 tonnes, equalling 190 million extra cups of sustainable coffee.

In the area of responsible sourcing, Selecta renewed its Supplier Code of Conduct and aims to further improve its sustainable sourcing approach, working closely with various suppliers.

Supporting the community

Through the Selecta Coffee Fund, Selecta contributed to improving the livelihoods of small coffee farmers and their families in Rwanda.

In 2019, the company provided 42 households with a cow each, giving them a valuable source of protein, additional household income, and fertilizer to increase their coffee yields.

Selecta also supported the construction of a kindergarten in the country, providing meals and education to 168 children.

Providing an enjoyable workplace

Selecta employs more than 10,000 people across 16 Selecta countries, and the large majority of its employees (89%) have a fixed contract and work on a full-time basis (91%).

In 2019, Selecta embarked on its Employee Engagement Programme with an employee survey and is implementing various actions across its operations.

The company has made a commitment to conducting business with the highest standard of ethics and integrity.