SUSTAINABILITY
SELCO ACCELERATES ITS SUSTAINABLE AIMS
Builders merchant Selco Builders Warehouse, has boosted its commitment to developing a long-term sustainable future for the business.
T
he planting of the inaugural Selco Forest, continued significant environmental improvements to branches, an overhaul of the transport fleet and changes to recycling programmes represent the latest developments in the merchant’ sustainability journey. The effect its operations have on the environment has been on the agenda for a number of years at Selco and a new strategy places the focus on five categories – planet, customer and product, charity and community, ethics and people.
Carine Jessamine, Selco’s marketing director and sustainability lead, says: “We have a long- term blueprint to ensure we are playing our part in the global effort to tackle climate change. “Achieving a sustainable business model for our customers and colleagues alike is a vision not just for now but for the years and decades to come, and we are delighted with the progress we are making.
“We demonstrated our resilience as a business with the response we delivered throughout the pandemic where protecting our people and customers was at the heart of our strategy. “Now it’s vital we demonstrate our ability to operate as a forward-thinking organisation as we look to play our part in another significant global challenge.”
The launch of the Selco Forest saw 106,000 trees planted on a near 100-acre site near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders.
In their lifecycle, the trees planted – which included Sitka Spruce, Norway Spruce, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir and Dawn Redwood – will result in 8,000 tons of carbon being sequestered, which equates to the offsetting of the amount of carbon used in two years of Selco customer deliveries.
In planting the forest, Selco worked with its suppliers BSW Timber to design the woodland
cardboard waste from branches is returned to the LDC where Selco, in conjunction with warehouse and distribution services partner Unipart, ensures all waste is recycled centrally. Selco’s transport system is another key focal point of the long-term sustainability targets. As such, in recent times there has been a rapid acceleration in the move towards alternative fuel and electric vehicles.
and plant the trees and CarbonStore to arrange and validate the carbon units.
Jessamine adds: “The Selco Forest initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in the builders merchant industry and shows the decisive action we are taking to offset our carbon footprint. “We have plans to plant more Selco Forests in 2022 and beyond.”
The Selco Forest is, however, only one part of a wide-ranging sustainability strategy. A significant investment in upgrading branches has resulted in a dramatic lowering of the carbon footprint in stores.
All of Selco’s 72 branches have now completed a lighting upgrade programme, with each one fitted with LEDs and sensors, saving up to 69 tons of carbon in a single branch each year. Gas consumption has also been reduced through the installation of The Vickers Energy Management System, which has now been fitted in over 60 per cent of branches. This reduces gas consumption by controlling heating through sensors, ensuring specific parts of the store are kept to within one degree of the chosen temperature at all times, reducing the carbon footprint by between 25 and 74 per cent. An enhanced recycling programme was launched by Selco at the end of last year, with the company’s Lightside Distribution Centre in Oxfordshire at the heart of the process. The efficient new policy means all plastic and
April 2022
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
Compressed Natural Gas vehicles now play a part in Selco’s fleet, operating from both branches and delivery hubs and demonstrating a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, while trials are taking place with a host of other electric vehicles, including vans, trucks, fork-lift trucks and cranes.
An overhaul of Selco’s company car system has also taken place, with single fuel petrol and diesel cars no longer available and colleagues eligible for a car having the choice between a petrol plug-in hybrid or fully electrical. Electric car charging points are also being installed throughout the network. Jessamine says: “From a product viewpoint, we are working with manufacturers to ensure we are providing sustainable building solutions for our customers.
“We continue to support the communities in which we operate, both through regularly supporting local projects through material donations and through our charity partner, which this year is Cancer Research UK. “We also are committed to enhancing a culture where each of our 3,000-plus colleagues can thrive, develop and improve, creating a fully diverse and inclusive workforce with training and development opportunities for all.
“These are the first steps on an exciting and valuable long-term journey which will ensure Selco is operating sustainably and playing our part in helping to tackle climate change.” BMJ
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