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Autobar Group and
Sustainability
The area of sustainability is
attracting ever increasing levels of market attention and
awareness. We recognise that many of our processes, products and
services have the potential to affect the surroundings in which we
operate. It is Autobar's policy to manage our activities in a
responsible manner. To this end, the Autobar Group will not just
meet current environmental legislation, but will strive to exceed
the relevant environmental regulations in each of the countries in
which we operate. We recognise that the area of sustainability is
constantly evolving and as a result we review our practices and
procedures regularly.
Autobar's first sustainability
initiatives date back to 1989 when we started to work with
Fairtrade coffee and 1990 when we founded Save a Cup,
the vending cup recycling scheme in the UK, with Dow Chemical
Company Ltd.
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Autobar continues to increase
its sustainability, making improvements where possible, while
balancing the needs of customers, employees, the environment and
our shareholders now and for the future.
Our focus lies in the areas
where we can have the greatest impact: Product development &
sourcing, energy, packaging, waste & recycling, distribution
& transport and Communication & training;
Product
Development and Sourcing
Autobar's production companies
have been pro-active in the sourcing and developing sustainable
products. These initiatives include:
- In 2003 launching the first Fairtrade Organic
products specially developed for the vending market;
- Manufacturing and supplying a full range
of Fairtrade and Fairtrade Organic products;
- Blending sustainable coffees within our
mainstream blends since 1989
- In 2008, 43% of all coffee purchased was
certified sustainable coffee.
- In 2008 the Celsusdrinks concept, a range of
100% sustainable and 100% traceable vending products packed in
aluminium free packaging was launched. Full details at
www.celsusdrinks.com .
- Autobar in the UK purchased enough "thirsty
planet" water in 2008 to fund 16 Elephant–Pumps in sub Saharan
Africa.
We have developed healthy and
nutritional products as part of the Autobar product range:
- a low lactose product range was developed
especially for the Nordic market where lactose intolerance is a
major health issue;
- a range of "light" drink products was
developed for use in vending machines, in order to meet the
increased demand for healthier products.
Group suppliers who can
demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, hold accreditation and
comply or exceed legislation requirements in their field are
strongly preferred when we consider our purchasing
requirements.
Energy
ISO 14001 environmental
accreditations are held by the following Autobar Group companies,
Autobar Holland, Autobar Norte, Autobar Finland and ICS.
All of our businesses
(operations and production) in Holland use 100% 'green
energy'.
The electricity supplied to our
depot in Dublin is generated exclusively by wind farms.
Autobar's main ingredient
production factory ICS has reduced its relative energy consumption
by 20% over the last 9 years. Furthermore ICS participates in an
active energy reduction plan called "MJA-3" (an energy reduction
program initiated by the Dutch Government). ICS are currently
investigating the possibility of further reduction within the whole
supply chain together with SenterNovem, the Dutch Governmental
partner for innovation and sustainable development.
Energy saving options for
vending machines are highlighted and offered to our customers
Packaging
Historically, aluminum has been
used in ingredient packaging materials to form a barrier against
external factors i.e. oxygen, moisture, extreme temperatures and UV
light. This barrier was required to prevent deterioration of the
product. However, the whole process of extraction, refining and
processing of aluminum has a considerable negative impact on the
environment.
New synthetic materials are now
available which can replace aluminum, reducing the impact on the
environment while maintaining the historic benefits of aluminum
packaging. In general the carbon footprint of synthetic material is
35% to 40% smaller compared to aluminum packaging. Aluminium free
packaging was first launched by Autobar in our Swedish business in
2001. Currently 40% of all packaging at ICS is aluminium free. Our
aim is to increase this percentage further.
Waste and
Recycling
Autobar were a founding member
of the UK vending cup recycling scheme 'Save a Cup' in 1990. Full
details of the scheme can be found at www.save-a-cup.co.uk
Autobar in Ireland are members
of the Repack group, who ensure that all waste packaging they place
in the market is counteracted by a reciprocal amount of
recycling.
By using bulk shipments of
ingredients where ever possible packaging waste is reduced.
The Autobar Group complies with
the European WEEE directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) in all the countries covered by this legislation. In
Norway (which is not covered) we are members of the Government
machine recycling scheme
Distribution and
Transport
We have increased the
transportation of ingredients in bulk which in turn reduces the
environmental impact of our distribution processes.
Route planning systems are used
to increase the efficiency of operators and technical service
across the Group. This is an ongoing process which is constantly
reviewed and improved.
A new Group vehicle policy was
introduced on 1st July 2008, focussing on the reduction
of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Communication
and Training
Clear and transparent
communication is necessary to raise the awareness of both our
employees and customers to our activities in this area. This is
done through both Autobar Group internal communications and the ICS
Product Competence Centre where all training courses include a
section on sustainability.
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