Selina’s Inaugural ESG Report Affirms Commitment to Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
16 August 2022 - 9:00PM
Business Wire
Costa Rica hotels are first in portfolio to
secure carbon neutral certification
Selina’s commitment to community and inclusion
fosters gains in social and governance objectives
Establishes goals for ESG operational
standards, measuring greenhouse gas emissions and water
consumption, reducing single-use plastic and for implementing
social responsibility programs worldwide
Selina, the fast-growing lifestyle and experiential hospitality
brand targeting millennial and Gen Z travelers, issued its
inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance, or “ESG” report
today, with robust reporting of tangible progress made in 2021.
With environmental and social consciousness in its DNA and
“impact” among its five core values, Selina’s operating philosophy
fuels ESG initiatives rooted in care for the planet, starting with
its host communities. In 2021, the company focused on setting a
baseline for achieving its long-term ESG goals, putting in place a
comprehensive infrastructure to enhance its mission and measure its
impact on people and the planet. This effort allowed the company to
establish a set of achievable medium-term goals, including the
launch of a pilot program to measure its greenhouse gas emissions –
which launched this year with plans to extend it to 100% of
Selina’s operations by 2024.
Demonstrating the company’s strong progress in 2021, Selina’s
entire 10-property Costa Rica portfolio was certified net-zero for
carbon emissions. To achieve this distinction, the company
implemented a number of practices that align to standards set forth
by the 100% Carbon Neutral® International Program, The Envira
Amazonia Tropical Forest Conservation Program and The Hotel Carbon
Measurement Initiative. Moreover, the company is making progress on
its goal to reduce paper waste by implementing technology and
enhancing its app to support paperless check-in. In 2021, 30
percent of check-ins were completed through the app, and Selina
completed an update in 2022 with the intention of supporting 80
percent of check-ins. On the social front, Selina continues to
advance its mission of fostering meaningful connections. In 2021,
66 percent of guests and 80 percent of employees reported meeting a
friend during their stays.
Selina CEO and Co-Founder Rafael Museri said, “Selina was born
out of a desire to celebrate the nomadic lifestyle by giving guests
the chance to experience our planet's most beautiful places, to
build community, to engage with locals and fellow travelers, to
work and enjoy new adventures. Doing all of this while mitigating
our carbon footprint is key to our efforts to be a responsible
corporate citizen, delivering value in a way that goes beyond the
bottom line. We’ve taken considerable time to determine how best to
establish an ESG program that reflects our mission and enables us
to increase and measure our impact over time, and we look forward
to continuing to build on these efforts.”
To that end, Selina also detailed some of the progress it has
made advancing its ESG initiatives in 2022. It has expanded its
measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption to 20
locations in six countries, as well as eliminated single-use
plastic at 30 percent of its properties with a goal of eliminating
usage entirely by 2025.
Added Maya Federman, Selina’s Director of ESG, “Selina has
implemented a number of diverse initiatives related to ESG matters
over the last eight years, and in 2021 we took it a step further,
consolidating these efforts under a single vision that can be
evolved over time. In launching our formal ESG program and
releasing our inaugural report, we are holding ourselves
accountable to the standards we are setting to maximize our social
impact, minimize our environmental footprint and operate with high
standards of corporate governance.”
Additional highlights of the report include:
Environmental
- All 10 Costa Rica locations are certified net zero for carbon
emissions by the 100% Carbon Neutral® International Program. This
program serves as a model for all other Selina locations to start
measuring their greenhouse gas emissions and water
consumption.
- Selina uses a circular economy approach, growing not through
new construction, but by leveraging adaptive reuse to breathe new
life into existing buildings and upcycling and/or recycling
furniture and other valuable pieces of inventory.
- Waste management initiatives range from reducing single-use
plastics to converting to an app-based check-in process to reduce
paper usage, as well as providing water re-filling stations and
reusable drinkware to limit the use of disposable materials.
Social
- Selina continues to make meaningful progress advancing its
mission to deliver destinations that positively impact people,
communities and local businesses by creating new jobs and
facilitating connections through authentic programming, experiences
and educational initiatives. In 2021, this programming included
workshops, fundraising initiatives, crisis responses, community
service projects, women’s empowerment programs, and LGBTQ2+, DEI
and animal protection activities.
- The Selina Gives Back Hospitality Program promotes economic
opportunity for all by providing free job training programs to
unemployed local community members in vulnerable situations or who
face challenges accessing higher education. In 2021, approximately
87% of graduates went on to pursue further study or found
employment in the hospitality industry.
- Selina conducted nearly 800 Impact Programs in 2021, where
employees volunteer in their host communities to respond to needs
based on interviews the team conducts with local stakeholders.
These programs were active in 14 countries, benefitting more than
28,000 people and resulting in the donation of more than 10,500
employee hours.
Governance
- As part of Selina’s efforts to become public company ready, the
company is building out a Board of Directors comprising diverse
perspectives from highly qualified executives with backgrounds in
tech, hospitality, real estate, marketing and other relevant
fields.
- Selina has committed to a goal of achieving at least 30 percent
diversity of Board membership with plans to appoint at least two
directors who self-identify as female and one who self-identifies
as either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ2+ before or within
the first year after the closing of its planned business
combination and public listing this year.
- Selina is working to codify the business and ethical principles
that will govern all aspects of its business going forward as part
of a new Code of Conduct to be rolled out in 2022.
About Selina
Selina is one of the world's largest hospitality brands built to
address the needs and desires of millennial and Gen Z travelers,
blending beautifully designed accommodation with coworking,
recreation, wellness, and local experiences. Custom-built for
today's nomadic traveler, Selina provides guests with a global
infrastructure to seamlessly travel and work abroad. Founded in
2014, each Selina property is designed in partnership with local
artists, creators, and tastemakers, breathing new life into
existing buildings in interesting locations around the world – from
urban cities to remote beaches and jungles. Selina's portfolio
includes over 163 open or secured properties across 25 countries
and 6 continents. On December 2, 2021, Selina entered into a
definitive merger agreement with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE:
BOAS), the closing of which, which is subject to customary
conditions, will result in Selina becoming a publicly listed
company. For further information on Selina, visit www.selina.com or
check out @selina on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
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Media: Lindsay Curre Mower lcurre@mower.com /
selina@mower.com
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