Welfare for pets and their parents – 6 takeaways from Musti Group’s sustainability work in 2023
Musti Group has published its Annual Report and Non-Financial Information Report, which summarizes the progress of Musti’s sustainability work. As a forerunner in our market, we want to do business responsibly. For Musti, this means putting the welfare of pets and people first, having high standards for quality, safety, and expertise, as well as always looking into more sustainable ways to develop our business.
1. Employee satisfaction on a high level
In 2023, we created the first Fairness Index to measure how our organization succeeds in building a fair work environment that promotes equality. The results were positive as our Fairness Index was 70.7 % favorable. Moreover, over two-thirds of Musti Group’s employees felt that the Group promotes and values diversity.
For Musti Group, marked the second year for the Group with the renewed Musti View Survey. The survey consists of two elements: a yearly survey and three eNPS surveys throughout the year. The employee survey average score measuring well-being at work, and measured through the yearly survey, was 83 %.
“We are very happy with the results. They show that we are continuing to create a fair work environment in the company,” says Nanna Martin-Löf, Group Head of HR & ESG at Musti Group.
2. Skills development and popular Pawternity leave
Musti also launched a new Nordic training concept “My Musti Development”, aimed at Musti’s office employees and managers. The framework provides tools for self-determination, giving and receiving feedback and assessing personal growth and leadership skills. The training concept includes interactive training as well as live-trainings and workshops.
To ensure that our employees in Finland, Sweden and Norway can establish a strong bond with their new pets, we offer a three-day paid “Pawternity leave”. Introduced in 2018, Pawternity leave has been acknowledged as a valuable benefit for enhancing flexibility among Must Group employees who are pet parents. In 2023, 164 Must Group employees took Pawternity leave, which is a record number so far.
“Creating inclusive workplaces that cater to employee needs and promote a healthy work approach not only improves productivity but also enhances relationships. For us, one key aspect of promoting inclusion involves addressing the unique needs of our employees who are pet parents”, Martin-Löf continues.
3. Increase in energy efficiency
Musti is committed to environmental and sustainability work in its own sphere of influence as well as in its entire supply chain and with other partners. We are on a path to powering our operations with 100% renewable energy, and in 2023, 100% of Musti Group’s electricity consumption at warehouse operations and operations in Sweden came from renewable sources.
We prioritize energy efficiency in our environmental work related to our own operations and invest in energy efficiency actions, such as acquiring solar panels. In 2023, the specific energy consumption of warehouses was 81.79 kWh of energy per gross m2, and our energy footprint at the warehouses decreased by approximately 22.8% compared to the previous year.
4. Investments in sustainable method of production
Musti Group’s latest acquisition, Premium Pet Food Suomi Oy, a pet food factory in Lieto, Finland, plays a significant role in the Group’s environmental goals. The factory utilizes fully renewable energy in its manufacturing process and has its own solar panels that contribute to the overall energy needs of the facility.
Approximately 20% of the electricity consumed comes from the factory’s solar panels, while the rest is also entirely renewable. The heat generated by the production machinery can be collected and used elsewhere within the factory.
Moreover, the recovered heat is utilized to warm the washing water used in the frozen raw food production line. Recycling biowaste also generates energy. Dry pet food production requires peeled oats; hence, the oat husks and other biowaste from the factory are sent to energy plants that convert them into biogas.
5. Reducing packaging materials and better recycling at the core
The majority of waste generated in Musti’s operations comes from packaging materials of products arriving at the central warehouse. We prioritize reducing the amount of packaging material and make a concerted effort to reuse packaging materials in our warehouses. When packing goods, paper is used instead of plastic whenever possible.
In 2023, Musti has continued its efforts to reduce waste, and improved the recycling rate at Musti’s central warehouse, being 65 %. By optimizing our packing process, we foresee the potential to nearly eliminate plastic fillers from our B2C boxes by the financial year 2024 or 2025.
6. Continuous support of communities
Community acceptance of pets in general and Musti Group as a company is essential to Musti’s success and in 2023, commitment to community work remained as a top priority. For example, in Norway, Musti continued the official partnership with Red Cross, “visit a friend with a dog”. In Sweden, Musti supports the animal ambulance and in Finland Musti has an official partnership with Finnish Pride and MIELI Mental Health Finland.
“Community work is extremely important for us. We want to develop our operations from the perspective of our stakeholders and societal impact. Together, we can support the well-being of our employees, pets and their parents, and increase our positive footprint”, Martin-Löf says.
