RESPONSIBILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

Since the founding of DERBYSTAR and SELECT more than 50 years ago, our company's vision and the driving force behind our work has been to produce high-quality sporting goods for clubs and athletes. Over the years, we have become acutely aware of the responsibility we bear in our value chain (as a producer, supplier, and employer) towards all stakeholders and the environment. For us, acting responsibly, economically, ecologically, and socially sustainably has never been a marketing tool but an integral part of our corporate culture.

We understand the sustainability of our work not as a static state but as an ongoing process, allowing us to continuously present new improvements. On the following pages, we aim to honestly and transparently present some milestones of this journey, structured into the three pillars of sustainability: Ecology, Social, and Economy.

ECOLOGY

In recent years, climate change has become one of the greatest global challenges of our time. We are aware that as a supplier and manufacturing company, we leave a corresponding CO2 footprint. With this awareness, we have developed various measures to work as resource-efficiently and energy-efficiently as possible. As early as 2022, we started installing 404 solar panels on the roof of our production facility in Pakistan. This project has already been completed. The solar panels reduce CO2 emissions by 270 tons per year. Our production facility is also environmentally certified according to the ISO 14001:2015 standard, the most recognized international standard for environmental management systems, used worldwide.

At our office in Goch, we exclusively use green electricity and have also installed four charging stations for electric vehicles from our fleet. Additionally, we offer the option of remote work, prefer video conferences over on-site meetings, and encourage carpooling among our employees.
Besides ensuring top product quality, we have increasingly focused on using ecologically sustainable materials in our product development in recent years. In the future, we will continue to align our quality standards with resource-efficient production. As in the previous season, an emphasis was placed on using ecologically sustainable materials in the making of the Bundesliga ball, hence the underlay of the match ball’s upper material is made from 100% recycled polyester.

SOCIAL

FAIRTRADE
We have been producing our balls for over 40 years in Sialkot, Pakistan, and have been working with the same producer since then. To ensure fair ball production principles on-site, at least the national minimum wage is paid, and a worker representation has been established to secure the workers' right to have a say. Easily accessible sewing centers with adequate working conditions have been set up for our workers to exclude home-based work, which is legally prohibited in Pakistan. Additionally, our training and youth balls Gamma, Gamma TT, Gamma Light, and Gamma S-Light carry the Fairtrade seal, which means that 10% of the purchase price of these balls flows into a social fund as a Fairtrade premium, financing projects in the production countries and thus promoting sustainable improvement of living conditions and future prospects.

SAHEP
Our social responsibility in Pakistan goes far beyond fair production: Together with our producer AKI, we developed a support program for the workers in 1996, known as SAHEP (SELECT and DERBYSTAR Anwar Khawaja Industries Health & Education Program). SAHEP's services include providing free, comprehensive medical care and funding school fees so that the children of our production facility's workers have the chance to receive an education.

ECONOMY

Sustainability also means sustainable business practices. This is relevant in terms of economic sustainability, enabling us to invest in ecologically sustainable materials and modern, energy-efficient infrastructure, which in turn contributes to our ecological sustainability. The social aspect also benefits from economically sustainable actions, as it allows for fair pay for our employees and supports their professional and personal development through training. Additionally, it enables us to fund our SAHEP program and offer Fairtrade-certified products in our range.

Our sustainability principle is that we want to act in a way that does not harm future generations. Instead, we pursue long-term strategies that we continuously question and refine in terms of ecological, social, and economic sustainability.