2020 Annual Financial Report

Chapter 4 : Corporate social responsibility – non-financial performance

The environmental policy is structured around the following seven points:

  1. reduction in transport (particularly air travel) and its impacts through working from home and the use of teleconferencing tools; encouraging lower-emission modes of transport (such as public transport, Green cabs, electric, hybrid or smaller company cars, etc.) or alternative mobility solutions (bicycles);
  2. reduction in energy consumption and switch to 100% direct-source renewable energy and improvements in energy efficiency (by seeking to limit the impacts of electricity, heating and air conditioning);
  3. reduction in consumption of natural resources and raw materials (mainly paper, water, plastics). The global plan launched at the beginning of 2020, to eliminate single-use plastics (Zero Single Use Plastic) from all agencies in order to rapidly comply with the ambitious objectives of the plan voted by the European Parliament, remains a priority;
  4. waste volume reduction: systematic use of recycling channels, in particular for electronic and IT products (WEEE), and organized management of non-hazardous waste (the Groupe does not have hazardous waste);
  5. reduction in the impact of campaigns and projects carried out for clients: the Groupe has created an internal impact assessment platform called A.L.I.C.E. (Advertising Limiting Impacts & Carbon Emissions), which makes it possible to measure and find less impactful options (see Section 4.2.2.2);
  6. reduction of impacts related to goods and services purchased: this is reflected in the increased commitment of suppliers to the Paris Agreement and the 1.5 °C scenario, thanks to a self-assessment of their CSR and environmental approach using the P.A.S.S. (Publicis Groupe Providers’ Platform for a self-Assessment for a Sustainability Supply chain) internal platform or through an external CSR assessment validated by an independent third party (EcoVadis or other) covering the actions taken to combat climate change, see Section 4.2.5;
  7. carbon neutrality for the entire Groupe as soon as possible and by 2030, options to obtain RECs (renewable energy certificates) or VCCs (voluntary carbon credits) to compensate for the irreducible impacts, being those of last resort, or to deal with a local shortfall in the renewable energy market, for example.

The summary table of key data at the end of the Chapter shows the changes under way.

Focus on real estate

Environmental issues are taken into consideration by the Groupe’s Real Estate Department right from the early stages of a project, whether in the course of refurbishment work for the agencies or when looking for new premises. The objective is to favor functional spaces that meet energy and environmental performance criteria, bearing in mind that the total surface area of offices has been reduced by 24% over the last three years. Every year, examples of good practice are exchanged by Real Estate managers in different countries so as to anticipate requirements for the future premises:

  • building certification (LEED, BREEAM, HQE, Energy Star, etc.); such as in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Shanghai, Paris and London;
  • selection of energy supplier and energy mixes that include renewable energies. A number of agencies have already reached 100% renewable energies;
  • energy-saving electrical installations and regulated management of heating and air conditioning;
  • monitoring of the consumption of water and other fluids used (air conditioning);
  • biosourced materials for interiors and decoration;
  • effective (proven) waste sorting and recycling systems.

13 agencies are ISO 14001 certified (United Kingdom, India) representing 13% of the workforce.

Protection of biodiversity

The protection of biodiversity is approached locally, depending on the immediate environment of each agency and its actual capacity for influence and action. In France, the Groupe has installed several beehives on the roofs of four of its buildings in Paris, including the Champs-Élysées, Bastille, Gambetta and Saint Denis. Employees are trained each year to support the care of the beehives. In addition to supporting the French bee-keeping sector, a partnership has been entered into with the Apiflordev association which fights against poverty in Africa. The sale of honey from Paris beehives is now financing the installation of beehives in Senegal, which are crucial for local biodiversity as well as from a social perspective. In Costa Rica, Re:Sources is a model of the volunteer approach with an action plan involving employees in a carbon offsetting program designed to promote local biodiversity by preserving tropical flora and fauna in protected forests. In China, agencies have come together in a program to plant trees in the fight against local deforestation.

Pro bono campaigns and volunteering focused on protecting nature and the planet were carried out for associations that protect the environment and natural resources (namely flora and fauna) in many countries.

4.5.3    Eco-friendly campaign and project design for clients

Eco-friendly design is now at the heart of client campaigns in more and more Groupe agencies. Teams are looking for partnerships to make projects more sustainable using new approaches such as the circular economy or sharing economy. Eco-friendly design and assessment approaches have been trialed and the results are convincing. These voluntary initiatives make it possible to associate clients, suppliers and partners. The proprietary A.L.I.C.E. platform on the environmental impacts of campaigns was constructed using them (see Section 4.2.2).