Universal Registration Document 2021

Chapter 4. Corporate social responsibility – Non-financial performance

The declaration of non-financial performance (DNFP) meets the French and European legal obligations, and the voluntary commitments of Publicis Groupe in terms of reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) following international guidelines such as the GRI and in accordance with the standards used for non-financial or ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) analysis by investors and shareholders.

This Section is the core of the Groupe’s non-financial reporting and includes a number of quantitative and qualitative indicators presented under the “comply or explain” rule. Examples of the actions and initiatives implemented in the agencies are given. More examples are featured on the Groupe’s corporate website www.publicisgroupe.com (CSR Section). A dynamic table of indicators, presenting the correspondance with other standards, is also available on the corporate website (CSR Section) under the heading CSR Smart data.

The DNFP is made up of a number of factors included in this document, denoted as follows:

  • background information on segment trends or the general outlook, as well as on the business model and value-creation components, are presented in the introduction with a summary of key financial figures and the main non-financial indicators;
  • the Groupe’s strategy and activities are presented in more detail in Chapter 1;
  • the risk factors are presented in order of priority in Chapter 2. Non-financial risks are addressed in the form of CSR issues in this Chapter. Already at the heart of the major CSR challenges, the health and well-being of employees are a priority as illustrated by the CSR materiality table (see the introduction to this document). Human rights and environmental risks are presented in Section 4.2.4, with the aim of complying with duty of care requirements. As part of the Groupe’s Climate strategy, the work carried out on these risks is presented in Section 4.3;
  • the Groupe’s governance is presented in Chapter 3;
  • the consolidated financial statements are in Chapter 6;
  • a specific DNFP cross-referencing table can be found in Chapter 10.

Methods and processes in place for CSR reporting and the DNFP, as well as the governance of these non-financial issues are explained in Section 4.6. In accordance with French and European regulations, the Bureau Veritas verification report of external audit can be found at the end of this Chapter, in Section 4.7.

Changes in the governance of ESG issues

2021 marks a major turning point for ESG issues with the start of the work of the new ESG Committee of the Supervisory Board (see Chapter 3.1.2.9 of this document). It met twice in 2021 to gain an in-depth understanding of the scope in question and to discuss how to further value Publicis Groupe’s CSR/ESG strategy and its positive results, and how to participate in the Groupe’s choices regarding the reduction of carbon footprint, or the corporate “raison d'être” (purpose).

The members of the ESG Committee are kept regularly informed of the progress of ongoing projects through discussions with the Chairman of the Management Board and the Secretary General. The Chair of the ESG Committee, Suzan LeVine, reports on the work of the Committee to the Supervisory Board. ESG matters are the responsibility of the Groupe’s Secretary General, who is a member of the Management Board (see also Section 4.8).

Materiality of ESG issues

Based on the conclusions of the 2020 consultation with its stakeholders in the middle of a pandemic year, 2021 was devoted to the progress made on actions related to the Groupe’s three ESG priorities:

  1. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the fight for Social Justice;
  2. Responsible Marketing and Business Ethics;
  3. Fight against climate change.

The materiality matrix remained unchanged following the review conducted in 2020 with the help of Salterbaxter under a contract using recognized materiality analysis methodologies. This work is managed by the Groupe’s CSR Department, with the assistance of external firms such as EcoAct for environmental issues, including the reduction of the carbon footprint and the choice of offsetting actions.

Questions regarding this non-financial reporting may be addressed to the Groupe CSR Department: csr@publicisgroupe.com.

2021 confirmed major changes resulting from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the organization of work and the aspirations of employees. Working from home, in either on-and-off or continuous mode, continued depending on changes in the local health situation. Employees have shown adaptability and have responded effectively to their customers' expectations.