Universal Registration Document 2023

Entry into application of the European CSRD and the ESRS: preparation of the 2024 sustainability reporting

Eight thematic working groups were set up in 2023 on the basis of the CSR Steering Committee, in place since 2009, to work on implementing regulatory changes, with each department taking ownership of their respective CSRD and ESRS. Joint work between subgroups was carried out on shared themes. A regular progress report was presented to the Secretary General.

Sustainability reporting methodology:

The first step was to analyze the discrepancies between the elements available in the non‑financial reporting in its current form (DNFP format) and the information expected by the new regulations based on the 1,000 data points of the ESRS, reviewed one by one. Subsequently, based on this internal and critical review, each working group identified the data that were readily available to meet the regulatory framework and the data that required specific work to be implemented in order to understand the new indicators. The third step consisted of setting the time horizon, in order to determine the data that may be made public from this document, the 2023 URD, and those that will be made public for the 2024, or even 2025, URD. At the same time, the internal tools used for CSR reporting have been reviewed to more smoothly capture future data flows. 

Inapplicable CSRD standards:

This work also made it possible to identify the data points considered to be inapplicable for Publicis Groupe in terms of its intellectual services activities for companies (BtoB: Business to Business) and analysis of the value chain. Firstly, the ESRS pollution appeared to be non‑applicable, because the Company does not produce physical objects (with incoming raw materials and outgoing finished products). Secondly, the ESRS marine and water resources does not appear to be material for similar reasons.

• Pollution*: With regard to the double materiality analysis and the type of intellectual services offered to the Groupe’s clients, pollution issues did not appear to be applicable. This does not exempt the Company from measuring its waste and its type, which is carried out each year, and from improving its selective sorting. Since 2009, the Company has been measuring the volume of its waste and e‑waste every year in order to reduce it and promote efficient recycling. The Groupe questions its suppliers on this matter as part of their CSR assessments. In addition, the Groupe annually monitors the commitments of its major clients in terms of the environment, in particular their climate trajectory and the reduction of their impacts.
• Marine resources and water resources*: the double materiality analysis does not show this subject as material, which is consistent with the Company’s intellectual services activities. However, the quantities of water consumed in offices around the world have been traced since 2009, and the objective remains to limit the use of this resource. The Groupe also asks its suppliers about their impacts on their management of water resources, in particular consumer activities such as data centers and the cloud.