2014 Annual Report 59

Preventive measures designed to limit risks, or the impact of their consequences, were deployed in the following areas:

Relations with interested parties The main interested parties been identified: custom- ers, consumers, employees, farmers, suppliers, local resi- dents, regulatory agencies, city halls, fire services and other public authorities the needs of all of whom are assessed via on-site meetings, satisfaction surveys and audits. Group locations strive to meet all their requirements by develop- ing relationships of confidence and engaging in appropriate communication.

Specific preventive measures are also aimed at reducing and limiting any disturbance of local residents essentially in the following areas:

Noise disturbance: Performance of acoustic surveys; Deployment of anti-noise covers; Installation of acoustic walls.

Olfactory disturbance: Optimization of purifying station treatments in order to accelerate biodegradation and thus avoid the formation of smells; Limitation of the ventilation of purifying station sludge; Dehydration of sludge using centrifugation.

Relations with suppliers The Group develops long-term collaborative relationships with its main suppliers.

Suppliers are selected on the basis both of criteria of quality, security, service and competitiveness, but equally in terms of their capacity to provide sustainable support for contin- uous progress and innovation. The Group is attentive to the economic equilibrium, for the long term, in particular of its large and small SME suppliers.

Competitiveness is reinforced by placing functional analysis of requirements and the search for innovative solutions at the heart of the Group s purchasing policy. By reasoning in terms of value in use, i.e. of total cost, the emergence of competitive and sustainable solutions is encouraged.

Management of supplier risk, including their social and envi- ronmental risks, is a key preoccupation designed to ensure both quantitative and qualitative sustainability of our supply sources. By engaging in periodic audit of suppliers production sites, including those of suppliers of matrials in contact with our products, the Group ensures the safety and continuous improvement of the products that enter our factories.

The Group organizes forums for innovation enabling dialogue and presentation of suppliers expertise and know-how on selected subjects.

The location of purchasing functions at the level of subsidiaries equally encourages dialogue and collaboration.

Responsible procurement In France, the Group is a signatory of the Charte de la média- tion inter-entreprises intended to promote best practices between customers and suppliers.

Specific training is engaged in to raise buyers and all new managers awareness of the Group s best purchasing practices: numerous managers attended the sessions organized in 2014.

Buyers undertake to comply with the requirements of the Group s code of conduct which governs our relationships with suppliers in the following four main areas: integrity and ethics, communication and collaboration, progress and performance, responsible and sustainable procurement.

The Group s Charter for Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Purchasing sets out the Group s expectations. Widely distrib- uted to suppliers, who are invited to confirm their adhesion, it is also systematically communicated in the framework of requests for tender.

The number of suppliers subject to independent review on the basis of a range of social and environmental responsibility criteria continues to grow. Areas for progress identified are shared with the vendors concerned.

Several such evaluations were performed in 2014.

Environmental protection training and awareness-raising Landscaping integration Limitation of the consequences of accidental pollution Limitation of disturbance of local residents Reduction of impacts on ecosystems

22.6%

29.5%

18.3%

7.0%

22.6%

Preventive measures in 2014

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION