CSR action plan
One of the principles that has underpinned our company culture for almost 140 years is to be part of a movement of permanent progress. More than ever, the industry must be transparent, committed, and relevant in a sustainable future. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often perceived as a hardship on companies. Gattefossé sees it as an opportunity to grow, innovate and lead sustainable change by combining economical, ecological, and social responsibilities.
From the birth of a CSR framework to a corporate strategy
To drive the transition to a sustainable model and lay the foundations for resilience in a world with limited resources, Gattefossé has developed its own approach to CSR.
To embed sustainability deep into the value chain and wide across the organization, we sat up in 2018 an internal cross-functional working group with a clear mission to clarify and formalize the framework of our responsible approach, along with its action plan and implementation.
Our commitments are part of our development strategy.
This is the reason why a new Corporate Development Department has been created early 2020 to respond to the strategic issues of responsibility, and to provide a new dimension of Gattefossé performance that combines sustainable growth and contribution to the common good.
CSR priorities
Since 2018, we identified three priorities based on commitments to the environment, our stakeholders and our people.
Our CSR approach is assessed by the EcoVadis platform since 2017, Gattefossé obtained a Gold status in 2020 with a score of 70/100. More details available online by requesting access to the account: Gattefossé SAS (Saint Priest site).
1. Limit our environmental impact
At all levels of the company, we work at reducing the environmental impacts that are directly or indirectly attributable to our activities.
We are also committed to reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and limiting the impact of our emissions on natural resources. We want to communicate openly about our initiatives that we already put in place and our short-term objectives. In this area, every little bit counts!
TODAY
- Member of the Responsible Care® program since 1990
- Formalization and communication of our Environmental policy
- Adoption of green energy via carbon offset agreements for gas (since 2018), and 100% renewable energy for electricity (since January 2017)
- Biological treatment of industrial wastewater
- Mapping of all direct and indirect carbon emissions (CDP assessment – Carbon Disclosure Project – obtention of a B score in 2020, vs D- in 2019).
- Obtain ISO 14001:2015 certification in 2021 for the Saint Priest site (environmental management system)
- Involve all employees in these CSR commitments using a special profit-sharing indicator for 2019-2022
- Obtain ERI 360° label for 3 of our personal care ingredients
- Implement a carbon emissions reduction plan
- Deepen the knowledge of our raw materials by developing a dedicated software for more traceability
2. Improve our sustainable procurement policy
Gattefossé works at providing raw materials obtained from reliable, identifiable, and renewable sources using a rigorous tracking process. We establish lasting relationships with our suppliers and see them as strategic partners. As soon as a product enters development, we identify the most eco-friendly and energy-efficient production method.
TODAY
- Since 2005, all new ingredients are developed under a sustainable sourcing policy and conform to various standards, including ECOCERT and COSMOS
- Member of the RSPO (Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil) organization since 2010, which supports socially responsible palm-oil cooperatives and producers. We obtained Mass Balance (MB) certification for our production sites in France in 2017 and in Singapore in 2018.
- We also continue the traceability analysis of palm oil and palm kernel derivatives through the ASD: Action for Sustainable Derivatives consortium.
- 95% of our raw materials suppliers have signed our responsible procurement policy
- New ingredients are developed using local suppliers, wherever possible
TOMORROW
- Pursue the evaluation of strategic partners using the EcoVadis platform in order to assess their environmental impacts and social policies
- Continue the traceability analysis of palm oil and palm kernel derivatives through the ASD consortium
3. Contribute to well-being at work
Gattefossé is a socially responsible corporate citizen that is active in the communities where it develops its business. The Gattefossé community has members in many disciplines, including pharmacists, biologists, engineers, technicians, operators, administrators and salespeople, as well as partners, distributors, artisans, manufacturers, producers, and more. These people are the ones we trust and rely on to carry us forward.
TODAY
- Skills training for all employees: +2 training courses per employee in 2019
- Validation and agreement in favor of professional equality between women and men (Index of 89/100)
- Gender pay gap: 34/40
- Difference in individual increases: 35/35
- Percentage of female employees receiving a raise upon return from maternity leave: 15/15
- Parity among the 10 highest wages: 5/10
- Formalization and communication of a code of ethics to all Gattefossé employees
- Sensitization to “ethical business practices” for global sales and marketing teams
TOMORROW
- Formalize the Group social policy
- Sensitize collaborators to CSR-related issues (e.g. waste management, digital pollution, sustainable palm oil…)
- Expand the Saint-Priest facility: new work practices, sustainable building and restaurant
- Encourage participation to local philanthropic initiatives worldwide
