BIC - 2018 Registration document

RISKS

Extra financial risks [NFPS]

Regulatory Lighters – EU

Risk Identification

Risk Mitigation

The BIC Group is confronted with competition from low cost lighters that in Europe often do not comply with safety standards, the ISO 9994 international safety standard and the EN 13869 child resistance standard.

The BIC Group fights against such lighters through communication activities informing the different stakeholders (customers, market surveillance authorities, EU Commission, EU Parliament, etc.). The BIC Group has launched legal actions, the latest being filings before the European Commission in October 2018 requesting the opening of infringement procedures against France and Germany, after the Netherlands in 2010. In 2018, the BIC Group continued to contribute to public consultations launched by the EU Commission aiming at improving market surveillance rules and their enforcement.

All Products

Risk Identification

Risk Mitigation

Restrictions, prohibitions and prohibitions projects are more and more numerous in the fields of chemical substances as well as plastics, particularly in North America and Europe.

The BIC Group is closely monitoring announced regulatory changes and voices relevant technical and legal arguments.

EXTRA FINANCIAL RISKS [NFPS] 2.2.

RISKS RELATED TO PLASTICS: PRODUCTION OF PLASTIC WASTE AND RESOURCE DEPLETION

Risk Identification

Risk Mitigation

On the one hand, the plastic risk covers the upstream with the use of this material in BIC ® products, contributing to the depletion of a non-renewable resource, and therefore subject to rarefaction and price volatility, and on the other hand, downstream with the growing problems of pollution related to plastic waste. In addition to these issues, there is also the growing regulatory environment regarding the use of plastic and the perception of consumers and citizens.

Since 2003, the BIC Group has implemented a Sustainable Development Program aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of the BIC Group’s activities. This strategy includes eco-design rules for products and aims to minimize the consumption of non-renewable raw materials. This eco-design approach is established in three parts: minimizing the quantity of material used in the manufacturing of a • product while ensuring long-lasting performance; the integration of alternative materials (of recycled or vegetable origin); • the development of refillable products. • In addition, in 2017, the BIC Group wanted to accelerate its efforts by defining an ambitious commitment as part of its “Writing the future, Together” strategy: by 2025, the environmental and/or societal footprint of BIC ® products. will be improved (“2025 Commitment: #1 Fostering sustainable innovation in BIC ® products”). The ambition is based on the deployment of a comprehensive eco-design process integrated into the innovation processes of each category. All of the Group’s Sustainable Development Strategy is presented in Chapter 3.2.1 Our products' environmental performance.

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• BIC GROUP - 2018 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT •