BIC - 2020 Universal Registration Document

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our social responsibility [NFPS]

3.4.6

PROMOTING DIVERSITY

Male/Female equality 3.4.6.1 BIC has set a target to reach 40% female in Executive positions by the end of 2027. To reach this target it has made the following commitments: implement the Human Capital Management System – ● SuccessFactor – to improve its talent identification and management process and the data to support these processes; continue focus on delivering gender balanced slates of ● candidates; launch mandatory unconscious bias training to ensure fair and ● equitable hiring, performance management, development and compensation practices; launch of new Employment Brand highlighting key attributes ● that will attract and retain female talent. Within this framework, initiatives have been launched by the Group since 2020, such as: participation in the “Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky Summit” ● in New York (U.S.), which offered companies an opportunity to learn DEI best practices and connect with women leaders from around the world; launch of the “EmpowHerment” program within the Global ● Supply Chain business unit which brings together all the business lines related to operations. As part of this program, workshops offered employees (more than 70 participants) an opportunity to get in touch and share their knowledge and experience on how to successfully progress within the Group. Many ideas were implemented, including the creation of the WiSC (“Women in Supply Chain”) network. Within WiSC, champions are responsible for co-constructing a strategy of career development training, coaching and team awareness programs in order to spread a culture of EmpowHerment and to continue building an inclusive environment in which everyone can unleash their potential. One of the highlights of the event was the inauguration of a daycare center at the Daman site (India). The launch day of the EmpowHerment program concluded with a commitment by the Cello Pens’ Industrial Director and management team to provide more leadership opportunities for women in production activities; the Women@BIC Leadership Group was established in North ● America to allow women to discuss their aspirations and the challenges they face in the workforce.

As stated in the BIC Code of Conduct, the Group Values diversity and inclusion (D&I) and does not tolerate discrimination and harassment based on grounds such as age, race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression or marital status and any other characteristics of which legal protection is afforded by local law. The Group wants to create an environment in which employees, suppliers, business partners and its communities feel valued and respected. At BIC, cultural and individual diversity is considered an essential element of team culture. Furthermore, the recent events of racial inequality and social injustice that have garnered a global reaction has made DEI even more important as BIC looks to be a positive change agent throughout the many communities it operates in. This ambition entails: taking action to ensure that its teams reflect as closely as ● possible the diversity of the Group’s customers and consumers around the world; welcoming its team members and giving them a sense of ● responsibility through a culture of inclusion founded on practices of responsible leadership and management; encouraging the diversity and dynamism of its teams as drivers ● for innovation and a key factor for its success. The new BIC Diversity & Inclusion Credo, which was signed by the CEO and the CHRO in May 2019, reinforces BIC’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion by appreciating that the blending of different backgrounds, experiences and perspective in a collaborative environment which values open perspectives, will make the organization stronger and better prepared for the challenges ahead. It is shared by all of the Group’s entities worldwide and has been translated into the main languages used in the Group. As part of its Diversity & Inclusion strategy, BIC has made a number of declarations, including: signing the UN Standards of Conduct for Business “Tackling ● Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, & Intersex People”; social media posts from the CEO and CHRO in response to the ● death of George Floyd and on Global Pride Day 2020; in January 2021, Gonzalve Bich, BIC’s CEO, joined the “CEO ● Action for Diversity and Inclusion TM ”, the largest CEO-driven business commitment of its kind. By taking this pledge, Gonzalve Bich is committing to take action to ensure the Company’s culture celebrates and welcomes diverse perspectives and experiences and encourages open conversations about D&I.

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• BIC GROUP - 2020 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT •