BIC - 2020 Universal Registration Document

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our products [NFPS]

BIC’S SEVEN COMMITMENTS TO ENSURE THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF ITS LIGHTERS

All BIC ® lighter plants are ISO 9001 certified production plants. BIC ® lighter products meet or exceed the ISO 9994 1. international safety standard requirements. BIC is an active member of various organizations (such as the European Federation of Lighter Manufacturers, working 2. groups and technical committees for ISO and CEN and numerous other national standardization bodies) to provide the latest and most reliable quality and safety information to its customers. Each BIC ® lighter undergoes more than 50 separate automatic quality checks. Additionally, BIC conducts regular 3. post-market product tests of its lighters. BIC continuously develops and improves exclusive technology to ensure the quality and safety of all BIC ® lighters, 4. including factors like flame height and stability, extinction time, and a reservoir that can resist extreme drop tests and exposure to elevated temperatures. BIC has an integrated production process, designs and develops much of its own machinery and uses all the latest 5. manufacturing technologies, from basic materials right down to the packaged lighter. BIC employees are all guided by three principles: Method-Precision-Discipline. Each employee in the lighter plants 6. spends nearly 25% of his or her time checking product conformity and proper operation of the control equipment. BIC has been committed to sustainable, long-term safety programs for over 30 years. 7.

Regulatory monitoring and compliance BIC has a comprehensive monitoring system based on formalized regulatory watch procedures in addition to internal and external resources ‒ in particular, the Product Safety teams’ specific knowledge of BIC ® products, their components and the materials used. In 2018, a BIC Watch List was created to extend the Group’s monitoring system to include non-official lists defined by NGOs, future regulations and controversial substances that are not already banned. The Group always strives to anticipate the substitution of regulated substances. By its very nature open-ended, this Watch List will be expanded to include requirements and controversies reported from outside of Europe. Since 2019 the Watch List has been taken into consideration as part of the product ratings in the EMA tools. The Product Safety team works closely with the product design teams to stay abreast of the list’s evolution and ensure its incorporation in product improvement. [Covid-19] In 2020, in response to the coronavirus crisis, the BIC Group expanded its regulatory watch processes to include biocidal products (hydroalcoholic gels), personal protective equipment (visors) and filtering masks for the general public.

BIC, as a member or Executive Committee member of numerous sectoral organizations and industry associations (1) , actively participates in regulatory watch and interactions with local regulatory authorities, an important activity for staying abreast of new requirements. In order to keep pace with future regulatory challenges, in 2019 the Product Safety teams participated in various events in Europe and around the world. In 2020 many of these events were canceled. The teams were able to participate in the REACH DII conference, and later to remote-attend work sessions of the TIE association and AFNOR (toy standardization committee) as well as webinars organized by FEBEA. In response to the CLP regulation, BIC complied with the EU toxicovigilance statements and began including the UFI (Unique Formulation Identifier) number on the packaging of its products covered by the regulation. Seven products (one glue and six correction fluids) now have UFI numbers, and all of the packaging and labels for these formulas have been modified (for a total of more than 40 items updated).

In particular, BIC is a member of EWIMA (European Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association), WIMA (Writing Instrument Manufacturers (1) Association), ACMI (Art & Creative Materials Institute), TIE (Toy Industries of Europe), EFLM (European Federation of Lighter Manufacturers), and the Fédération des Entreprises de la Beauté in France.

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• BIC GROUP - 2020 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT •