2021 Universal Registration Document

NON-FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE STATEMENT: OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our products [NFPS]

3.2.2

APPLYING THE “4 RS” PHILOSOPHY TO PRODUCTS [NFPS]

3.2.2.1

Policy, actions taken, results and

outlook [NFPS] The “4 Rs” ‒ Reduce the consumption of materials BIC has always sought to optimize raw material use. An expert in plastic processing, BIC works above all to minimize usage and regularly updates its product designs to optimize and reduce its consumption of materials. In the Human Expression division, the BIC ® Cristal ® ball pen, one of the Group’s flagship products, exemplifies this approach. Even though its design already optimized the use of materials in 1950, it continues to benefit from ongoing research to minimize the materials used: it has a minimum writing length of over 2-km; ● it uses only 2.9 grams of material per kilometer of writing, ● compared with 6.6 grams for a competing product with comparable characteristics. In the Blade Excellence division, BIC stands out thanks to its highly competitive price/quality ratio. For each product range, this price/quality ratio is made possible by the development of products with an optimal quantity of materials and keeping them as simple as possible. For example, the BIC ® Simply Soleil ® shaver is designed to weigh as little as possible. Although it is hollow, its handle nonetheless ensures a high level of performance, quality and comfort in shaving. In late 2020 the Flame for Life launched the EZ Reach TM Pocket Utility lighter, with an environmental footprint two-thirds less than the U140 Multi-purpose model. The “4 Rs” ‒ Use Recycled or alternative materials Since 2014, BIC has been researching how to maximize recycled and alternative materials in BIC ® products. The research teams have identified all BIC ® products that could employ alternative/recycled materials without sacrificing quality. The challenge is: to ensure a perennial source of such materials that meet the ● specifications; to convert any products that lend themselves to such ● adaptation. To identify recycled or alternative materials, BIC Research and Development teams, in collaboration with the Purchasing Departments, focus on two approaches: the use of existing innovative materials. An inventory of ● innovative materials from industrial use is kept available. From this list, engineers select materials that satisfy industrial and economic requirements to conduct feasibility tests. Depending on product applications and implications, the Group’s marketing teams can be consulted in order to anticipate potential consumer reactions; collaborative research with suppliers to identify new ● materials ( e.g . plant-based or recycled, etc.), new concepts (materials from new recycling techniques) or hybrid materials. Many materials are considered and then analyzed. These have included potato starch, sugarcane, plant fibers, woodchip, etc. Once a formulation is ready, it is tested to ensure that it meets industrial quality and safety specifications, sometimes going all the way to the finished product approval stage.

18 alternative materials tested in 2021 including: 15 recycled plastics and 3 hybrid materials.

Exemplifying this approach, the BIC ® Ecolutions ® range is a complete Stationery line that consists of products manufactured using recycled materials in compliance with ISO 14021. All Stationery lines now include at least one product made with alternative materials (in particular recycled). A Velleda ® whiteboard containing 50% pencil production residue was launched in France in 2019. In 2021, BIC launched the BIC ® ReVolution line in the United States. It includes ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, permanent markers and correction tape made from alternative materials. The BIC ® ReVolution retractable ballpoint pen is made from 73% recycled plastic, the stick ball pen contains 74% recycled plastic, and the mechanical pencil is made from 65% recycled materials. In 2021, BIC has also launched a Shaver in alternative material, BIC Bamboo ™ , available to sales only in Sweden. This system shaver has a handle made from natural, renewable and responsibly sourced bamboo. In the same year, BIC has also included recycled content in BIC Soleil ® Click 3 and BIC Soleil ® Click 4 (30% of recycled content in the handle) and in BIC ® Hybrid 3 Comfort ® , Hybrid 3 Flex ® and Hybrid 3 Flex Sensitive ® (90% of recycled content in the handle). Finally, BIC will launch in 2022 the upgraded BIC Soleil ® Click 5, following a partnership with the supplier Avient to incorporate recycled-content thermoplastic elastomer in its handle a first in the Blade Excellence division, reaching over 40% of recycled content in total. The “4 Rs” ‒ Design and manufacture Refillable products In keeping with its “4 Rs” philosophy, BIC makes an ongoing effort to launch refillable products. However, in the case of low-end Stationery products consumer demand for refills is virtually non-existent. In the case of lighters, BIC’s highest priority is ensuring consumer safety. In the Human Expression division, BIC continues to offer refillable pens: the BIC ® Gel-ocity ® line of gel ink pens and the 4-Color ™ line are all refillable. As an example, in France and UK markets, pen refills are available on www.bic.com. In 2021, the Group launched BIC ® Cristal ® Re’New ® , a premium, refillable, and even more durable version of the emblematic BIC ® Cristal ® pen. It features a matte metal barrel and a push-button for easy refilling and is sold in cardboard packs containing one pen plus two refills.

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• BIC GROUP - 2021 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT •

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