2021 Universal Registration Document

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

Our products [NFPS]

3.2.5

PRODUCTS DESIGNED TOMEET AND ANTICIPATE

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS [NFPS]

Risks and opportunities [NFPS] 3.2.5.1 [NFPS risk 8] BIC has identified reputational and brand risks among its main CSR risks. Against the background of increasing environmental awareness, the BIC brand could be associated with so-called disposable single-use products, leading to customer and consumer disaffection with BIC ® products. BIC seeks to improve its communications, in particular on the environmental and social performance of its products, to ensure the Group can retain the confidence of stakeholders. Meeting consumer expectations is also a source of opportunity for BIC. These include: positioning BIC as a responsible brand that delivers quality and ● safety through its long-term commitments and ambitious programs; launch BIC ® products with social and environmental ● advantages.

BIC manufactures mass-market consumer goods. Since its founding, the Group has considered that its products should satisfy and anticipate the expectations of all consumers, in both developed and developing countries. BIC distinguishes between “customers” ( i.e. , companies, public authorities and office supply distributors plus major mass-market retailers) and “consumers” (the end users of its products). Customers are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of the environmental and social performance of products. They submit many questionnaires on increasingly specific and diverse topics. Retailers and wholesalers also want their partners to show how they are helping reduce the overall environmental and societal impact of their operations. They are also imposing increasingly strict requirements in terms of the packaging of products they carry.

OVERCOMING THE DISPOSABLE/SUSTAINABLE DUALITY

BIC ® products are very often stigmatized as being “disposable”. Although not all of them are refillable, neither are they single use. Most of them offer long-lasting performance: over two-km of writing for most ball pens; up to 3,000 flames produced by a lighter; and 17 shaves for a triple-blade shaver. In addition, most of them are designed with no superfluous parts or features using a minimum of raw materials. Each of BIC ® ’s various products, whether refillable or not, meets a specific consumer need.

3.2.5.2

Policies, actions taken, results

in addition to responding to specific customer questionnaires ● on its CSR approach, BIC discusses all relevant topics with them, including sustainable development issues, as part of its commercial relations. Some of these take the form of partnerships. All the professional functions involved (marketing, communication, sales) are equipped with the tools they need to explain BIC’s Sustainable Development Program; BIC strives to make its products affordable for all. ● Encouraging consumers to consume more responsibly All the products that use recycled materials display the Moebius strip symbol as well as information to help consumers make their purchasing decisions. Some BIC ® products are NF Environnement certified. Others supply information on their environmental and social qualities (eco-values) to help consumers choose products that match their expectations. The most appropriate approach is chosen for each continent or category. For example, communications in Europe emphasize the NF Environnement ecolabel certification of a given product, where it was manufactured, the amount of recycled materials used or its writing length. In the Flame for Life division, the packaging for the BI C ® Maxi, the world’s bestselling lighter, mentions the number of flames (“Up to 3,000 lights” or “Up to 2x more lights”) and the website www.mybiclighter.com includes a section on performance.

and outlook [NFPS] Since its founding, BIC has striven to develop and offer simple, affordable products that meet consumer expectations, particularly in terms of environmental and social performance. To that end, the Group has put in place a range of programs and policies: "Writing the Future, Together" #1 Fostering sustainable ● innovation in BIC ® products (see Section 3.2.1.2); the “4 Rs” philosophy (see Section 3.2.2); ● communication regarding the environmental benefits of ● products to encourage more responsible consumption (see below); the Responsible Communication Charter, drawn up in 2013, ● formalizes BIC’s inclusion of the Value of Responsibility in its communication. This Charter expresses BIC’s intention to share reliable information and release clear, accurate messages. This applies to all communication by the Group worldwide to any stakeholder; annual participation of BIC USA in Walmart’s sustainability ● performance assessments, such as Project Gigaton, as well as specific reporting for the Supply Chain section in the CDP questionnaire;

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• BIC GROUP - 2021 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT •