HERMÈS - 2019 Universal Registration Document

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PLANET: ENVIRONMENT

certified laboratory. In the event of a discrepancy between requirements, the conservative measures are adopted immediately and actions are implemented to reinstate the defined parameters. All information is sent promptly to the authorities and the managers of the wastewater treatment plants, for the most part through special IT platforms.

To further improve the quality of water emissions and anticipate possible changes in regulations, considerable research and optimisation at source have significantly reduced and stabilised the flows emitted. Regular campaigns to measure water discharges confirm the good performance of purification plants (in particular the compliance of the new neutralisation workshop), with discharges well below regulatory thresholds. Moreover, measurements of air emissions were carried out in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. The results obtained confirm the proper functioning of the facilities with regard to atmospheric emissions. Porcelain At CATE, wastewater from enamel activity is pre-treated directly onsite following a physical and chemical treatment process. The dehydration sludge is sent to a suitable treatment company, and pre-treated water is discharged into the mains network. An external laboratory carries out monthly analyses to check that waste meets the required standards. The reduction in quantities of hazardous waste has been achieved primarily thanks to the optimisation of operating parameters at the water pre-treatment plant for the enamel activity. These new parameters have allowed for a reduction in quantities of treatment product and the volume of sludge generated at the end of treatment, without adversely affecting the quality of wastewater in the sewage system. The Beyrand site has a water treatment station at the exit of the washer/scouring sluice. It uses a physical-chemical treatment process. Analysis of the compliance of the wastewater discharge into the public network is carried out every year. Farms A number of effluent re-use projects have been adopted at the Australia division level over the last two years. Effluents from farms, which are rich in organic material, can be used to water and fertilise crops. For example: since September 2018, irrigation of a 10 hectare sandalwood s plantation on the property of one of the Australian farms in collaboration with the Hermès Group’s Perfumes division. 20% of the farm’s effluents were re-used on the plantation in 2019; since July 2019, irrigation of sugarcane plantation on farms s neighbouring a farm in Australia. During the first few months of operation of the facility during the dry season, around 15% of the farm’s wastewater was re-used on these plantations. As discussed in section 2.5.1, this structure is part of an industrial ecology blueprint as a portion of the water from this farm comes from the sugarcane production plant supplied by these fields. For all the relevant sites, the compliance of the water discharge is monitored at a frequency suitable for the parameters under supervision: half-yearly, quarterly, daily or continuous measurements. The bulk of these parameters are measured more frequently than the authorities require. The samples from the monitoring are analysed on-site or in accredited outside laboratories. The results of the internal analyses are compared once or twice a year to those obtained by an independent,

CHALLENGE: RESPECTING AND PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY

2.5.4

Maintaining an environmental setting conducive to the development of activities requires respect for and the protection of biodiversity.

POLICY

2.5.4.1

Hermès is working to protect biodiversity in its direct sphere of responsibility, in its extended sphere of influence, and through voluntary commitments reaching beyond its economic spheres of influence. “Nature has been inspiring us for 181 years. Protecting biodiversity is a wonderful opportunity. We must pass on this wealth to future generations. It’s a challenge we must win today.” Mr Axel Dumas, Executive Chairman of Hermès. The commitments undertaken by Hermès, according to its ability to influence, are presented below: Commitments in the direct sphere of responsibility of Hermès Outside of France, the retail subsidiaries contribute with initiatives such as rooftop vegetable gardens in Hong Kong and trees planted by the Shanghai teams on the Chongming peninsula, a protected nature reserve. Broadly speaking, biodiversity actions are regularly promoted among employees. During the Sustainable Development Weeks in France and abroad, the films “Demain” (Tomorrow, 2016), “L’Empereur” (The Emperor, 2017), “On a vingt ans pour changer le monde” (We have 20 years to change the world, 2018) and “Les Saisons” (The Seasons, 2019) were shown to employees. Hermès is developing its actions to foster biodiversity at its French sites by focusing on the following topics: new constructions: Hermès is determined to develop its French s industrial sites in rural environments or brownfield sites (Héricourt and Saint-Junien, for example). From the outset, it will include a commitment to avoid any threat to existing biodiversity and to respect and develop such biodiversity. All new projects are based on internal sustainable construction framework, drawing on best international practices, which set out in particular the requirements applied (part of untouched vegetation after construction, proportion of wastewater treated by phytoremediation, part of the building’s roof planted with vegetation, number of local actions promoting biodiversity, portion of outdoor areas in shade on the winter solstice); MEASURES IMPLEMENTED AND RESULTS 2.5.4.2

2019 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL

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