Hermès // CSR Extract 2023
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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND NON ‑ FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE COMMUNITIES: STAKEHOLDERS AND TRANSPARENCY
2.7.3 “Poplar” white poplar, which have gradually formed thick forests in the valley floors. These plant formations smother endemic vegetation, destroy the original biodiversity, reduce or cancel out the low‑water flow of watercourses and increase the frequency and intensity of fires. The fight against these invasive plants has become a national issue in South Africa. Faced with these challenges, the provincial government is funding an association of farmers to carry out projects to eradicate this invasive vegetation, under the control of the Cape Nature association, which has defined best environmental practices promoting the regeneration of endemic vegetation. Hermès, after having verified the compatibility of these operations with its policy, decided to contribute to these operations, which benefit biodiversity, the water supply of local populations and agriculture, thus preserving the Ostrich supply chains (meat‑leather‑feathers) essential to the economic and social fabric of this emblematic region of South Africa. As a company with a specific culture, Hermès aims to make its sustainable development strategy, objectives and initiatives understandable, while taking into account the uniqueness of its model. In a constantly changing environment: changes in regulatory frameworks, increasing demands and expectations from stakeholders, the Group is multiplying opportunities to explain the value of its specific business model, its ambitions and its actions in this area. The House’s teams are fully engaged in creating the conditions for external communication that is as transparent as possible. This includes in particular the responses given to questionnaires and external analysts, as well as the dialogue established with the press, and influence. A page dedicated to CSR on the Hermès Finance webpage presents the site’s main actions. Launched in 2020, this digital space incorporates in its communication the best practices established by: (2) CDP for carbon, water and forestry issues; s SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board); s TCFD (Task Force on Climate‑related Financial Disclosures); s TNFD (Task Force on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures); s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation); s the GRI framework. s COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY VIS-À-VIS STAKEHOLDERS COMMUNICATE WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS 2.7.3.1
2.7.2.1.5 The Bihar Cookstoves project aims to replace inefficient cooking techniques that are responsible for deforestation with improved, sustainable and energy‑efficient cooking stoves. Launched in 2021, it has already demonstrated social benefits, particularly for women, who are often in charge of collecting firewood, and has improved the quality of life of households by reducing indoor pollution. Hermès has been supporting this project since 2023. Projects conducted with local populations abroad Hermès has been sourcing ostrich hides in South Africa for decades, mainly in the Klein Karoo region, where a resilient agricultural model has been developed thanks to a network of dams and irrigation canals erected a century ago. However, this model is now threatened by the invasion of invasive exotic plants such as the “black wattle” black mimosa and the In 2023, since their creation, the above LCF1 and LCF2 projects have helped replant 151 million trees, i.e. an area equivalent to five times the size of Paris and impacted the lives of more than 1.83 million people, having equipped more than 294,000 families with improved cooking stoves, which reduce deforestation and preserve women’s health, with a target of 16.6 million tonnes of CO captured or avoided over the period (projects last between 10 to 20 years). They therefore help to offset Hermès’ carbon emissions on a voluntary basis (§ 2.5.6.3.2). Other projects In addition to the Livelihoods fund and on the recommendation of experts in the subject, Hermès has chosen to support projects presented by EcoAct and located in Uganda. Recognised as a major player in carbon offset, this company has existed since 2008 and has supported more than 370 projects in 36 countries with dedicated support and constant updating of impact indicators. In Malawi, the “Chitetezo” project has equipped 5,000 families with access to drinking water and installed more than 61,000 improved cooking stoves under an innovative commercial scheme; regenerative agriculture. For the first time in Europe, in 2022 LCF2 launched a project called “Sols de Bretagne” in the Brittany region of France . By interacting with local stakeholders (the Brittany region, the Regional Chamber of Agriculture and the local association Sols d’Armorique), this project supports around 100 farmers in the transition to regenerative agriculture covering 11,000 hectares, as well as sequestering 133,000 tonnes of CO in 10 years. The objective is for farmers to avail of technical levers such as less ploughing, continuous cover, a reduction in inputs and crop rotation so that the soil is enriched and the biomass improved. Agricultural practices must evolve for environmental but also social benefits, by attracting young farmers motivated by these changes. Numerous indicators have been put in place to demonstrate the impact of these changes in practices. 93 farmers in this programme were identified as of September 2023. s (1) 2 2
https://livelihoods.eu/portfolio/brittany‑france‑regenerative‑agriculture/ https://finance.hermes.com/en/a‑value‑creating‑and‑sustainable‑french‑model/
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2023 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL EXTRACT FROM 2023 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL
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