Hermès - Registration Document 2016

Corporate social responsability

Stakeholders and local integration

worked on common issues. This provided an opportunity for employees to visit theWWFMai Po reserve in order to gain a better understanding of the importance of this unique paradise formigratory birds. It was also the opportunity to attend presentations of other WWF projects including sus- tainable food supply and the carbon reduction program for offices. The regional subsidiaries are deeply committed to sustainable development. In Hong Kong, for instance, a large number of activities were organised in 2016. Sustainable development week was locally embraced, with workshops to raise awareness about well-being and the need to share with the community. Actions revolved around several projects, including a “green market” in the company’s premises to support local producers and promote organic food. The Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès, through the internal H3 call for pro- jects, allows employees volunteering with an NGO to advocate provision of support by the Foundation. Since 2013, H3 has intensified dialogue between Hermès and civil society by involving the broader community in initiatives taken by its staff worldwide (see “Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès”). Charitable operations The House’s subsidiaries and sites supplement initiatives taken by the Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès by organising local charitable opera- tions. Noteworthy achievements in 2016 were: s s in France, various initiatives, such as blood donations in partnership with the French blood bank, are now rooted in employees’ habits. “Le Relais” points for collecting used clothes have been installed on sites in Pantin, Paris and Lyon. They are accessible throughout the year and encourage the reuse of clothing, either through donations to the needy or by recycling their fibres. Regular donations of store-win- dow mannequins are made to NGOs in France; s s in the same way as in France, the HOP subsidiary in the United States this year took the initiative of donating slightly used or outdated uni- forms worn by sales associates. Several boxes of uniforms were given to associations helping people in the process of reintegrating a pro- fessional sphere. HOP also supported a local organisation, the Lower East Side Girl’s Club. The idea was to identify needs in respect of supplies for the school year. The list was sent to the employees, who responded with generous donations; s s in Taiwan, the subsidiary took part in various donations, notably to the “Taipei City Yangming Home” for the disabled. The initiative to partner with the Apple Daily newspaper was renewed in order to sup- port poor families or children. Taiwan also supports the Boyo Social Welfare association; s s in Hong Kong, donations were made to “Food Angel”, an NGO invol- ved in the fight against food waste and hunger in the region. Thus, unsold and leftover food from local retailers and restaurants was redistributed to disadvantaged communities in the formof hot meals. Volunteers from the office and stores also helped collect food lefto- 2.6.2.2

vers for “Bread Run”, the leading food bank for people in need. The subsidiary continued its support for “Lunch Club” with donations and employees helping out at this restaurant for people in difficulty; s s in India, the Hermès subsidiary chose to give 2% of its income (as required under Indian law) to the “News” NGO in2016. News is active in the fight to protect nature, the environment and wildlife. The contri- bution was aimed at supporting aquaculture/fish farming develop- ment projects in Sundarban villages in the Bay of Bengal; s s some initiatives are supported by several of the subsidiaries wor- ldwide. For example, the Earth Hour approach mobilised 56 stores in 2016, a significant number of which were in Asia. Organised at the initiative of WWF in the last week of March, it involves cutting non-es- sential lights for a period of one hour to promote electricity conserva- tion and in turn to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the fight against global warming; s s “Carrés Solidaires” operations took place in Hong Kong, China, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom for the benefit of different associations, during which specially printed silk scarves are sold. These sales contribute to the development of these local organisa- tions’ projects. Livelihoods Since 2012, Hermès has been a partner of the Livelihoods Fund (LH), which aims to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged communi- ties in a sustainable manner by developing large-scale projects with real impact against climate change (www.livelihoods.eu). Livelihoods aims to be a start-up investor (with an entrepreneurial approach and investment risk) in three types of projects – ecosystems, agroforestry and energy – in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The fund has 10 partners: Danone, Crédit Agricole, CDC, Schneider Electrics, La Poste, Hermès International, Voyageurs du Monde, SAP, Firmenich and Michelin. The initial term of the fund is 24 years, and the projects run for between 10 and 20 years. On 31 December 2016, the investors together pledged to invest a total of approximately €38 million in the Livelihoods fund. The projects generate benefits for local communities and ecosystems, as well as for the partners in the fund, which earn carbon credits with a significant environmental and social impact in proportion to their invest- ment over the project development period. These projects, one of the features of which is to cover a very large scale and extend over periods ranging from 10 to 20 years, include: s s restoration and preservation of natural ecosystems such as man- groves . Nearly 8,000 hectares have been replanted in Casamance (“Océanium” project); 4,500 hectares in the delta of the Ganges (“News” project); and 5,000 hectares in Indonesia (“Yagasu” pro- ject). These projects secure populations (protection against cyclones 2.6.3

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2016 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL

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