PPR - Health and safety

Redcats rolls out an innovative prevention policy

PPR’s commitment, as a socially-responsible Group, is to reconcile effectively economic performance, social accountability and preservation of the environment. Relying on its entrepreneurial expertise, the Group is developing innovative sustainable-development initiatives.

Our appropriation of this concept is manifested in an approach based on corporate social responsibility (CSR approach) deployed across all the Group’s retail companies, and governing an ambitious, ground-breaking, many-faceted policy. A particular structuring feature of the CSR policy pioneered and developed by PPR is the Code of business practices, a frame of reference underpinning good conduct by all the Group’s brands.

A decentralised organisation with a focus around two core activities – retailing and luxury, PPR deploys all necessary actions to enable each retailing company, in keeping with its specific concerns and features, its business line, commitments and culture, to institute socially and environmentally responsible projects in harmony with the Group’s general policy and spirit in this area.

2006 was marked by the strengthening of the key developments and strategies initiated in previous years, the priority being the continued deployment and monitoring of the correct application of the PPR Code of Business Practices. The real backbone of PPR’s CSR policy, the Code formalises the Group’s commitments vis-à-vis :

- its employees ;

- environment ;

- its customers ;

- its partners ;

- society ;

- its shareholders.

PPR and its companies consider guaranteeing the health and safety of their employees as a fundamental duty. PPR aims to use procedures and action plans within its companies to limit the predominant risks, which will vary depending on the company concerned.

In 2006:
12,287 employees attended a health/safety training course, representing a total of 58,360 hours of training
2,157 work-related accidents resulting in sick leave occurred either in the work place or on business assignments (no fatal accidents), compared to 2,464 in 2005, down 12.5%.

Obtaining international certifications

In keeping with the formal health and safety procedure commenced in 2001, Gucci formed in September 2004 a collective CSR Committee comprising an equal number of representatives from the main trade unions and the managers of the company. The committee is responsible for Gucci’s double certification in social, SA 8000 (1) and environmental management, ISO 14001 (2) .
In 2006, Gucci keeped working on obtaining social certification (SA 8000) in 2007.

In 2005, the YSL Beauté industrial site in Lassigny had set the target of obtaining the triple certification in 2006. The site, which was ISO 9001 (3) (quality) certified at the end of 2005, obtained the OHSAS 18001 (4) (safety) and ISO 14001 (environment) certifications in December 2006.

Innovative prevention policies: Conforama and CFAO examples

• Conforama continued its 5-year investment plan

In 2006, Conforama continued to implement its action plan set up in 2002 aimed at improving safety and working conditions. With an investment of more than €2.5 million, the company focused its action this year on the renovation of company premises (€900,000), fire protection at the company's sites (€947,000) and the development of employee and warehouse safety (€774,000).

At the same time, the company finalised the work initiated in 2005 aimed at improving the accessibility of the head office premises for disabled persons. Conforama has invested €90,000 in this initiative in the past two years.

• CFAO's industries develop their HSE policies initiated in 2002

The aim of CFAO’s Hygiene, Safety and Environment (HSE) policy is to identify work-related accidents, categorise them according to their seriousness and set targets to monitor progress. In 2006, these targets mostly focused on reducing the number of work-related and car accidents (which are particularly serious and frequent in Africa) and on preventing such accidents via an assessment of the health and safety training provided (first aid, fire, awareness and audit).

By way of example, in 2006, 12 DT DOBIE employees in Kenya were trained in environmental quality standards.

(1) SA 8000: Social Accountability International standard governing corporate social responsibility and based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(2) ISO 14001: technical standards drawn up by the International Organisation for Standardisation regarding environmental management.
(3) ISO 9001: technical standards drawn up by the International Organisation for Standardisation regarding quality management.
(4) OHSAS 18001: Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series. International technical standards regarding occupational health and safety.