Optimising raw materials

PPR is a major paper consumer worldwide, notably for the printing of catalogues. Accordingly, the Group pays particular attention to the origin of the wood used to produce them. It also focuses its concern on other raw materials used in all its production.

 
 

Paper and wood

 

Due to the considerable volume of sales catalogues or documents transmitted, paper consumption was identified as a major environmental issue for the PPR Group.

With a consumption of 257,383 tonnes of paper in 2007, various measures were therefore undertaken in PPR’s brands and companies to reduce paper consumption and to optimize the quality of the consumed paper. This policy provides for stringent traceability, embodied in a centralised supply system and precise tracking of material consumption.

 

The centralised paper management system set up within the Group is used to select purchasing channels for paper extracted from forests certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Pan European Forest Certification (PEFC). In 2007, the purchased paper extracted from certified forests as a percentage of total direct purchases from suppliers totalled 66.4% in Europe and 62% in the United States (particularly for the Redcats Group’s US brands), or 64.6% for the Group on average.

 

In addition, for all supplies, all PPR’s suppliers request traceability from their own suppliers: no uncertified wood comes from protected forests or is subject to conservation programmes for which the local authorities would have ruled out any tree felling. Likewise, all PPR’s suppliers are ISO 14001 certified and 76% have obtained the European EMAS certification.

 
Packaging and bags

 

Packaging and plastic bags are closely linked to the Group’s distribution and mail-order businesses. In 2007, group consumption of packaging and shopping bags amounted to 19,309 tonnes. This packaging is used to protect and transport the products distributed and sold by the Group.

 

Numerous initiatives are gradually being set up with the aim of providing alternatives to this consumption (optimised cardboard box loading, packaging recycling and use of plastic boxes or pallets for transporting products...)

 

Furthermore, the Group is getting ready for the coming into force of new legislation concerning plastic bags and has considered alternative solutions to non-biodegradable disposable shopping bags. The diverse positioning of the companies and brands and their customers means that a single solution is not feasible. However, each company or brand uses its own means of action to help reduce the environmental impact relating to shopping bags (re-usable and biodegradable shopping bags, recycled natural Kraft paper…).
 

> Breakdown of the PPR packaging consumption in 2007 (as %)
 

 

Industrial raw materials

 

Within the reporting scope, the Group’s consumption of industrial raw materials is relatively small, since it only concerns one entity: CFAO (ball-point pens, beer bottles, plastic packaging and citrus-fruit crates).