Vilmorin & Cie - Annual report 2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT Vilmorin & Cie 121 2017-2018 4 cultivated varieties to adjust to agricultural ecosystems and their constraints (climate, soil quality, etc.). They create tomorrow's varieties, varieties that meet the performance needs of farmers, and that are adapted to climate change, while preserving the natural environment where they are grown. These new varieties extend biodiversity within each of the species being worked on. As a company, Vilmorin & Cie participates in the program set up by Limagrain, its reference shareholder, to limit the environmental impacts of its activities and is in line with the objectives set. The program is based on the implementation of an environmental management system applicable to all its sites and compliance with laws, regulations and environmental requirements worldwide. Four themes are included in this program and are the subject of specific measures and objectives, namely: Topic Challenge Objective of the Group Energy Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions Reduce energy consumption by 10% by 2022 ( vs 2015-2016) Encourage and deploy solutions to lower the impact of transport related to business Use 10% of renewable energies in the energy mix by 2022 Water Insure effluent quality and optimize water consumption Reduce mains water consumption by 5% by 2022 ( vs 2016-2017) Biodiversity Protect the ecosystems present on the sites Identify, monitor and preserve biotopes and protected species present on sites near a protected area Waste Insure the recovery of waste Insure reliable reporting on waste and insure its treatment by 2020 Recover 85% of waste for recycling by 2022 Initiate the implementation of a Group environmental management system 4.3.3.2. Seeds in the context of agricultural, food and environmental challenges Plant breeding is at the heart of improving the competitiveness of agriculture and global environmental challenges: biodiversity, climate change, input* consumption, etc. Preservation and the development of biodiversity The genetic diversity of plants, commonly referred to as genetic resources*, has always been at the root of any improvement process since the domestication of agricultural species and their maintenance by local communities. The improvement work subsequently undertaken by scientists is based on this diversity. Vilmorin & Cie's researchers therefore need these genetic resources* to help improve food production, both in quality and quantity. Biodiversity is one of the world's most important resources for meeting the needs of agriculture and food. It expresses the variability necessary, in all its forms, for the adaptation and survival of living organisms as their environment evolves: ecosystem diversity, species diversity and, less visibly, the diversity of genes and their assemblies. The group's work on genetic resources* and biodiversity thus contributes to food security and nutritional diversification – i.e. the availability of a range of varied and adapted foods essential for the health and development of the human body. In Europe and other countries where the marketing of new varieties requires registration in official catalogues, Vilmorin & Cie, like other seed companies, must prove that these varieties are distinct and, for field crop species, that they have superior performance to varieties already marketed. Official studies therefore include two types of tests: DHS* (Distinct, Homogeneous, Stable) for all crops, and VATE* (Agronomic, Technological and Environmental Value) for field seeds. In this way, each new variety on the market brings an improvement and is different from those already sold, thus contributing to the creation of biodiversity. By launching several hundred new varieties on the market each year (331 during fiscal year 2017-2018), and by maintaining several thousand, Vilmorin & Cie actively participates in the preservation and development of the biodiversity of a large number of plant species. Vilmorin & Cie goes further in the preservation of plant biodiversity by contributing to gene banks. Its contribution is primarily non- financial: it concerns the provision of germplasm* to certain national collections, but also making its commercial varieties available for research and plant breeding in accordance with the breeder’s* exemption principle. Furthermore, Vilmorin & Cie has played a decisive role in the initiatives run by the professional federations, the European Seeds Association (ESA) and the International Seeds Federation (ISF) , to contribute to the development of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Multilateral System (MLS) that complements it. It has supported them financially and worked to convince other seed companies to become involved in these joint actions. 4.3. Conducting activities in an ethical, sustainable and effective manner Social, environmental and societal INFORMATION