Vilmorin & Cie - Annual report 2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT Vilmorin & Cie 132 2017-2018 Social, environmental and societal INFORMATION 4 57 years of age can also benefit, under certain conditions, from a reduction in their working time with the maintenance of full pension contributions. Applicable in France, the agreement was also disseminated to non-French subsidiaries at the initiative of Vilmorin & Cie, with the aim of encouraging them to adopt some of the provisions in place in France. Renegotiated in 2012-2013, the provisions of this agreement were included in 2014 in a Group agreement on a Generation Contract . The latter was renegotiated in 2017 for a period of three years. Measures taken towards employing and integrating disabled persons Different measures have been taken to encourage the employment and integration of disabled workers in order to advance the low rate of disabled workers (2.2% of employees) in France. To this end, during fiscal year 2012-2013, a partnership was formed in France with ESATs (centers providing care through employment, enabling disabled persons to work in a protected environment) and with the AGEFIPH (an association that manages funds for the professional integration of the disabled) for the dissemination of job offers on a dedicated platform. Disabled persons receive regular temporary assignments to assist Vilmorin & Cie's support services in several operational and administrative functions. Following the annual negotiation of 2015, a handicap policy was launched within Vilmorin & Cie, with the first results being the implementation of a partnership with Handischool . Through this partnership, several awareness actions on handicaps have been conducted at a number of Vilmorin & Cie's sites in France. In February 2017, a Group agreement on Professional Equality and Solidarity was signed for French companies. It provides for actions in favor of: the recognition of disabled workers; the recruitment, integration and retention of disabled workers; the communication and awareness of disability. Several measures were deployed in the Business Units, such as: In Vilmorin & Cie's Corporate Department, the hiring of a hearing- impaired person for an 8-week internship, which was accompanied by sign language training for volunteer employees, and the hiring on a sandwich course of a person with a motor disability and using a wheelchair. The integration of these people with visible disabilities leads to a change in mentalities towards a better acceptance and integration of people with disabilities into the teams. At Hazera, in Israel, new facilities have been built for people with disabilities. At HM Clause, in Chile, access ramps have been created for people with reduced mobility. 4.4.1.7. Developing the knowledge and sharing of best CSR practices In order to promote a better knowledge of CSR, Vilmorin & Cie is convinced of the need to develop education, training, interaction and cooperation at different levels of the Company. Thus, CSR will be seen as a fully-fledged dimension of day-to-day business activities and not merely as a tool for regulatory compliance or communication and reporting. Several types of actions are now in place to give employees the resources they need to properly take ownership of CSR-related issues and to insure that Vilmorin & Cie's commitments are widely disseminated. Vilmorin & Cie has thus chosen to encourage, as a priority, all its employees to adopt a responsible and supportive attitude. For example, an eco-friendly practices guide has been produced; it is available on the Intranet and distributed sequentially, on internal screen networks. It brings together ideas, behaviors and attitudes that can help preserve the planet and improve the quality of life for all without compromising that of future generations. Being eco-socio-responsible is above all a state of mind that everyone is invited to adopt and share on a daily basis, both personally and professionally. This document is intended to become a vehicle for the exchange of best practices. Moreover, during their induction program, new managers attend an awareness session on CSR. The Group's CSR department offers a dedicated training module and communication tools (eco-friendly gestures, a library of best practices, communication kits, etc.). It also provides the Executive Committees of the various Business Units with an analysis of their non-financial reporting and a dialogue on internal best practices and achievable progress. The CSR department also multiplies its activities to raise awareness and share experience with external stakeholders (customers, investors, suppliers, public authorities, staff representatives and representatives of civil society, academia and the economic sphere). 4.4. Building new patterns of relationship and creating value