BPCE_REGISTRATION_DOCUMENT_2017

6 SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL INFORMATION Sustainable development built on our cooperative identity

Businesses and Neighborhoods Charter Groupe BPCE was the only cooperative banking group to join this project initiatedby the FrenchMinistryfor Urban Affairs in late 2013. It signed a framework agreement, to which eight Banque Populaire banks and Caisses d’Epargne have adhered either via a regional agreement or specific initiatives. The framework agreement was renewed until 2017. By adhering to this charter, companies undertake to support the economic, social, and cultural development of neighborhoods identifiedas prioritiesby urban policy in areas such as social inclusion and entry into employment, public services and economic development (for Groupe BPCE, this includes support for entrepreneurship). Groupe BPCE has been a signatory of the Responsible Supplier RelationsCharter since 2010. This charterwas designedto incentivize businesses to adopt responsible practices in dealing with their suppliers. The goal is to change relations between customers and suppliers in order to build a lasting, balanced relationship between them based on mutual trust, with the aim of supporting the French Responsible Supplier Relations Charter

economy by giving precedence to partner-based strategies, dialog, and the expertiseof procurement professionals (1) . Work-Life Balance Charter In 2017, the company directors of the Banque Populaire banks, the Caisses d’Epargne and BPCE SA group all signed the Work-Life Balance Charter. Natixis had already signed the charter in 2015. This charter acknowledges the fundamental importance of striking a balance between a career and a home life, thus ensuring better quality of life in the workplace and a better performance for the company. By signing this charter, Groupe BPCE companies have undertaken to support and promote constructive behaviors in the organization of work and relations between managersand employees. Cancer@work Charter Eight Groupe BPCE companies signed the Cancer@work Charter in 2017, underscoring their commitment to implement concrete initiatives to promote the integration and continued employment of people directly or indirectly affected by cancer or another chronic illness. It also demonstratesthe determinationof group companiesto mobilize theirforces and come together in the fight againstcancer.

Development of CSR assessment tools in the BanquePopulaire and Caisse d’Epargne networks

The Banque Populairenetworkmeasuresits commitmentto its stakeholders(cooperativeshareholders,directors,employees,customersand civil society) using the CSR & CooperativeDividend tool to monitor all societal and cooperativeresponsibilityinitiativesundertakenby the banks. BanquePopulaireAtlantique,BanquePopulaireAlsace LorraineChampagneand BanquePopulaireRives de Paris have implementeda global CSR managementapproach and have held LUCIE certificationsince 2012, 2015 and 2016 respectively.Similarly, Banque Populaire Alsace Lorraine Champagne has beenAFAQ 26000-certified since 2014. A CSR self-assessmenttool was made available to the Caisses d’Epargne by their federation in late 2014 to help deploy action plans in accordancewith the ISO 26000 CSR standard. Eight Caisses d’Epargne have completedthis process since 2014. In 2017, Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes obtained LUCIE certification,thus joining the ranks of Caisse d’Epargne Bretagne Pays de Loire (2016) and Caisse d’Epargne d’Auvergneet du Limousin (2015). Caisse d’Epargne Aquitaine Poitou-Charenteshas been Vigeo 26000-certifiedsince 2016. At the same time, several Caisses d’Epargne have undertaken certification initiatives in favor of the environment (ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 in particular), professionalequality, diversity and responsible supplier relations.

Helping to build new international financial standards Since 2009, the ambitions set out in international climate change negotiations and European and French policies on the energy transition have combined with substantial development of investmentsin renewable energy and energy efficiency. New international financial standards are in the process of being developed to ramp up financing for green growth and build a reporting standard for the financial sector’s climate exposure. BPCE is actively involved in sector initiatives in France, Europe and internationally.It contributesthe expertise and know-howof group companies that are highly involved in low-carbon financing from both a financial and banking perspective, to ensure that regional banks and markets have their role to play in future financing mechanisms.The most frequent vectors for this contributionare the European Savings Bank Group (ESBG), the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) and the European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB):

on the international scene, BPCE worked with the ESBG and the ● WSBI to defend the compatibilityof climate reportingmodels with that of local banks, and particularly cooperative banks and their customers. The forum was the G20 and the Financial Stability Board; BPCE supported the EACB’s adherence to UNEP-FI (United Nations EnvironmentProgram Finance Initiative) to participate in the FSB’s work on climate reporting, including analyses of climate stress scenarios; on the European front, Natixis was selected to join the European ● Commission’s HLEG (High-Level Expert Group) on Sustainable Finance with the aim of preparing recommendationson climate finance; in addition, the EACB and the ESGB mandated BPCE to represent ● them in the EEFIG (Energy Efficiency Financial InstitutionsGroup), jointly organized by the European Commission and UNEP-FI; The goal – successfullyattained– was to incorporatethe local banking model alongside the major financing model in European recommendations;

http://www.bpce.fr/Fournisseur/La-politique-achats-responsables/Engagements-durables (1)

526

Registration document 2017