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2016 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT (CSR)
4
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENTS
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conflict of interest policy. Assystem executives and employees, the
members of their families and persons close to them, may not hold
any interests in a sub-contractor, supplier, client or competitor that
could affect the exercise of their duties.
At the end of 2016, a communication campaign was organised to
promote awareness of the Code of Business Conduct and related
policies among employees in France and other countries.
The Assystem Ethics Committee meets every six months and more
frequently if necessary. The Committee’s role is to (i) update the Code
of Business Conduct and related policies, (ii) monitor their application,
and (iii) deal with all urgent situations concerning their application.
It is made up of representatives from the divisions’ Management
Committees, the Human Resources Department, the Legal Department
and the Communication Department.
A reminder of the importance of applying ethical business practices was
posted on the Group’s Intranet in 2016, and in 2017 100 managers
based in France, Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom will take
part in a pilot training program on this topic.
The Legal Department is drafting an “ethics” clause to be included in
contracts and general conditions of purchase/sale as from 2017 and
is also updating the Code of Business Conduct and related policies to
reflect the provisions of France’s “Sapin II” Act (Act no. 2016-1691
dated 9 December 2016) on transparency, the prevention of corruption
and the modernisation of economic life.
4.5.2
RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING
Sustainable development considerations have been an integral part of
the Group’s purchasing policies for many years and it expects its sub-
contractors and suppliers to uphold the same values, particularly in terms
of ethical practices, diversity and environmental protection. Although
sub-contractors and suppliers are chosen for their technical expertise,
service quality and compliance with the rules governing concealed work
(in particular, presentation of the “e-attestation” compliance certificate
required in France), their sustainable development initiatives are also
a factor in the selection process.
In France, Assystem’s
Mission Handicap
team promotes outsourcing of
maintenance work and digital, logistics and other services to “EA” and
“ESAT” companies specialised in employing people with disabilities
(see Section 4.3.3.3 of this Registration Document). Information and
encouragement campaigns are organised regularly among the people
responsible for purchasing these services and a catalogue of identified
service providers is available on the Group’s Intranet. In both 2016
and 2015, Assystem used the services of more than 20 EAs/ESATs in
France. In Germany, the supplier management policy covers such issues
as supplier self-assessment procedures and ethics, environmental and
health and safety audits.
The responsible purchasing principle is also mentioned in the Assystem
Code of Ethics and Code of Business Conduct.
To make its efforts more visible, raise employee awareness and unite
them behind this issue, the Group has decided to go further in its
responsible purchasing policy, starting in 2017 with an audit of existing
practices and procedures. The aim of the audit will be to identify best
practices and ensure that they are deployed throughout the organisation.
As mentioned in Section 4.5.1.2 above, the Legal Department is
drafting an “ethics” clause to be included in the Group’s contracts and
general conditions of purchase/sale as from 2017.
4.5.3
CONTRIBUTING TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
The Group’s objective is to participate actively in the development of
its host communities and regions, especially where it is an important
contributor to the local economy.
Its main impact on a community is as a local employer. Assystem hires
large numbers of employees (see Section 4.3.1.2 of this Registration
Document), offering opportunities to young graduates and anchoring
the business firmly in the local labour market. Specific action is taken
in certain regions, such as Iasi in Romania where Assystem received
job creation grants from the government at the end of 2016 under the
program to develop deprived areas.
The Group is also contributing to local development in France through
the government-sponsored competitiveness clusters. The clusters promote
cooperation with a wide range of partners (for example, in the academic
sector with Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire – IRSN,
the small business sector, etc.) that share their skills and expertise with
Assystem and in this way help the Group develop its own skills and
expertise.
Leveraging their deep local roots, Assystem’s teams participate regularly
in these partners’ activities in the areas of special interest to the Group:
●
since 2013, Assystem has been a member of the “Efficacity” energy
transition institute (ITE) set up by the French government to conduct
research into the energy performance of the cities of the future. The
Group contributes the expertise of a team of engineers who have
been working on an Intermodal Station project and the Waste Energy
Recovery program;
●
since 2015, Assystem has been participating in the “Systematic Paris-
Region” global competitiveness cluster that has brought together some
800 industrialists, small business owners and scientists in the Paris
region with the aim of making the area more attractive to investors.
Projects concern sectors such as energy, telecoms, healthcare,
transport, information systems, the factory of the future, the digital
city and security;
●
since 2013, Assystem has been participating in the Burgundy-
region competitiveness cluster, which has called its research project
Nuc Track (the name also used by the “Systematic Paris-Region”
competitiveness cluster). The project aims to optimise the management
of radioactive sources used in the industrial, medical and research
sectors, particularly during transportation;
●
Assystem is a member of the Board of Directors of the
Vallée de
l’Énergie
competitiveness cluster which is working to structure and
promote the energy industry;
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REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
2016
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