CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

In the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Syveco, as part of Thermador Groupe, implements a number of measures and support employee initiatives. Our actions pertain to governance respecting ethical principles and compliance, the environment, employee well-being, professional fulfillment, and solidarity. This is what we refer to as Syveconsciousness!

We have earned the EcoVadis Platinum Medal with an overall score of 84/100! This significant recognition reflects our commitment to sustainability and transparency throughout our value chain. Achieving Platinum status, places us in the top 1% of companies assessed by EcoVadis, one of the world's most trusted sustainability rating platforms.

EcoVadis is a global organization that evaluates companies' sustainability performance across various industries. Their assessment covers four key areas: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Each of these areas is crucial for ensuring businesses operate responsibly and positively impact the world.

Our Platinum Medal recognizes that we are among the top-performing companies worldwide regarding sustainability. This achievement demonstrates that our management system effectively addresses critical sustainability criteria and aligns with EcoVadis' stringent standards.

Here's how we scored across the key areas:

• Environment (80/100):

Our robust environmental initiatives focus on reducing our carbon footprint, improving energy efficiency, and minimizing waste. We continually assess and enhance our environmental practices to meet or exceed industry standards.

• Ethics (80/100):

We have built a culture of integrity and transparency in our business practices. Our commitment to ethical operations spans all company levels, ensuring we adhere to laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines.

• Labor and Human Rights (90/100):

We are proud of our efforts to protect and promote labour rights. This includes ensuring fair working conditions, promoting diversity and inclusion, and maintaining a safe and supportive workplace for all employees.

• Sustainable Procurement (80/100):

Our procurement practices emphasize sustainability. We partner with suppliers who share our commitment to responsible sourcing and work closely with our supply chain to ensure ethical, environmental, and social standards are upheld.

Achieving the EcoVadis Platinum Medal is more than just an award; it reflects our ongoing dedication to positively impacting people and the planet. It reaffirms our belief that businesses can and should drive meaningful change. Our sustainability practices aim to foster a more sustainable future while generating value for our customers, employees, and communities.

We are proud of this accomplishment, but our journey doesn't stop here. We remain committed to continuously improving our sustainability practices, fostering collaboration with our partners, and driving innovation in our operations. Sustainability is not just a goal—it's a core part of who we are.

To view our official EcoVadis recognition, click here.

Electric charging stations at Syveco

Conscious of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, we have been working on assessing our carbon footprint. We have measured our carbon footprint throughout our entire value chain (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

Currently, we are working on the Life Cycle Analysis of our products and are committed to implementing measures to reduce their carbon footprint.

We meticulously manage our buildings by implementing actions aimed at reducing energy, heating, and cooling consumption. Additionally, we optimize the management, valorization, and recycling of our waste.

To promote sustainable transportation, we provide financial support to employees for carpooling and the use of public transportation. Furthermore, we offer electric charging stations, electric bikes for intra-subsidiary travel, and the option of remote working.

Thanks to the involvement of all our employees, 665 trees were planted with @ReforestACTION in 2022. Our employees participated in the European Mobility Week by teleworking or using soft modes of transport (carpooling or public transport). 4,138 km were calculated and valorised. The amount generated contributed to the forest ecosystem restoration in Varages (Var, France).

To promote biodiversity in the environment surrounding our building, we adhere to the recommendations of a local environmental protection association called APIE (Association Porte de l’Isère Environnement). This includes a passage reserved for small fauna through fences, the planting of hedges serving as a refuge for numerous species, the planting of fruit trees, a field of flowers and herbs, the removal of invasive species, the installation of bird nests and an insect hotel, and green spaces planted with a focus on local species, nectar plants, and a small orchard.

Events are regularly organized on the site by a member of the APIE association to raise awareness among employees about fauna and flora around us.

We have recently installed two beehives in the company's back courtyard, a project our employee Urszula initiated. These beehives are cared for in collaboration with a professional beekeeper, contributing to local biodiversity and enabling us to produce our own honey.

The company is a very important venue for social mixing. Equal treatment has a positive impact at every level of the company, developing each individual’s potential and doing away with awkward situations. At the time of recruitment, only skill, experience, interpersonal relations, efficiency, creative capacity, discernment, sense of synthesis and commitment are taken into account. Also, thanks to the wage transparency policy in place, employees can learn about salary levels.

At Syveco, women occupy 33% of management positions.

We set high expectations for our management team, emphasizing efficiency, exemplary behavior, communication skills, proximity to employees, and motivation for collective interests.

Peace and rule of law, framed by rules and effective justice create a favourable context for public and private economic actors by providing the right framework for fair competition, the ability to innovate, be entrepreneurial and develop business. The elimination of corruption improves a company’s image and its room for manoeuvre to support economic development and contribute to achieving sustainable development objectives. At Syveco, 89% of employees potentially exposed potentially exposed to corruption received anti-corruption training in 2022.

We respect French regulations to ensure the promotion and respect of fundamental international labour organisation provisions: ban on child labour, freedom of association, elimination of forced labour, etc.

Syveco's Management Committee - Amé Bertin, Suzanne Abela, Vanessa Ittah, Lionel Monroe, Cédric Auvray

The company actively contributes to the development of each individual’s potential. We consistently provide our employees with continuous and relevant training. Every two years, we conduct a professional interview with each employee, which formalises the development of the employee’s career path in the short, medium and long term. It serves as a basis for building training plans for each employee. In addition, individual performance reviews are held with employees every year to review the year ended and the 12 months ahead to help keep each employee’s career path on track.

Technical training at Sferaco

We offer the opportunity to cross function boundaries. For example, people have moved from technical sales to quality, from customer service to marketing, and from warehouse to administration. This provides great opportunities for progress in different positions and activity areas.

Initial and continuous training help people to adapt more quickly to the world in which they live and to the way companies operate and evolve. Data suggests that companies are the first to benefit from staff knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills. Thus, promoting training designed to increase employees’ skills is a key factor for long-term success (adaptation, competitiveness, efficiency, etc.). All types of training are provided, training related to business expertise, cross-functional training (e.g. anti-corruption, IT) or training in interpersonal skills and sustainable issues. Seminars for sales teams, training for local managers, personal development courses, language courses, fire safety, health and safety at work... We regularly call on external organisations to maintain and develop the skillsets of our staff.

Matvisio coaching program at Syveco

Ensuring proper working conditions is a priority for Syveco.  We understand that a conducive work environment directly impacts employee well-being and productivity. That's why we go above and beyond to provide comprehensive facilities and resources to support our team members.

Our employees have access to a gym where they can engage in fitness activities and attend organized Pilates sessions led by a professional coach, aimed at improving flexibility, strength, and overall well-being.

Furthermore, we recognize the importance of promoting work-life balance and stress reduction. That's why our facilities also include designated relaxation areas where employees can unwind during breaks. Whether it's engaging in a friendly game of table tennis, enjoying the tranquility of our picnic area, or simply taking a moment of respite in our dedicated rest room, we strive to create an environment that nurtures both physical and mental relaxation.

To gauge satisfaction with various aspects of work, we regularly conduct surveys on the quality of life and working conditions among our employees. At Syveco, we believe that investing in the well-being of our employees is not just a responsibility but a strategic imperative. By prioritizing proper working conditions and offering comprehensive wellness initiatives, we aim to cultivate a workforce that is not only motivated and engaged but also healthy and fulfilled.

In the year 2018, Thermador Groupe embraced the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within its corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework. Herein lies an overview of the specific SDGs that have been integrated into the Groupe's approach:

Suppliers

Aligning with the above-mentioned principles, Thermador Groupe involves its suppliers and subcontractors in the implementation of monitoring measures and, where applicable, corrective actions and invites them to share its commitment by signing this supplier code of conduct. You can consult the Supplier Code of Conduct.

Every year, 20 to 30 factory visits are carried out in order to develop and facilitate relationships with these partners, paying particular attention to employees’ working conditions. A long-term partnership has been established with 22% of our suppliers with whom we have collaborated for more than 40 years.

Employees

Quality of life at work is a real concern for the Groupe. Employees are regularly questioned on the subject, and thanks to the results of these surveys, management works on action plans to improve employees' satisfaction and well-being. The average length of service is 9.7 years. 81% of the employees have been trained in 2022 in order to improve their skills. Respecting diversity, 41.5% of women are in management positions in the Groupe.

Anti-corruption

From the very beginning, the founders of Thermador established rules of operation based on transparency, exemplarity and honesty. With the internationalisation of the group and the increase in the number of employees and legal structures, we felt it was necessary to better identify the risks of fraud and corruption and to put internal control procedures in place. In this context, 96.9% of employees at risk of exposure to corruption have been trained over the last 3 years in anti-corruption.

The group has developed the formalisation of its practices following the December 2016 regulation on transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernisation of economic life, known as "Sapin 2" law.

Environment

With the help of a Life Cycle Assessment consultant, some of our subsidiaries have implemented an eco-design approach for products in order to reduce the environmental impacts over the entire product value chain.

Sferaco set up a design office to contribute proactively to the eco-design of its products and Sectoriel proposes its own reparability index based on the same criteria as the official index. Waste management is also an important environmental measure, 95% of the Groupe's waste being sent to specialized streams for recycling or recovery.