Paper**

Objectives:
  • reduce paper consumption,
  • instil the responsible use of paper (recycled and eco-label).
Priority for 2009:
  • carry out more awareness campaigns around the theme of "Let's consume less".
Highlights in 2008:
  • call-for-bids in France and 11 other countries for suppliers of recycled and/or eco-label paper for the Group,
  • recycled paper represented 33% of total paper consumption in France.
Improve the way in which paper consumption is managed
The use of paper and its ecological value is a core priority for any "responsible" services company.
Substantial progress has been made in recent years:
  • increasing use of recycled paper (21.4% Group wide in 2008 compared with 15.2% one year earlier),
  • printing and reprography equipment offers more solutions for the optimisation of paper consumption,
  • all printing paper is guaranteed 100% chlorine-free,
  • the Group is a founding stakeholder in Ecofolio,
Responsible paper program
Société Générale's "Responsible paper" project was approved by the Group's Executive Committee in 2007. Under the slogan of "Let's consume less, let's consume better", the project has two objectives: to reduce paper consumption and encourage the use of eco-label paper.
The project not only covers office paper but also the Group's internal and external publications. It also aims to ensure that those employees that can play an important part in the responsible management of paper (administrative staff, secretaries, reprography managers):
  • prioritise the use of eco-label recycled paper,
  • use paper that has been manufactured according to eco-label standards for the sustainable management of forests if recycled paper poses a particular problem in terms of cost/logistics (depending on the location of Group entities).
Several major initiatives were carried out in 2008:
  • organisation of the Challenge Bonnes Pratiques Papier Responsable (Responsible Paper – Best Practices Challenge);
  • setting up of a quarterly report monitoring the Group's paper consumption in France;
  • organisation of an invitation to tender in order to select a Group service provider of recycled and eco-label paper only (12 countries);
  • publication of a Guide Bonnes Pratiques Papier (Guide to Best Practices in Paper) available to all staff;
  • printing of business cards on recycled paper with the words "100% recycled paper" for all staff in France.
Responsible waste management
In 2006, Société Générale began equipping all of its offices with 17,500 FFNE-approved bins that enable waste to be sorted and the optimal recycling of paper (paper disposed of is stored flat). Since the start of 2008, contracts have been signed with those service providers managing the Group's central buildings for the collection, sorting and recycling of waste. However, data (particularly in terms of waste) from these service providers does need to be improved. Work on this is scheduled for 2009 as part of the overall improvement of the Group's environmental data reporting.
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** As per our commitment under the Global Compact