In 2020, the industrial group ARMOR publishes its 10th annual CSR report. The company communicates in complete transparency the quantified progress achieved in 6 main areas, all directly inspired by the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations: governance & ethics, circular economy, renewable energy, responsible traceability, employee development and regional solidarity. This annual publication reflects the theme of socially responsible innovation which lays at the heart of the ARMOR business model, pervading all the Group’s activities at all its sites.

Socially responsible innovation as a business model

ARMOR has been publishing its progress through its CSR report for the past 10 years. Employing a quantified assessment methodology, the Group provides information in complete transparency to stakeholders (employees, investors, customers, suppliers…) on the progress (and occasionally shortfalls) against targets specified for each priority: governance & ethics, circular economy, renewable energy, responsible traceability, employee development and regional solidarity. The CSR report published in 2020 covers activities in 2019.

“At ARMOR, social responsibility is much more than just a corporate culture. Our commitment to serving society’s challenges permeates throughout the Group; it is at the very heart of our business model. We call this commitment Socially Responsible Innovation”, states Hubert de Boisredon.

In addition to the annual publication of the report, ARMOR has been implementing a CSR approach for 15 years now. The Group has been a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2008 and a board member of Global Compact France since 2018. “Through our values (humanism, innovation, commitment and customer focus) and our actions, we are striving to demonstrate that industry is able to respect the environment and to contribute to the personal fulfilment of employees”, declares Hubert de Boisredon, CEO of ARMOR.

e REC’PET waste recovering program in close-up

In the context of its Thermal Transfer activities, a business in which it is the global market leader, one of ARMOR’s main objectives is to reduce and recover waste. ARMOR has therefore been running two special programs for a number of years now, namely REC’PET (production film waste) and REC’PET Partner (end user’s old ribbons), with a conclusive test phase having been completed in the French market. Having established a dedicated collection and recovering system, REC’PET guarantees that used Thermal Transfer films will not be disposed of via the usual channels of landfill or incineration. 100% of waste collected under the REC’PET program is recovered. As stated in the last CSR report published by ARMOR, the waste is most frequently processed to replace the fossil fuels typically used by other industries (the SRF principle – Solid Recovered Fuel), or recycled to produce other plastic products, or incinerated to generate energy. With solid data from the test phase, in 2021 ARMOR will be working to introduce the REC’PET service in its main markets, with programs already operational in the USA and Asia.

A gold medal for ARMOR

The gold medal won by ARMOR further to the EcoVadis assessment applies to the group as a whole, all business streams combined. It signifies “Advanced CSR Performance” and is awarded to organizations obtaining an overall score greater than 65/100. This distinction reflects that the company has adopted a structured and proactive CSR approach. Including commitments, policies and concrete actions on major topics with detailed information regarding implementation. It is the result of multiple initiatives and of a collaborative effort at all levels of the company to demonstrate accountability in terms of the environment, society, ethics as well as in purchasing.

CSR at ARMOR: the demand for quality and transparency

ARMOR instituted a CSR self-diagnosis and a “values approach” which have identified areas for improvement and translated them into an action plan. The latter uses data monitoring and analysis to provide an overall view of ARMOR Group’s performance in terms of societal innovation, both on social and environmental levels and through its societal involvement. Thus, ARMOR publishes a yearly CSR report which presents, in full transparency, the results along with their analysis, good practices and the action plan to achieve the set objectives.

“This report has been designed to describe the links between society’s challenges and our company’s contributions, efforts and successes, in addition to areas in which we mustimprove”, states Annabelle Guillet, CSR Manager at ARMOR. “The company of the 21st century must be committed or be no more. Social responsibility is now an integral part of our corporate culture at ARMOR.We call this commitment Socially Responsible Innovation”, states Hubert de Boisredon, CEO of ARMOR.