Ubisoft 2007 Annual Report Download - page 42

UBISOFT • FINANCIAL REPORT 2008
Recycling
Ubisoft actively participates in recycling its waste: used
computer, electrical and electronic equipment as well as
used paper.
Used computer equipment
The Group’s recycling efforts include using certified or
accredited companies to remove this special waste.
In France, Ubisoft has its computer equipment recycled
by companies specialized in dismantling such equipment
in compliance with applicable standards and laws. The
treatment of electrical and electronic waste and clean-
up of computer screens, are handled by companies with
which recovery, disassembly and recycling agreements
have been signed. Accordingly, in compliance with regu-
lations on the elimination of waste and recovery of
materials, these companies “demanufacture” the mate-
rials in order to sort them and isolate them depending on
the reusability of each component. This dismantling
makes it possible to isolate toxic products in order to
then package them and direct them to special treatment
channels.
This year, the French subsidiaries recycled over 6 tons of
computer equipment.
The French subsidiaries participate in a program for recy-
cling mobile telephones and used blackberries in coope-
ration with an association of people in need.
Similarly, the foreign subsidiaries have their computer
equipment recycled by specialist companies (for example,
in Germany, the US, and the UK).
In general, Ubisoft Group combats waste, preferring to
give the equipment to associations, schools, or employees
rather than throw it away.
Our Ubisoft Divertissements Inc. subsidiary gives a portion
of its used equipment to a social partnership working in
computing that looks to employ troubled youths. This
partnership recycles, reconditions and resells the equip-
ment to social entities.
Toner and cartridges are for the most part sent back to the
suppliers.
Used paper
The Group encourages employees to save paper.
It tries to eliminate superfluous, costly and environmen-
tally harmful paper materials, reducing the number of
copies of printed annual reports by making them directly
downloadable from www.ubisoftgroup.com, managing do-
cument archives, adding to collaborative work sites, etc.
Awareness is raised at all subsidiaries:
They take advantage of municipal or governmental pro-
grams to recycle their paper through selective sorting at
their premises or collection areas like in Germany,
Australia, Korea, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.
They employ specialist outside companies like in Canada,
the US and France. The benefits are then measured in
the number of trees saved. Since 2006, Ubisoft has saved
a minimum of 280 trees.
Nearly one site out of two recycles its paper.
In France, there has been a working group focused on the
protection of the environment for several years:
RECYLONS! (LET’S RECYCLE!).
Its goal is to promote recycling at Ubisoft’s French sub-
sidiaries: recycling of paper, purchasing recycled paper for
printers and photocopiers, distribution of re-usable plastic
cups, offering recycled office supplies in the main cata-
logue available for all of Ubisoft in France.
Like in France, the Canadian studio created an environ-
mental committee in order to come up with concrete
actions within the subsidiary to promote the preservation
of and respect for the environment as well as the assess-
ment of the progress made. The subsidiary focuses on the
3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Its multiple projects include: paper recycling as well as
recycling of used batteries; sorting of glass, metal and
paper, purchasing biodegradable plates and utensils, pro-
viding outside places to park bicycles, etc. Similarly, the US
distribution company has become a “Green-focus com-
pany” thanks to the number of internal programs it has
adopted.
Recycling efforts in certain countries comply with strict
environmental regulations: in Germany, Ubisoft holds a
“Green License” in correlation with the European directive
on packaging.
In France, Ubisoft makes eco-packaging tax contributions
based on each packaging unit (listed by category: paper,
cardboard or plastic) put on the French market in order to
obtain the grüne Punkt (green dot) label on its cardboard
packaging. The same policy is also applied in Spain and
Italy.
Destruction
of unmarketable
products
The subsidiaries are directly responsible for the disposal of
inventory in the distribution platforms. It is organized by
suppliers or by the subsidiaries’ warehouses.
During the fiscal year, Ubisoft destroyed approximately 64
tons of unmarketable products. The various destruction
work (grinding or compacting), carried out under the con-
trol of official bodies was outsourced to outside companies
to be:
burned (in Japan for whatever cannot be recovered),
buried (in Italy and in the US),
recycled (in the UK, Germany, Australia, Canada,
France, Japan, Switzerland and the Netherlands).
The destruction of products in France is carried out by
a company specializing in recycling CDs, DVDs, com-
puter diskettes, and all types of plastic electronic
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