Ubisoft 2012 Annual Report Download - page 31

Management Report
2012
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section on Ubisoft’s intranet so that all the subsidiaries can benefit from the know-how at a Group
level. In the years to come, the Group also plans to set up a committee to handle environmental
questions at a global level. The task of this committee will be to identify areas for improvement within
the Group and to communicate guidelines and proposed actions to the subsidiaries.
PROMOTING INITIATIVES
Alongside the actions it takes to minimize Ubisoft’s impact on the environment, the Group considers it
equally important to encourage individual changes in behavior. Many subsidiaries implement local
awareness campaigns to steer employees toward sound environmental practices.
For example, In 2009/2010 Ubisoft Sofia launched the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” program. The
campaign’s objective was to raise the teams’ awareness of recycling options and procedures available
at the studio, including recycling paper, plastic and damaged electronic equipment as well as the use
of recycled materials. As a result of this initiative, the quantity of paper used by the studio was reduced
by half and 150 kg of plastic was recycled in 2010/2011. The program will carry on this year, with the
teams working on a program to introduce LED lighting that is more energy- and heat-efficient and less
harmful to the eyes. When the group changed premises in 2012, a reminder of the main principles of
this program was sent to all employees.
Ubisoft Chengdu has undertaken to reduce its carbon footprint with the launch of the “To live a low-
carbon life, I'm in!” program in 2009/2010. A collection of clothes, shoes and books was organized at
the studio. The items were then redistributed to a charity organization, thus lowering the carbon
generated in manufacture. The program is being repeated regularly with new collections of books,
clothes, games and toys, which are redistributed to children from Gansu province, which is located
close to the studio.
In 2010/2011, Ubisoft Shanghai implemented an internal communications campaign entitled “Green
Rabbit Action” with the aim of raising employee awareness of energy savings. Without informing
employees, during the night the communications team at the studio put green rabbit stickers on the
screens of computers that had been left switched on. The following day, employees at the studio
received an email reminding them to switch off their PCs and electronic equipment at night. The same
procedure was repeated three times and on the third occasion, the number of PCs and items of
electronic equipment left switched on was noticeably lower.
Several subsidiaries have set up Environment Committees with the aim of raising awareness locally
among the teams and to recommend concrete actions encouraging the preservation and respect of
the environment and the assessment of progress made. This is the case in Montreal, Quebec, Mexico,
San Francisco, Sofia, Barcelona and Malmo (Sweden).
In 2010/2011, the Environment Committee in Montreal supervised measures to optimize the recycling
of paper and used batteries, in addition to the sorting of glass and metal. The studio also worked on
the implementation of basic projects such as the creation of a software program for car pooling, the
use of a policy to automatically switch computers to stand-by when not in use, and the widespread use
of recycled paper in printers.
Last year, the Montreal committee introduced an awareness campaign related to the use of paper
cups, a partnership with an organic farm (distribution of seasonal organic vegetable boxes) and was
involved in setting up a terrace on the studio roof (selection of plants and planting). In Montreal,
employees also have access to a blog where information and practical advice related to the
environment is posted regularly by members of the Environment Committee.
The Environment Committees of the various subsidiaries also are keen to establish contact with users
and enter into partnerships with external organizations. This is the case with the San Francisco studio,
which worked with Urban Forest to develop green spaces and plant trees in the area around the studio
in 2009.
RAISING AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AMONG THE GENERAL PUBLIC
The Group also helps to make the general public aware of environmental issues through its games.