Ubisoft 2016 Annual Report Download - page 92

Corporate social responsibility
4Environmental indicators
The actions implemented can be both specifi c , targeting computer
and electrical equipment, as well as water and paper consumption,
or generalist, encompassing broader topics to engage staff with
the issue of global warming, or recommending everyday actions
that can be taken to reduce their environmental impact:
♦ at the end of 2015, the Group launched an internal website to
educate and encourage employees to adopt simple everyday
habits to help protect the environment. Employees can complete
a questionnaire on the website to assess their carbon footprint, as
well as share best practices that can be used at work, in the offi ce
and when traveling on business. A “Green” community has been
set up on the Ubisoft internal network to make environmental
practices more relevant to everyday life;
♦
in 2015, the Montreal studio created a “Ubisoft and the
environment” page on its external website, to showcase the
actions taken to reduce its environmental footprint. These
notably include responsible waste management, promotion of
sustainable mobility practices, and a responsible procurement
policy. The studio has introduced a comprehensive recycling
system on site, incorporating both waste sorting and composting.
Similarly, the “Castle” project (see section 4.3.3.1) has resulted
in several eco-friendly communications. It provides a fertile
ground for the development of initiatives to reduce the studio’s
environmental footprint and to offer a comfortable work
environment for employees;
♦ the Sofi a studio is continuing to make new employees aware of
environmental issues by including an environment section in
the induction pack given to new arrivals. This places particular
emphasis on the recycling system in place at the studio;
♦
many sites have more targeted campaigns, focusing for example
on switching off lights and computers when leaving the offi ce,
following strict waste-sorting guidelines, or cutting back on
printing.
In 2015, all staff had thus been made aware of environmental issues,
while 45.3% of them had received some form of local communication.
4.3.1.3 Preventing environmental risks
andpollution
Ubisoft’s defi nition of environmental risk is based on the GRI
defi nition contained in the G3 guidelines (1).
The Group’s own activities do not present any signifi cant industrial
and environmental risks since the Group does not manufacture the
video games (and associated ancillary products) it publishes and
distributes. Nevertheless, the Group remains alert to regulatory
changes in countries where it is present.
The Group’s main expenses and initiatives relating to environmental
protection are presented in greater detail in the “Pollution prevention”
and “Sustainable use of resources” sections of this report.
4.3.1.4 Provisions and guarantees
The Group currently has no knowledge of any industrial or
environmental risk.
Ubisoft did not record any provision, purchase any insurance to
cover potential environmental risks, or pay any compensation in
this regard during the fi nancial year.
❙ 4.3.2 ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Due to the nature of its business activities and the location of its sites,
Ubisoft is not directly affected by the consequences of climate change.
Despite this, Ubisoft is conscious of environmental issues and is
keen to include climate action in its long-term strategy and day-
to-day activities.
To measure its environmental footprint and defi ne the measures to
be put in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at the end of
January 2015 the Ubisoft Group hired an external service provider to
carry out a carbon audit
(2)
. The audit estimated its carbon emissions
at 68,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The approach used was
both quantitative – measuring the carbon footprint according to the
latest standards (Bilan Carbone
®
and GreenHouse Gas Protocol
®
) –
and semi-quantitative, measuring other environmental impacts
in terms of resources (energy, water, raw materials) and toxicity.
The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from Ubisoft’s
business are as follows:
♦ the manufacture, shipment to warehouses and distribution of
video game cases/DVDs and ancillary products, activities that
have been subcontracted by the Group (indirect impact – see
section 4.3.3.2);
♦
business travel by employees and events organized by the Group
(see above);
♦ from energy consumed, buildings, heating and air conditioning
systems and, primarily, IT equipment, including servers (see
section 4.3.3.1);
♦ consumables such as paper, ink cartridges, offi ce supplies (see
section 4.3.3.2);
♦ bought-in services (indirect impact).
The Group is already endeavoring to take steps (see section 4.3.1.2)
to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, which are among the major
causes of global climate change.
(1) “An environmental risk refers to the possibility of incidents or accidents occurring that are caused by the activities of a company, which may have
harmful and significant repercussions for the environment. Environmental risk is measured by considering the probability of occurrence of an
event (risk) and the level of danger”
(2) Source: Greenfl ex “Ubisoft Environmental Assessment” report, February 4, 2015
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