GBH is aware of its health, safety and environmental (HSE) responsibilities and their related challenges. Its HSE charter, signed by all its subsidiaries, pledges to safeguard the health and safety of its employees, protect the environment and abide by HSE regulations. This charter supports the day-to-day efforts GBH has been making for many years to prevent employee health risks and reduce the environmental impacts of its operations. GBH wants to be a significant stakeholder in sustainable development in all regions where it has a presence. It is up to each subsidiary, management team and employee to act responsibly and get involved in this HSE continuous improvement approach.

Consult the GBH charter

GBH's involvement in the energy transition is based on the following objectives:

-To reduce the Group's energy consumption

-To implement renewable energy production solutions

-To develop sustainable mobility

To support its energy transition efforts, GBH regularly renews a variety of energy efficiency partnerships with local economic and institutional stakeholders, such as EDF and ADEME, as well as regional and local authorities.

GBH and its subsidiaries have numerous measures in place to reduce the energy consumed for their operations throughout the territories.

Priority is given to using innovative technologies and applying sustainable design principles, both for its infrastructures (new constructions and renovations alike) as well as its technical and processing facilities.

For example, the Group is replacing ageing, energy-intensive equipment with energy-efficient equipment and reinforcing heat insulation in buildings.

In addition, regularly assessing its sites’ energy efficiency, establishing a regulatory system and monitoring through regular energy audits make for optimal energy consumption management.

All measures initiated by the Group in 2020 led to a total reduction in energy consumption of more than 3,800 MWh/year, thus avoiding over 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

GBH has been using renewable energy since 2010. Thirty or so solar PV facilities have been commissioned on the roofs of its subsidiary buildings. Some of these inject the energy produced into the public electricity grid, and for the most recent ones, the energy is consumed directly on the solar power station site. The electricity consumption of establishments equipped with this technology is approximately 30% lower thanks to the new self-contained plants. In total, 60,000m² of roofs equipped with photovoltaic panels produce more than 9,000 MW.h each year, equivalent to the annual consumption of nearly 3,000 households and avoid the emission of approximately 9,000 tons of CO2. 

In the interests of sustainable mobility, the Group offers electric and hybrid vehicles to individuals and professionals through its car hire and dealership network. On some of its sites, GBH also provides motorists with a network of charging points to make it easier to access faster charging.

Protecting water resources and ecosystems is paramount in our regions. To alleviate pressure on this resource and keep aqueous discharges into the natural environment to a minimum, GBH decided to implement various rainwater harvesting and contaminated water recycling initiatives within its subsidiaries. Water recycled or recovered in this way helps meet the non-potable water needs of some of the Group's operations and subsidiaries. In 2020, nearly 95,000 m³ of water was saved, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 800 households.

SAPEB – a company in Martinique that manufactures concrete components for construction and GBH subsidiary – installed a rainwater harvesting system with tank storage. Rainwater harvested in this way helps meet the company’s needs, particularly for its toilet facilities. Other subsidiaries in the Group use the same process in the automotive and mass retail sectors. 

To reduce potable water consumption, the Group uses a ‘zero consumption zero discharge’ car washing system in its car hire subsidiaries and some car dealerships. The car washes run on rainwater collected from rooftops plus recycled, treated water from previous washes. They are thus completely self-sufficient in water and do not generate any waste water.

Process water recycling facilities have been built for concrete manufacturing operations. Following on-site treatment by sedimentation, the treated water is reintroduced into the concrete manufacturing process. This water recycling process is a virtuous solution to water resource management, with significantly reduced water consumption and no discharge into the natural environment.

A progressive initiative by Distillerie J.M. aspires to protect aquatic environments and guide the profession towards greater respect for the environment. Through this major project, the company seeks to implement an efficient distillery waste water treatment solution to minimise its impact on the natural environment. In 2018, the distillery developed a plan in partnership with the Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l’Environnement et l’Agriculture (Irstea), the Office de l’Eau (ODE), Agro Keys and the Agence Française pour la Biodiversité (AFB) to treat and reclaim its waste water using plants. The purpose of the project was to set up a responsible, sustainable solution to vinasse treatment using a system of lagoons (constructed wetland) to naturally treat the by-product. The treated waste water will then be reused to irrigate the estate's farmland.

On 17 November 2021 on Réunion Island, GBH, Cinor and Saint-Denis municipality joined forced with the company Fourmize and the Nicollin group to promote waste sorting and recycling. Fourmize is a recyclable waste management solution. Sorted waste converts into “mizes”, which are discount vouchers that can be used in stores. A new “Fourmizière” has just been installed in the car park at Grand Nord shopping centre in Sainte-Clotilde. Now the people of Réunion Island can drop off their sorted waste (paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.) and converted into discount coupons whose value is based on the weight of the waste. This is the third Fourmizière installed on Réunion Island. More than 160 tonnes of waste have already been collected.

For the occasion of Global Recycling Day on Friday 18 March 2022, Mr. Bricolage Martinique in partnership with Eco Mobil, a local association dedicated to mobility and the circular economy, set up a free mobile waste collection facility aimed at repairing or reconditioning small household appliances, computers, smartphones and second-hand bikes. Members of the public even got a chance to receive a diagnosis of their appliances in the Mon Atelier area run by the Mr. Bricolage DIY chain. The event also held games with reconditioning appliances as prizes. The aim was to limit the amount of waste by educating the public on good sustainability actions. The day proved a resounding success with the public: over 400 kilos of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) waste collected, 65 diagnoses made and 15 appliances repaired or reconditioned.

Since it started operations in Ivory Coast, Banaci, a subsidiary of GBH, has taken steps to farm in a way that is kinder to people and the environment.

Introduced in 2019, the “1 person = 1 tree planted weekly” project aims to forest and reforest uncultivated land, borders and buffer zones in a bid to create biotopes for plant and wildlife. Thanks to this reforestation campaign, the capacity for capturing carbon from the atmosphere at the group’s sites has increased.

To date, 60 hectares of trees of various species – teak, gmelina, neem and acacia – have been planted.

Carrefour is the only operator on Réunion Island to have signed up to an initiative to give WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) a second life. This year, the Carrefour stores in Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Pierre joined Sainte-Clotilde, already involved in the operation. To transform waste into a resource and promote employability, the stores partnered up with charity Emmaüs. The association collects WEEE items, repairs them to give objects a second life, sells them to low-income families and creates jobs along the way.

Show consumers that they can reuse objects and materials or turn what’s old into something new was the goal of the “upcycling week” that was held at the Grands Centres shopping centres during European Sustainability Week. For the occasion, the Grands Centres shopping centres showcased local artists who embraced sustainability in their work. In attendance for several days at the three sites, artists gave demonstrations and presented their works, which people could also buy. The Grands Centres shopping malls are delighted to have been able to promote these young budding Réunion artists committed to helping the planet and get their sales off the ground.

The aim: to turn waste into resources. Managing waste in overseas territories has some specific requirements due to insularity and geographic distance from accredited waste management service providers. This geographic context imposes numerous logistical and transport constraints, not to mention sparse treatment options with efficient reclamation services. With this in mind, GBH and its subsidiaries have focused on three objectives:

-To reduce the amount of waste generated by the Group’s operations as much as possible

-To ensure quality separation of waste at the source. To achieve this objective, waste separation has been reinforced and refined in some of the Group's subsidiaries through special collection resources and new signage. Some waste management areas have also been completely redesigned. Many awareness-raising activities are carried out each year to involve all GBH employees in the initiative.

-To give priority to waste reclamation processes such as recycling and reuse short supply chains.

For several years now, defective products have been of special interest to the Décathlon teams in Réunion. These products are separated for analysis with a view to giving them a second life. This virtuous approach is a long-standing part of the company’s social and environmental policy: Reduce waste; Reuse anything still functional; Recycle for a new life. This green commitment means reducing the company’s environmental impact as well as giving customers the chance to buy quality items at lower prices.

With a circular economy in mind, the Guadeloupe region has positioned itself as a national pilot territory to bring back container deposits. The target is to achieve zero waste in Guadeloupe by 2035. Carrefour Guadeloupe, a GBH subsidiary, is getting involved alongside the region and Ademe by helping revive the concept of bottle return for recycling by late 2021 across the archipelago. In partnership with local bottlers and Carrefour Martinique, a GBH subsidiary, Ademe Martinique is also undertaking a research project about the 2021 revival of bottle returns for the purposes of reusing glass containers.

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) are a risk to human health and the environment. To address this environmental issue, a number of years ago GBH enlisted TDA-VHU – an automotive waste processing association encompassing all the car dealerships in Martinique – to work towards disposing of these vehicles. Its efforts are gaining ground. In 2020, nearly 3,000 end-of-life vehicles (ELV) were collected and recycled through a partnership between TDA-VHU and local councils and with financial support from car manufacturers. To combat ELV dumping and help change behaviours, awareness-raising activities for school groups and the general public are also carried out throughout the year.

Since 2008, BATIMAT RECYCLAGE, a GBH subsidiary, has been storing, processing and recycling construction waste, as well as providing monitoring and traceability. It is a pilot site for the circular economy and the only construction material recycling facility classified for environmental protection (ICPE) in Martinique. Batimat Recyclage turns waste from demolition sites into ready-for-use materials, of a quality identical to those extracted from quarries.

More than two million pallets arrive on Réunion island every year. Mr Bricolage Réunion employs several measures to recycle this waste. The chain signed an agreement with ECOPAL in 2019 for some of these pallets to be recovered. In addition, Mr Bricolage Réunion implemented a mechanical solution to shred the pallets into wood chips. The Gladiator by Sacria is a roller compactor that crushes and compacts the wooden pallets in a metal skip. This waste is then transported to a processing site. The first stage involves removing metal waste (e.g. nails) using a magnet, then any plastic wrap is removed manually. The now ‘clean waste’ can have compost added to create a mulching solution for farmers.

Yves Rocher Antilles is establishing a recycling programme for its own glass and plastic bottles. The objective is to involve its most loyal customers in the brand’s commitment to nature and thus put its motto into practice: ‘give back to Nature the most precious gifts it gives us in the best possible way'. The idea is simple: customers bring their empty Yves Rocher jars and bottles and get special offers in store.

Yves Rocher then recycles the glass and plastic from its products. Starting this year, 100% of the bottles that come out of the factories are made from 100% recycled and recyclable PET. The brand has also undertaken to remove all cellophane overwrap from its products by 2023.

In 2021, Decathlon Réunion teamed up with local nonprofit Couleurs Lagon in an effort to contribute to preserving Réunion Island Lagoon, a rich natural heritage site. Couleurs Lagon was established to protect the beautiful sea beds at the bottom of Réunion Island’s lagoons and educate the public on how fragile these aquatic ecosystems are. Through its actions, the organisation does what it can to preserve and protect the biodiversity of the lagoons and the rock pools along the coast. Teams from Decathlon Réunion take part in a variety of hands-on ways:

- Raise awareness among and educate school students on marine life,

- Participate in clean-up days on the coast,

- Organise photo competitions for the public to draw attention to the island’s lagoons and rock pools,

- Hold art and photography exhibitions in Decathlon stores.

For the occasion of Global Recycling Day on Friday 18 March 2022, Mr. Bricolage Martinique in partnership with Eco Mobil, a local association dedicated to mobility and the circular economy, set up a free mobile waste collection facility aimed at repairing or reconditioning small household appliances, computers, smartphones and second-hand bikes. Members of the public even got a chance to receive a diagnosis of their appliances in the Mon Atelier area run by the Mr. Bricolage DIY chain. The event also held games with reconditioning appliances as prizes. The aim was to limit the amount of waste by educating the public on good sustainability actions. The day proved a resounding success with the public: over 400 kilos of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) waste collected, 65 diagnoses made and 15 appliances repaired or reconditioned.

The Entreprises & Environnement (E&E) association was set up by GBH’s directors in 1994 with the aim of educating the people of Martinique on issues surrounding environmental protection. The association members include over 80 Martinique businesses and puts into practice concrete actions for protecting and improving the environment. Each year, the “clean country” operation is held to clean up public sites and attracts many participants to its annual gathering which regularly includes GBH and its subsidiaries. In 2021, for the 21st operation, 1,250 volunteers cleaned up 24 natural sites, collecting almost 17 tonnes of waste. Since 2010, the operation has collected a total of over 262 tonnes of waste with the help of over 13,000 participants. 

In April, Bamitel, a distributor for commercial vehicles company Scania in Martinique, organised eco-driving training for its customers. Three trainers from Scania travelled to Martinique to address topics such as the energy transition, energy savings, transportation and road safety. For the occasion, Bamitel invited local companies – La Deal, Total Energies – to participate in the conversations.

This action is part of the environmental strategy led by Bamitel, a company committed to reducing the cause and effects of accidents and lowering fuel consumption for all its vehicles, without diminishing overall performance.

Since it started operations in Ivory Coast, Banaci, a subsidiary of GBH, has taken steps to farm in a way that is kinder to people and the environment.

Introduced in 2019, the “1 person = 1 tree planted weekly” project aims to forest and reforest uncultivated land, borders and buffer zones in a bid to create biotopes for plant and wildlife. Thanks to this reforestation campaign, the capacity for capturing carbon from the atmosphere at the group’s sites has increased.

To date, 60 hectares of trees of various species – teak, gmelina, neem and acacia – have been planted.

Carrefour Réunion recently led a new initiative on the island: in collaboration with the anti-pollution association PropRéunion, founded in 2017, the supermarkets cleared waste from four beaches and river mouths in one simultaneous operation, all in a single morning. The 118 employees from Carrefour and Carrefour Market Réunion who signed up for the clean-up collected a total 5.9 tonnes of waste. Following the success of this operation that also helped raise public awareness of pollution on the island, two new operations on the same scale are planned for later in 2022. With Carrefour Réunion, “choose a clean Réunion Island”! 

Show consumers that they can reuse objects and materials or turn what’s old into something new was the goal of the “upcycling week” that was held at the Grands Centres shopping centres during European Sustainability Week. For the occasion, the Grands Centres shopping centres showcased local artists who embraced sustainability in their work. In attendance for several days at the three sites, artists gave demonstrations and presented their works, which people could also buy. The Grands Centres shopping malls are delighted to have been able to promote these young budding Réunion artists committed to helping the planet and get their sales off the ground.

For several years, Destreland shopping centre has been hosting Environment Week, a major awareness-raising event for sustainable development. This annual event brings together many associations, Guadeloupe businesses and institutions that strive for better environmental protection through innovative actions. A place for discussion, learning and discovery of all things environmental, Environment Week boasts a varied programme, inviting the general public to explore exhibition booths, participate in games, workshops, artistic events, awards ceremonies and school group activities and discover new technologies.

Founded in May 1994 by GBH senior management, Entreprises & Environnement is an association that currently unites nearly 100 Martinique businesses. Headed by one of the Group’s directors for several years now, the association makes every effort to raise environmental awareness in the local population by pursuing initiatives to save and promote natural areas. The ‘Pays Propre’ (clean country) campaign is one of its flagship initiatives aiming to clean up sites in Martinique in collaboration with numerous companies, associations, individuals and local authorities. GBH and its subsidiaries participate each year, picking up 250 kilos of waste in just one morning! In the last 20 years, more than 250 tonnes of waste have been collected during the event with the help of over 200 businesses and 8,700 volunteers. The association is also involved in green space maintenance and waste disposal and manages the Areté sa illegal dumping site geolocation platform.

To invest in a virtuous approach, in 2019, Decathlon Réunion set four focus areas for an environmentally friendly and sustainable pathway:

1. Separating recyclables and reclaiming its waste: developing a ‘second life’ process for its products.

2. Customer participation in waste collection and separation: installing a metal and plastic waste recovery terminal.

3. Implementing environmentally friendly actions: installing a self-serve water dispenser to raise awareness about the impact of plastic bottles on the environment; participating in scientific and environmental projects in collaboration with private organisations and associations.

4. All Decathlon team members contributing to sustainable development projects: promoting the brand’s eco-friendly products, joint development of initiatives.

Every year for Global Recycling Day and Waste Reduction Week, Réunion’s major shopping centres invite the general public to participate in awareness-raising and information workshops. How recycling works, recycling stages according to materials, waste collection... These and other educational events are open to everyone for one week in the shopping centres. In 2019, nearly 6 m³ of toys, 56 small appliances, over 1 tonne of clothing and more than 800 plastic bottles were collected from the three centres in a single week.

Carrefour is the only operator on Réunion Island to have signed up to an initiative to give WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) a second life. This year, the Carrefour stores in Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Pierre joined Sainte-Clotilde, already involved in the operation. To transform waste into a resource and promote employability, the stores partnered up with charity Emmaüs. The association collects WEEE items, repairs them to give objects a second life, sells them to low-income families and creates jobs along the way.

Carrefour is the only operator on Réunion Island to have signed up to an initiative to give WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) a second life. This year, the Carrefour stores in Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Pierre joined Sainte-Clotilde, already involved in the operation. To transform waste into a resource and promote employability, the stores partnered up with charity Emmaüs. The association collects WEEE items, repairs them to give objects a second life, sells them to low-income families and creates jobs along the way.

Since it started operations in Ivory Coast, Banaci, a subsidiary of GBH, has taken steps to farm in a way that is kinder to people and the environment.

Introduced in 2019, the “1 person = 1 tree planted weekly” project aims to forest and reforest uncultivated land, borders and buffer zones in a bid to create biotopes for plant and wildlife. Thanks to this reforestation campaign, the capacity for capturing carbon from the atmosphere at the group’s sites has increased.

To date, 60 hectares of trees of various species – teak, gmelina, neem and acacia – have been planted.

For several years, Destreland shopping centre has been hosting Environment Week, a major awareness-raising event for sustainable development. This annual event brings together many associations, Guadeloupe businesses and institutions that strive for better environmental protection through innovative actions. A place for discussion, learning and discovery of all things environmental, Environment Week boasts a varied programme, inviting the general public to explore exhibition booths, participate in games, workshops, artistic events, awards ceremonies and school group activities and discover new technologies.

With a circular economy in mind, the Guadeloupe region has positioned itself as a national pilot territory to bring back container deposits. The target is to achieve zero waste in Guadeloupe by 2035. Carrefour Guadeloupe, a GBH subsidiary, is getting involved alongside the region and Ademe by helping revive the concept of bottle return for recycling by late 2021 across the archipelago. In partnership with local bottlers and Carrefour Martinique, a GBH subsidiary, Ademe Martinique is also undertaking a research project about the 2021 revival of bottle returns for the purposes of reusing glass containers.

Yves Rocher Antilles is establishing a recycling programme for its own glass and plastic bottles. The objective is to involve its most loyal customers in the brand’s commitment to nature and thus put its motto into practice: ‘give back to Nature the most precious gifts it gives us in the best possible way'. The idea is simple: customers bring their empty Yves Rocher jars and bottles and get special offers in store.

Yves Rocher then recycles the glass and plastic from its products. Starting this year, 100% of the bottles that come out of the factories are made from 100% recycled and recyclable PET. The brand has also undertaken to remove all cellophane overwrap from its products by 2023.

Process water recycling facilities have been built for concrete manufacturing operations. Following on-site treatment by sedimentation, the treated water is reintroduced into the concrete manufacturing process. This water recycling process is a virtuous solution to water resource management, with significantly reduced water consumption and no discharge into the natural environment.

For the occasion of Global Recycling Day on Friday 18 March 2022, Mr. Bricolage Martinique in partnership with Eco Mobil, a local association dedicated to mobility and the circular economy, set up a free mobile waste collection facility aimed at repairing or reconditioning small household appliances, computers, smartphones and second-hand bikes. Members of the public even got a chance to receive a diagnosis of their appliances in the Mon Atelier area run by the Mr. Bricolage DIY chain. The event also held games with reconditioning appliances as prizes. The aim was to limit the amount of waste by educating the public on good sustainability actions. The day proved a resounding success with the public: over 400 kilos of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) waste collected, 65 diagnoses made and 15 appliances repaired or reconditioned.

The Entreprises & Environnement (E&E) association was set up by GBH’s directors in 1994 with the aim of educating the people of Martinique on issues surrounding environmental protection. The association members include over 80 Martinique businesses and puts into practice concrete actions for protecting and improving the environment. Each year, the “clean country” operation is held to clean up public sites and attracts many participants to its annual gathering which regularly includes GBH and its subsidiaries. In 2021, for the 21st operation, 1,250 volunteers cleaned up 24 natural sites, collecting almost 17 tonnes of waste. Since 2010, the operation has collected a total of over 262 tonnes of waste with the help of over 13,000 participants. 

In April, Bamitel, a distributor for commercial vehicles company Scania in Martinique, organised eco-driving training for its customers. Three trainers from Scania travelled to Martinique to address topics such as the energy transition, energy savings, transportation and road safety. For the occasion, Bamitel invited local companies – La Deal, Total Energies – to participate in the conversations.

This action is part of the environmental strategy led by Bamitel, a company committed to reducing the cause and effects of accidents and lowering fuel consumption for all its vehicles, without diminishing overall performance.

Founded in May 1994 by GBH senior management, Entreprises & Environnement is an association that currently unites nearly 100 Martinique businesses. Headed by one of the Group’s directors for several years now, the association makes every effort to raise environmental awareness in the local population by pursuing initiatives to save and promote natural areas. The ‘Pays Propre’ (clean country) campaign is one of its flagship initiatives aiming to clean up sites in Martinique in collaboration with numerous companies, associations, individuals and local authorities. GBH and its subsidiaries participate each year, picking up 250 kilos of waste in just one morning! In the last 20 years, more than 250 tonnes of waste have been collected during the event with the help of over 200 businesses and 8,700 volunteers. The association is also involved in green space maintenance and waste disposal and manages the Areté sa illegal dumping site geolocation platform.

With a circular economy in mind, the Guadeloupe region has positioned itself as a national pilot territory to bring back container deposits. The target is to achieve zero waste in Guadeloupe by 2035. Carrefour Guadeloupe, a GBH subsidiary, is getting involved alongside the region and Ademe by helping revive the concept of bottle return for recycling by late 2021 across the archipelago. In partnership with local bottlers and Carrefour Martinique, a GBH subsidiary, Ademe Martinique is also undertaking a research project about the 2021 revival of bottle returns for the purposes of reusing glass containers.

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) are a risk to human health and the environment. To address this environmental issue, a number of years ago GBH enlisted TDA-VHU – an automotive waste processing association encompassing all the car dealerships in Martinique – to work towards disposing of these vehicles. Its efforts are gaining ground. In 2020, nearly 3,000 end-of-life vehicles (ELV) were collected and recycled through a partnership between TDA-VHU and local councils and with financial support from car manufacturers. To combat ELV dumping and help change behaviours, awareness-raising activities for school groups and the general public are also carried out throughout the year.

Since 2008, BATIMAT RECYCLAGE, a GBH subsidiary, has been storing, processing and recycling construction waste, as well as providing monitoring and traceability. It is a pilot site for the circular economy and the only construction material recycling facility classified for environmental protection (ICPE) in Martinique. Batimat Recyclage turns waste from demolition sites into ready-for-use materials, of a quality identical to those extracted from quarries.

Yves Rocher Antilles is establishing a recycling programme for its own glass and plastic bottles. The objective is to involve its most loyal customers in the brand’s commitment to nature and thus put its motto into practice: ‘give back to Nature the most precious gifts it gives us in the best possible way'. The idea is simple: customers bring their empty Yves Rocher jars and bottles and get special offers in store.

Yves Rocher then recycles the glass and plastic from its products. Starting this year, 100% of the bottles that come out of the factories are made from 100% recycled and recyclable PET. The brand has also undertaken to remove all cellophane overwrap from its products by 2023.

SAPEB – a company in Martinique that manufactures concrete components for construction and GBH subsidiary – installed a rainwater harvesting system with tank storage. Rainwater harvested in this way helps meet the company’s needs, particularly for its toilet facilities. Other subsidiaries in the Group use the same process in the automotive and mass retail sectors. 

Process water recycling facilities have been built for concrete manufacturing operations. Following on-site treatment by sedimentation, the treated water is reintroduced into the concrete manufacturing process. This water recycling process is a virtuous solution to water resource management, with significantly reduced water consumption and no discharge into the natural environment.

A progressive initiative by Distillerie J.M. aspires to protect aquatic environments and guide the profession towards greater respect for the environment. Through this major project, the company seeks to implement an efficient distillery waste water treatment solution to minimise its impact on the natural environment. In 2018, the distillery developed a plan in partnership with the Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l’Environnement et l’Agriculture (Irstea), the Office de l’Eau (ODE), Agro Keys and the Agence Française pour la Biodiversité (AFB) to treat and reclaim its waste water using plants. The purpose of the project was to set up a responsible, sustainable solution to vinasse treatment using a system of lagoons (constructed wetland) to naturally treat the by-product. The treated waste water will then be reused to irrigate the estate's farmland.

The aim: to turn waste into resources. Managing waste in overseas territories has some specific requirements due to insularity and geographic distance from accredited waste management service providers. This geographic context imposes numerous logistical and transport constraints, not to mention sparse treatment options with efficient reclamation services. With this in mind, GBH and its subsidiaries have focused on three objectives:

-To reduce the amount of waste generated by the Group’s operations as much as possible

-To ensure quality separation of waste at the source. To achieve this objective, waste separation has been reinforced and refined in some of the Group's subsidiaries through special collection resources and new signage. Some waste management areas have also been completely redesigned. Many awareness-raising activities are carried out each year to involve all GBH employees in the initiative.

-To give priority to waste reclamation processes such as recycling and reuse short supply chains.

Protecting water resources and ecosystems is paramount in our regions. To alleviate pressure on this resource and keep aqueous discharges into the natural environment to a minimum, GBH decided to implement various rainwater harvesting and contaminated water recycling initiatives within its subsidiaries. Water recycled or recovered in this way helps meet the non-potable water needs of some of the Group's operations and subsidiaries. In 2020, nearly 95,000 m³ of water was saved, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 800 households.

GBH's involvement in the energy transition is based on the following objectives:

-To reduce the Group's energy consumption

-To implement renewable energy production solutions

-To develop sustainable mobility

To support its energy transition efforts, GBH regularly renews a variety of energy efficiency partnerships with local economic and institutional stakeholders, such as EDF and ADEME, as well as regional and local authorities.

GBH and its subsidiaries have numerous measures in place to reduce the energy consumed for their operations throughout the territories.

Priority is given to using innovative technologies and applying sustainable design principles, both for its infrastructures (new constructions and renovations alike) as well as its technical and processing facilities.

For example, the Group is replacing ageing, energy-intensive equipment with energy-efficient equipment and reinforcing heat insulation in buildings.

In addition, regularly assessing its sites’ energy efficiency, establishing a regulatory system and monitoring through regular energy audits make for optimal energy consumption management.

All measures initiated by the Group in 2020 led to a total reduction in energy consumption of more than 3,800 MWh/year, thus avoiding over 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

GBH has been using renewable energy since 2010. Thirty or so solar PV facilities have been commissioned on the roofs of its subsidiary buildings. Some of these inject the energy produced into the public electricity grid, and for the most recent ones, the energy is consumed directly on the solar power station site. The electricity consumption of establishments equipped with this technology is approximately 30% lower thanks to the new self-contained plants. In total, 60,000m² of roofs equipped with photovoltaic panels produce more than 9,000 MW.h each year, equivalent to the annual consumption of nearly 3,000 households and avoid the emission of approximately 9,000 tons of CO2. 

In the interests of sustainable mobility, the Group offers electric and hybrid vehicles to individuals and professionals through its car hire and dealership network. On some of its sites, GBH also provides motorists with a network of charging points to make it easier to access faster charging.

To reduce potable water consumption, the Group uses a ‘zero consumption zero discharge’ car washing system in its car hire subsidiaries and some car dealerships. The car washes run on rainwater collected from rooftops plus recycled, treated water from previous washes. They are thus completely self-sufficient in water and do not generate any waste water.

GBH is aware of its health, safety and environmental (HSE) responsibilities and their related challenges. Its HSE charter, signed by all its subsidiaries, pledges to safeguard the health and safety of its employees, protect the environment and abide by HSE regulations. This charter supports the day-to-day efforts GBH has been making for many years to prevent employee health risks and reduce the environmental impacts of its operations. GBH wants to be a significant stakeholder in sustainable development in all regions where it has a presence. It is up to each subsidiary, management team and employee to act responsibly and get involved in this HSE continuous improvement approach.

Consult the GBH charter

On 17 November 2021 on Réunion Island, GBH, Cinor and Saint-Denis municipality joined forced with the company Fourmize and the Nicollin group to promote waste sorting and recycling. Fourmize is a recyclable waste management solution. Sorted waste converts into “mizes”, which are discount vouchers that can be used in stores. A new “Fourmizière” has just been installed in the car park at Grand Nord shopping centre in Sainte-Clotilde. Now the people of Réunion Island can drop off their sorted waste (paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.) and converted into discount coupons whose value is based on the weight of the waste. This is the third Fourmizière installed on Réunion Island. More than 160 tonnes of waste have already been collected.

In 2021, Decathlon Réunion teamed up with local nonprofit Couleurs Lagon in an effort to contribute to preserving Réunion Island Lagoon, a rich natural heritage site. Couleurs Lagon was established to protect the beautiful sea beds at the bottom of Réunion Island’s lagoons and educate the public on how fragile these aquatic ecosystems are. Through its actions, the organisation does what it can to preserve and protect the biodiversity of the lagoons and the rock pools along the coast. Teams from Decathlon Réunion take part in a variety of hands-on ways:

- Raise awareness among and educate school students on marine life,

- Participate in clean-up days on the coast,

- Organise photo competitions for the public to draw attention to the island’s lagoons and rock pools,

- Hold art and photography exhibitions in Decathlon stores.

Carrefour Réunion recently led a new initiative on the island: in collaboration with the anti-pollution association PropRéunion, founded in 2017, the supermarkets cleared waste from four beaches and river mouths in one simultaneous operation, all in a single morning. The 118 employees from Carrefour and Carrefour Market Réunion who signed up for the clean-up collected a total 5.9 tonnes of waste. Following the success of this operation that also helped raise public awareness of pollution on the island, two new operations on the same scale are planned for later in 2022. With Carrefour Réunion, “choose a clean Réunion Island”! 

Carrefour is the only operator on Réunion Island to have signed up to an initiative to give WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) a second life. This year, the Carrefour stores in Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Pierre joined Sainte-Clotilde, already involved in the operation. To transform waste into a resource and promote employability, the stores partnered up with charity Emmaüs. The association collects WEEE items, repairs them to give objects a second life, sells them to low-income families and creates jobs along the way.

Show consumers that they can reuse objects and materials or turn what’s old into something new was the goal of the “upcycling week” that was held at the Grands Centres shopping centres during European Sustainability Week. For the occasion, the Grands Centres shopping centres showcased local artists who embraced sustainability in their work. In attendance for several days at the three sites, artists gave demonstrations and presented their works, which people could also buy. The Grands Centres shopping malls are delighted to have been able to promote these young budding Réunion artists committed to helping the planet and get their sales off the ground.

To invest in a virtuous approach, in 2019, Decathlon Réunion set four focus areas for an environmentally friendly and sustainable pathway:

1. Separating recyclables and reclaiming its waste: developing a ‘second life’ process for its products.

2. Customer participation in waste collection and separation: installing a metal and plastic waste recovery terminal.

3. Implementing environmentally friendly actions: installing a self-serve water dispenser to raise awareness about the impact of plastic bottles on the environment; participating in scientific and environmental projects in collaboration with private organisations and associations.

4. All Decathlon team members contributing to sustainable development projects: promoting the brand’s eco-friendly products, joint development of initiatives.

Every year for Global Recycling Day and Waste Reduction Week, Réunion’s major shopping centres invite the general public to participate in awareness-raising and information workshops. How recycling works, recycling stages according to materials, waste collection... These and other educational events are open to everyone for one week in the shopping centres. In 2019, nearly 6 m³ of toys, 56 small appliances, over 1 tonne of clothing and more than 800 plastic bottles were collected from the three centres in a single week.

For several years now, defective products have been of special interest to the Décathlon teams in Réunion. These products are separated for analysis with a view to giving them a second life. This virtuous approach is a long-standing part of the company’s social and environmental policy: Reduce waste; Reuse anything still functional; Recycle for a new life. This green commitment means reducing the company’s environmental impact as well as giving customers the chance to buy quality items at lower prices.

More than two million pallets arrive on Réunion island every year. Mr Bricolage Réunion employs several measures to recycle this waste. The chain signed an agreement with ECOPAL in 2019 for some of these pallets to be recovered. In addition, Mr Bricolage Réunion implemented a mechanical solution to shred the pallets into wood chips. The Gladiator by Sacria is a roller compactor that crushes and compacts the wooden pallets in a metal skip. This waste is then transported to a processing site. The first stage involves removing metal waste (e.g. nails) using a magnet, then any plastic wrap is removed manually. The now ‘clean waste’ can have compost added to create a mulching solution for farmers.