04 Sustainability Statement Biodiversity and ecosystems (E4) It also mandates practices to (i) preserve surface and groundwater resources and create environmental buffer zones around bodies of water; (ii) make judicious use of pesticides and fertilizers; (iii) responsibly manage waste; and (iv) avoid the introduction of potentially invasive alien species. In applying the Policy, Michelin is committed to: n protecting plant and animal life, including rare, threatened, endangered and critically endangered species; restoring or supporting the restoration of landscapes previously deforested and degraded by rubber tree farming; and preserving biodiversity by raising the awareness of local communities and stakeholders; n implementing, sharing and supporting sustainable farming practices, through capacity-building programs for village smallholders that improve working conditions, reduce production costs, diversify livelihoods and increase yields per hectare without adding more cropland. This helps to reduce the risk of deforestation by easing land pressure on forest areas and cropland, while attenuating the land-use impacts of natural rubber production. As part of the Group’s duty of care, the Policy supports the development natural rubber traceability at every level of the upstream supply chain: from village smallholders and brokers to large estates and processing plants, and at an appropriate jurisdictional level(1). In this way, the geographical origin of the purchased materials can be identified, the related social and environmental risks (deforestation, use of pesticides, degradation of biodiversity, etc.) determined and any necessary mitigation measures implemented. Progress on the metrics measuring biodiversity conditions in the directly owned operations, such as the contribution to the conservation of environmentally, biologically and culturally important areas and the reduction in pesticide use, is regularly tracked and disclosed annually in the results report of the Sustainable Natural Rubber Roadmap 2020-2025, downloadable from the Michelin Purchasing website(2). Michelin also discloses its progress through its annual report to the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber(3) and its replies to the CDP Forest and SPOTT questionnaires(4). To avoid any adverse social or economic impacts on local or indigenous communities dependent on natural resources or forests, the Policy asserts the Group’s commitment that it will not engage in any land grabbing or contribute directly or indirectly to actions that could lead to the illegitimate appropriation of land, forests or natural resources, to the detriment of local or indigenous communities. Michelin has also undertaken to address grievances expressed by the impacted communities through a readily accessible grievance mechanism and to remedy any adverse outcomes caused by its natural rubber production or supply operations. Given the issue’s lack of materiality, the Group has not defined a policy concerning the preservation of oceans and seas. 4.5.3.3 The Sustainable Purchasing Policy and biodiversity Addressing purchasing in general and Tier 1 suppliers in particular, the Sustainable Purchasing Policy covers the purchase of natural rubber, mined raw materials and other inputs. The purpose is to define the Group’s main sustainable purchasing principles and commitments, including those relating to environmental stewardship. The Policy describes the fundamental documents, initiatives, objectives and key metrics underlying the sustainable purchasing process, including its environmental stewardship aspects. As part of its Act4nature international commitments, the Group has undertaken to assess the biodiversity policies and practices of its suppliers of raw materials, other than natural rubber, that are likely to have the greatest impact on biodiversity in 2030. A pilot assessment will be launched in 2025. (1) Jurisdictions correspond to the administrative regions in each country (approximately 100 km x 100 km), as defined by GPSNR. (2) See https://purchasing.michelin.com/en/roadmap-2020-2025/. (3) See https://sustainablenaturalrubber.org/gpsnr-reporting-requirements/. (4) See https://www.spott.org/natural-rubber/. 245 2024 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT_MICHELIN
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