our Our commitments

(CSR Report 2022)

CREATE

1 – History

Employee allocations

In 1989, the SFEC company, after filing for bankruptcy, was taken over and renamed CIFRA for Calandrage Industriel Français. Following this event, the first site was sold and the activity was refocused on the second factory, called “La Plaine”, to which was added a third site, called “Eiffel”. The head office, the production site with the three calenders and the sales department were grouped together in the “La Plaine” building, while the “Eiffel” building has housed the testing and development laboratory, the printing department and a large storage area since 1992. In 2002, a new raw material storage building was added next to the “Eiffel” building. It was then common to separate the two buildings under the names “Eiffel 1” and “Eiffel 2”.
2005 is an important year for CIFRA with the launch of the new economic and responsible axis which is the recycling of PVC. This should enable the company to increase its production and expand its product range, in particular with recycled PVC for retention basins. But 2005 is also the year when CIFRA commits itself to a global responsible approach towards sustainable development.
In 2019, in order to reach a larger number of people and to show its eco-responsible commitment, CIFRA changes its logo and name. Now CIFRA stands for the following acronym: Create, Innovate, Fabricate, Reuse Ad infinium.

2019 also marks the change of the logo determined with the process leaders by questioning the company’s assets and what it wants to do with them locally.
The new logo therefore incorporates an arrow reminiscent of recycling logos and the letters of CIFRA which stood for Calandrage Industriel FRAnçais also stand for Create Innovate Manufacture and Reuse Infinitely! These are the new names of its five letters.

2 – Presentation

CIFRA, which employs more than 80 people, is currently the leading French producer in the following five markets
– Stationery – Small leather goods (PPM)
– Packaging (food, pharmaceutical, industrial, …)
– Automotive industry
– Printing
– Building industry

CIFRA produces and manufactures on demand PVC film in different widths or thicknesses:
– Rigid, semi-rigid or flexible
– Crystal, opaque or printed
– Grainy or smooth

Since 2017, Cifra has created two new companies to collect and micronize PVC at the European level allowing an internal network for the revalorization of waste:

– In Germany, recycling and production of plastic granules Cifra Recycling GmbH works closely with large and small companies in the plastics industry. Our customers can make use of a wide range of raw materials specially designed for their application.

– In the Netherlands, recycling of raw PVC
PVC RECYCLING BV has several production lines to handle, separate, grind, wash and micronize all forms of PVC.

Each company of the CIFRA Group allows us to create our product from A to Z: starting from landfill waste with no added value, which is treated and revalorized and then transformed into PVC films for different fields of application.

CIFRA has been involved in an ISO 9001 certification process since 1998 so that quality management is integrated as a reflex in all stages of marketing, research and development, and especially production.

CIFRA is therefore committed to :
– To satisfy its customers, suppliers and partners by providing its services in an environmentally friendly manner
– To ensure that all its installations are in perfect harmony with its natural environment
– To look for new ways of valorization in the framework of the
development of its activities
– To adopt a responsible purchasing policy, by choosing products that are
reusable or recyclable products (according to customer requirements) = eco-design
– To share this environmental awareness by encouraging the staff
to adopt daily gestures respectful of the environment.

3 – Products

The CIFRA company is specialized in the realization of recycled or noble PVC film. The products are proposed either in reel or in format. All the films meet the standards of legislation currently in force (Food, ROHS, Reach, standards toys …). These films are transformed thereafter for various fields of applications. For the year 2021, CIFRA has produced 14 417 Tons distributed as follows :

The flexibility of our equipment and staff allows us to offer short lead times with a wide choice of colors, grains or options for both limited quantities and larger tonnages.

CIFRA also listens to its customers and can make specific developments on request according to their needs.

•Recycled PVC

Application for the building industry (light backfill) and water treatment (rainwater tanks, hydrocarbon treatment, water treatment by bacterial bed, …). This flagship product of our company is 100% eco-responsible.

Some references of tanks created from CIFRA products:
➢ In France:
➢ 830 m3 : FF Tennis Roland Garros
➢ 7500 m3 : Jardins du Louvre
➢ In the world:
➢ 2500 m3 : Banque Générale du Luxembourg
➢ 890 m3 : Philips in Leuven (Belgium)
➢ 5000 m3 : East Midlands Airport (United Kingdom)

• Automotive

Creation of technical parts for motor vehicles. A wide range including footrests, heel pads, trunk boards, sun visors and others. Thanks to the quality of its parts, CIFRA is now present on more than 60% of the European automotive market.

Footrest / Heel pad

Sun screen

Truck board

• Packaging

Packaging solutions for food use (candy, chocolate, dish, fruit, vegetable, …), hardware (screws & tools), pastry molds, toys or others.

• Stationery – PPM

Application for leather goods such as stationery covers (diary, passport, health book, …) with fake leather or particular grains.

• PA6

Family of materials dedicated to punches for thermoforming molds. The products created do not generate dust during machining and are recyclable.

4 – Working environment

• Employees

CIFRA has 7 different nationalities
out of a total of 80 people, 10% of whom are women:
➢ French
➢ Portuguese
➢ Turkish
➢ Moroccan
➢ Algerian
➢ Bosnian
➢ Senegalese

• Health and Safety

Cifra is committed to a safe and healthy working environment. These requirements are defined in the EHS (environment, health and safety) policy and apply to employees as well as to subcontractors working on Cifra sites or under Cifra’s management on its customers’ sites. Health and safety risks are taken into account in collaboration with the relevant committees and organizations (CARSAT, occupational medicine, DREAL, etc.).

With a view to improving working conditions, CIFRA is committed to a TMS Pro approach (through CARSAT) over a period of 3 years.

• Stable jobs

Cifra is a great company to work for. Employees stay with us on average 15 years. This allows us to have competent teams with a great deal of experience in the trade, but also a solid base for training newcomers.

Average length of service

14,85 years

• A friendly and secure atmosphere

The company’s objective is to allow its employees to evolve in a friendly and warm environment, in particular by setting up various events for cohesion and relaxation.

➢ Every year we participate in an inter-company team soccer tournament
➢ Twice a year, we organize vacation parties (at Christmas and in the summer) with medals and gifts for long careers
➢ Each year, the works council organizes a themed event (go-karting, cultural visits, kayaking, accrobranche, paintball, etc.)
➢ Cifra celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019 by inviting all its employees to a bowling and laser quest day
➢ Financial envelope for employees for back to school, Christmas, a birth, a wedding, a sports activity, transportation, …
➢ Games (surveys, drawings, photography, cultural questionnaire, …) set up by the CSE several times a year with rewards

Cifra is also a safe space with the establishment of a harassment referent for the physical, moral and psychological well-being of employees. This referent has access to a dedicated email address only for this purpose and is committed to the confidentiality of exchanges.

5 – CIFRA in numbers

– Evolution of the company in sales

Cifra’s revenues have increased by 33% over 7 years, despite a temporary drop in 2020 due to the Covid-19 impact. Our good results allow us to be listed in Banque de France E3.

– Evolution of total & recycled product tonnage

Cifra’s tonnage has increased by 37% over 7 years (including the production of noble and recycled materials), which is in line with its turnover. By offering more and more solutions integrating recycled materials, Cifra is able to increase its share of recycled product in its annual tonnage. From 2015 to 2021, we went from 75% of material produced as recycled to 86%. The waste we recycled comes from various sources, such as demolition sites, selective sorting, industrial waste or even nuclear power plant cooling towers.

6 – New vocations for young people in training

CIFRA participates in professional integration from an early age thanks to its local involvement and its desire to transmit its values and know-how.
This is achieved through collaboration with the UISA association, open doors, participation in forums or in local high schools in order to
– Present its activities
– Offer immersion courses
– Organize site visits for students
– Welcoming future work-study students

INNOVATE

Cifra is constantly moving forward to meet the new requirements of interested parties, particularly in terms of technical innovations, with :

1 – The incorporation of multiple families of plastics

Today, Cifra uses a multitude of different plastics for its products and is continually seeking to qualify new raw materials to meet its needs.

2 – The creation of specific treatment lines

In order to qualify the new raw materials, Cifra creates treatment lines specific to a family of waste not previously recycled.

Creation of a scrap metal depollution line

3 – Modification of our production lines

To meet the technological challenges related to the diversity of incoming materials, Cifra optimizes its production lines.

Before

After

Regulation of cylinder temperatures to avoid thermal shocks by installing cooling cylinders.

4 – Products in compliance with European regulatory standards

By following a rigorous old technology, Cifra anticipates future global regulatory changes by paying particular attention to the products used.

Barium Zinc without phenol

Phthalate-free plasticizer

Soybean oil

5 – New products to complete its range

Cifra enriches its range by developing solutions for customers to work with the products already manufactured by the company.

Development of specific PA6 materials for High Mechanical and Thermal Resistance thermoforming.

6 – Eco-responsible solutions

Concerned about its environmental impact, Cifra proposes ecological solutions by offering its customers a recycled product from the circular economy.

Recovery of all the scraps and waste from our own products at our customers’ sites. These are recycled for the manufacture of a 100% recycled PVC film.

7 – New manufacturing processes

Cifra is open to ideas from its customers to partner with them to create new product lines requiring new manufacturing processes.

Complexe PVC – intissé

Complexe TPO – intissé

8 – A commitment to new markets

Thanks to its skills, Cifra challenges itself by developing products for new markets.

Sunshade (car / truck)

Trunk board

9 – Opportunities in the face of external threats

Cifra is adapting to the difficulties encountered in recent years by quickly and efficiently redeploying its resources in order to provide new solutions.

10 – Contributing to the development of an efficient circular economy

By being founder of the FABLAB of Château Thierry, Cifra participates in the development and the local influence.

FABRICATE

Cifra is a French company that wishes to demonstrate the values specific to France, whether in terms of CSR or in terms of high technology. This is why Cifra actively participates in the French dynamism and influence by being an active member since 2018 of the French Fab.

The ambitions of this approach are:
– Accelerate the transformation of industry in France by disseminating the concepts and technologies of the Industry of the Future
– Network the energies of French industrial players
– To give visibility and pride to the actors who make the French industry every day, to the French industrial excellence, in France and abroad
– Embodying the prosperous future of French industry and the attractiveness of the professions that make it up, from training (initial, professional or continuing) to employment
– To inform about the public support offer for industrial activities in France

To achieve this, Cifra is the only European company to recover and transform landfill waste into finished products through our various workshops (crushing, grinding, micronization, calendering). We are therefore the guarantor of our production chain from start to finish.

REUSE

Cifra’s history is rooted in a waste recycling approach. Indeed, for more than 18 years, Cifra has been recycling landfill waste while continuously seeking new sources that meet current demands. At the same time, Cifra develops new products to meet the environmental needs of our society, thanks to :

1 – The transformation of previously buried waste into reusable materials

Each year, thanks to the recycling carried out by Cifra, approximately 31,500 tons of CO2 are saved. This corresponds to the annual carbon emissions of 33,000 Peugeot 208 cars.

2 – A collection partnership with the major French retailers

Multiple partnerships are made at Cifra for the recovery of waste, including with E. Leclerc for the recovery of PVC cards.

3 – Commitment to recycling initiatives

For more than 15 years, Cifra has been involved in recognized European initiatives concerning recycling. We are certified by several labels:

– Valorplast :
For 25 years, Valorplast has been helping the entire plastic packaging industry in France to progress.
By supporting local authorities, sorting centers and manufacturers, it improves the quality of plastic recycling on a daily basis with the constant evolution of selective sorting instructions.

– Plastics Recyclers Europe :
Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) is an organization representing the voice of European plastics recyclers who reprocess waste plastics into high quality materials for the production of new items. Recyclers are important facilitators of plastics circularity and the transition to the circular economy.

– Recovinyl and Vinyl Plus:
VinylPlus is the voluntary commitment of the European PVC industry. The program establishes a long-term framework for the sustainable development of the PVC industry by addressing a number of critical challenges in the European Union, the UK, Norway and Switzerland.

Source : https://www.recovinyl.com/copy-of-vinylplus

Following the European Commission’s call to the entire plastics industry to boost recycling, VinylPlus has pledged to recycle at least 900,000 tons of PVC per year into new products by 2025, securing its place in the realization of the European Circular Economy Strategy.

– EuCertPlast:
EuCerPlast is the certification body for recyclers in Europe. It is committed to controlling production processes in industrial companies. Its objectives are to improve the traceability and the percentage of plastics recycling in Europe by prioritizing quality management, ecological recycling and process standardization.

4 – Its involvement as an active member of the Syndicat des Régénérateurs de Matières Plastiques

The Syndicat national des Régénérateurs de matières Plastiques (SRP) is the French organization representing companies that manage a plastic waste regeneration unit in France, i.e. an industrial site dedicated to mechanical recycling that performs at least two of the following operations: washing, grinding, densification, micronization, granulation and compounding.

The SRP is an essential link in the plastics industry. Its members represent more than 80% of the regeneration capacity of plastic waste in France and produce several hundred thousand tons per year of Raw Materials for Recycling (RMR).

THE SRP’S MISSION

SRP has set itself a mission: to turn plastic waste into RPM.

In order to achieve this mission, the SRP is committed to bringing together regenerators who are concerned about
– To act in a sustainable development perspective
– To contribute to the development of an efficient circular economy, low in resources and carbon

Its policy, in phase with the European and French objectives, aims at
– Promote the recycling of raw materials
– Giving recycling its rightful place in the life cycle of plastic products
– Create reliable economic conditions favorable to the development of this young recycling industry

5 – Its responsibility in the fight against water waste and its management

Cifra is a guarantor of compliance with the law of February 10, 2020 concerning the fight against waste and the circular economy. In doing so, it has put in place good practices concerning water management within the company with a view to minimizing water consumption through its reuse.

Thanks to its good practices, Cifra has succeeded in reducing its water consumption from 4756 m3 in 2020 to 3132 m3 in 2021, a gain of 34% over one year.

AD INFINIUM

1 – A long-term strategic vision

With a view to its development, Cifra has invested locally to expand its business. In 2022, it acquired a new building in Château-Thierry in the Aisne region, close to its historic headquarters. The purpose of this annex is to accommodate new waste recycling lines, new processing units, an expansion of the PA6 activity, the installation of cutting machines for the automotive industry, etc. All of these investments are contributing to Cifra’s growth, while at the same time focusing on the local development of its infrastructure and the eventual recruitment of 50 new employees.

2 – A continuous investment

In response to future needs and to guarantee a constant supply, Cifra is investing in a new PVC storage silo on the historical site. This silo will make it possible to eliminate the storage of the material on the ground awaiting grinding and to avoid any accidental and environmental pollution.

Installation of a new 1000 m3 storage silo

3 – A desire for continuous progress

Les Conquérants is a Bpifrance program that supports companies with external growth projects in a new idea gas pedal. Thanks to its good financial results and its innovative projects, Cifra has been selected to join this program.

22 companies have been selected to join this first promotion. They will benefit from an intensive 24-month premium coaching program based on three pillars and adapted to their specific challenges:

– A training program including 4 seminars, webinars and virtual co-development workshops, events with experts and key players in external growth.
– A dedicated and customized team providing privileged access to partners recommended by bpifrance on identified issues (M&A firms, lawyers, public players, etc.)
– A community of “Sponsors”, SME or ETI managers, experienced in external growth operations, to share their experience.

Executives can also benefit from optional consulting missions to prepare for each phase of the external growth process.

4 – Development of new processes

Today in France, at least 10% of waste from sorting is buried, i.e. 80,000 tons. The Recyclage Mix Plastiques project, which is unique in France, consists in manufacturing supports for the assembly of solar panels made of 100% recycled materials from all existing plastic families. This will represent 2,500 tons of waste absorbed per year at the start, to reach 10,000 tons within 3 years.

Solar panel structure

Solar panel mounted on structure

5 – Sustainable Development Goals

Cifra is committed to improving the world around it by following the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN for 2030. In particular:

Ensuring the health and well-being of all
– Communicable diseases: Fighting against the coronavirus epidemic by creating its own means of protection (visors)
– Non-communicable diseases: Promotes an active sports approach to reduce non-communicable diseases by subsidizing sports subscriptions and sponsoring the official Château-Thierry soccer team. Commitment to an initiative to improve working conditions for employees (TMS Pro)
– Addictive behaviour: Respect for instructions concerning drugs and alcohol through a commitment signed by employees. Implementation of a verification procedure in the near future
– Universal health coverage: Annual renegotiation of mutual insurance contracts to ensure the most affordable cost for the most effective coverage
– Health and Environment: Active participation in the REACH prevention program. Future implementation of an aspiration system for production and atmospheric waste to improve working conditions and reduce external pollution.

Ensuring access to equitable education
– Skills and access to employment: Increase in the number of work-study students within the company
– Education for sustainable development: Participation in collective awareness through dedicated forums for new generations

Gender equality and ending all forms of discrimination
– Participation and access to management positions: Promoting the possibility of advancement for female staff
– Sexual and reproductive health: Encouraging the full use of maternity leave and guaranteeing the effective return to work

Sanitation and sustainable management of water resources
– Access to drinking water: Drinking water fountains available free of charge within the company
– Water quality: Compliance with the internal policy against waste and water management. Annual control of the quality of rainwater discharged. Collective agreement for water discharges with the local water treatment plant.
Partnership with external companies for the treatment of laundry water
– Sustainable management of water resources: Participates in the development of products for treatment, water retention and green roofs

Access to affordable, sustainable energy for all
– Renewable energy: Installation of a rooftop solar park in 2023
– Energy efficiency: Modification of production machines to reduce energy consumption. Insulation of heat transfer fluid circuits. Recovery of heat loss from production lines to heat the building

Promoting sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth
– Economic productivity: Constant search for new sources of raw materials and new markets. Continuous improvement of production lines (innovation, efficiency and safety)
– Efficient use of resources: Reduction of environmental pollution by recovering waste normally buried. Increased percentage of recycled material used as raw material (currently 86%). Valorization of short and efficient circuits with the network and self-sufficiency of Cifra Group
– Full employment and decent work: Compliance with the employment rate for people with disabilities (6%)
– Access to employment and training for young people: Partnership with the Mission Locale de Château-Thierry to integrate young people without training into the company
– Exploitation of children Trafficking Forced labor: Responsible purchasing policy and bilateral commitments to interested parties
– Rights & safety at work: Safety policy, continuous updating of the single document and risk assessments leading to the modernization of infrastructures

Promote the resilient and sustainable growth of infrastructure, industrialization and innovation
– Sustainable, resilient and accessible infrastructure: Upgrading existing facilities and acquiring newer infrastructure. Adaptability of the company to possible threats with product diversification
– Modernization and sustainability of industrial sectors: Rationalization of energy
by increasing the efficiency of the equipment. Reuse of its own industrial waste through recycling.
– Innovation, research and development: Opening up the field of possibilities concerning the acceptability of materials received by developing new depollution lines. Participation in the research tax credit for innovation expenses directly allocated to the design of R&D projects

Offering local opportunities to all while reducing their environmental impact
– Access to decent housing: Implementation of a housing subsidy (action logement) to facilitate the local installation of employees
– Environmental impact: Optimization of selective sorting within the company. Sorting and packaging of specific and/or hazardous waste before shipping for
treatment. Future installation in 2023 of an extraction and recycling plant for atmospheric waste
– Territorial development: Local economic development through new premises in the community. Social development assistance by subsidizing the city’s fab lab for access to all

Establish sustainable consumption and production patterns
– Sustainable management of natural resources: Responsible purchasing policy (ban on the use of shale gas derivatives for our resins). Obligation to use pure pigments in limited quantities
– Ecological management of chemical products: Creation of a new product life cycle for plastic waste. Compliance with REACH regulations.
Implementation in 2023 of a system for the treatment and recycling of atmospheric emissions
– Waste reduction: Cifra DNA on recycling and reuse of plastic materials or waste. Increase in the tonnage of recycled material (from 75% to 86% in a few years)
– Corporate social responsibility: Creation of a CSR report on the company and its activities
– Environmental training and information: Setting up regular meetings with sorting organizations and the agglomeration to exchange on good practices to adopt. Alerting the general public to the importance of plastic recycling and its applications via forums

Take urgent action to address climate change and its impacts
– Climate policies: Proud to be a major player in addressing the carbon footprint by having a positive final balance through waste recycling.

2021 balance: 31,500 tons of CO2 saved.

6 – Recognition of CIFRA’s actions

Cifra is keen to show its evolution and share its good practices through its evaluation by the Ecovadis service, which is the global standard for CSR evaluations.
2014: Launch of the CSR program
– Recovery of existing data
– Taking into account Ecovadis advice and practical guides to improve the overall score1
– Implementation of specific action plans
2017: Effectiveness of the actions implemented
– Increase of the global score
– Prioritization of actions on the environment
2019: Effectiveness of actions carried out on the Environment section
– Overall score stable
– Development of the action plan for the Environment
– Implementation of a specific plan for the Social & Human Rights area
2021: Effectiveness of actions carried out on the Environment and Social & Human Rights sections
– Increase in the 2 themes linked to action plans
– Sustainability of action plans in relation to these 2 themes
– Launch of specific action plans on Ethics and Responsible Purchasing
2022 and beyond: Follow-up of specific action plans for each theme
– Objective: increase the overall score

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