Social and Environmental Responsability

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

When it comes to corporate social responsibility, the issue is the role companies can play in building our common future. We firmly believe that corporate social responsibility is a valid contribution towards the achievement of a sustainable, fairer, and more balanced future, reason why solidarity initiatives are part and parcel of Inapa's culture and management style in every country where it operates. On behalf of our staff and our shareholders, and on behalf of all of us, we commit to a socially responsible conduct because we believe that small gestures can make all the difference and go a long way in improving everyone's living standards. Every year, through our subsidiary and associate companies, we grant a number of requests for sponsorships by a variety of local, national, and international social welfare, cultural, and sports organizations. Inapa is a member of GRACE - the Corporate Citizenship Support and Reflection Group - and actively supports the associations BUS and EPIS, both focused on the support to impoverished local populations. Among a host of initiatives and sponsorships, we highlight the granting of scholarships to young people from Portuguese-speaking Countries, our contributions to the Humanitarian Union of Cancer Patients and to Karacter, an organization that actively promotes social inclusion projects, and our sponsorship of the Belgian Cancer Foundation, in Belgium. Social responsibility is already a feature of Inapa's corporate culture in the sense that it strives to foster the well-being of the communities and stakeholders it deals with from a perspective of assuring their participation in the value it creates.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Environmental sustainability is one of the cornerstones of Inapa's corporate culture and a shared goal in every single country where it is represented through four key components - obtaining certifications of compliance with environmental management standards at every single subsidiary and associate company; reducing CO2 emissions; employing renewable energies; and designing and providing customers with waste treatment solutions.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION

Over the last three years, Inapa has made a significant effort to obtain certifications of compliance with environmental management standards at every single one of its subsidiary and associate companies. In previous years, Papier Union, Inapa France and Inapa Spain already completed their certification processes. Inapa Portugal, in 2010, completed its certification of ISO9001 Quality Standard, providing products and services that meet the requirements and satisfaction of their customers including processes for continual improvement of its systems, and ISO14001 Environment Standard, which provides a more effective management of environmental aspects of its business activities, taking into consideration environmental protection, pollution prevention, compliance, legal and socio-economic needs. Result of its policy on service quality and environment, Inapa Portugal is the first paper merchant in Portugal to be certified. Within the scope of its procurement policy, Inapa controls the origin of the raw materials used in the production of the papers it supplies by dealing with suppliers that are certified for FSC or PEFC compliance, which implies that their main raw material - wood - is sourced strictly from sustainably managed forests. By selling recycled papers and through its sales policies, Inapa adds a further positive contribution towards the preservation of the environment. Such options and practices are a clear evidence of the Group's commitment to contribute to the pursuit of sustainable environment policies not only at Inapa but on its customers' part as well.

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

In what concerns sustainability, Inapa is in the process of finalizing the compilation of a carbon balance sheet reported to its most relevant operational units, namely its German and French subsidiaries. As far as distribution is concerned, product deliveries play a major role and, therefore, Inapa has also been following strategic policies that are geared to preserve the environment in this area. Among them, and on account of the fact that most Group companies do not employ their own fleets for deliveries, Inapa makes it a mandatory requirement for its delivery service providers that they comply with the European Union's standards on CO2 emissions. In what regards to its own fleet, which accounts for a minimal share of its total conveyance requirements, Inapa's vehicles are filled up with Bluetec diesel only, containing the Adblue additive, whereby CO2 emissions can be substantially reduced. The Group's motto is: "our paper is certified for compliance to environmental management standards and so are our delivery trucks which employ Bluetec technology - for nature's protection".

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Employment of alternative energies that are ecologically clean is another of the measures Inapa has been implementing at the Group's warehouses and offices. An example of this fact is the implementation of solar panels at the Group's warehouse facilities together with the use of renewable energies at Germany's two largest warehouse facilities. As a goal, all subsidiaries and associate companies are pursuing strategies in their own country of operation to increase the usage of alternative sources of energy that result in energy savings and, consequently, are more eco-friendly.

SUPPLY CHAIN

In addition to its own environment concerns, Inapa is fully aware of the importance of promoting environmental sustainability along the entire paper supply-chain - from forests through manufacturing to distribution. In some instances, the Group conducts frequent internal and external checks of those operations as a means of ensuring that all environmentally sustainable procedures are fully complied with. As concerns this policy, it is important to highlight that Inapa Switzerland was one of the first European companies to obtain certificates of compliance with the ISO 9001 Standards from its entire chain of suppliers. We should also mention the case of Papier Union, which aims to have its supply chain certified by 90% by 2011.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

In what regards to waste management, and further to its own efforts in that regard, Inapa is in the process of implementing a set of initiatives to offer its customers cost-effective yet efficient solutions for managing their waste. An example worth mentioning is Inapa France's provision of a waste collection and treatment service to its customers in partnership with Veolia.