sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

74
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE FOUNDATION
“SAINT-GOBAIN INITIATIVES”
In addition to these local initiatives, Saint-Gobain
has created a corporate foundation to enhance
the consistency of its non-profit programs.
As leader in the construction market, Saint-Gobain
believes that it has the responsibility to support the work
of non-profit organizations in areas that are aligned
to the strategy of the Group. Establishing the international
corporate Foundation “Saint-Gobain Initiatives” is one way
in which we can meet this objective.
Created in late 2008, the Saint-Gobain Initiatives
Foundation supports projects proposed by employees
in three focus areas:
• Youth integration through work in the housing sector,
• Construction, refurbishment or renovation of social
housing for general interest purposes, and
• Energy efficiency and environmental protection in social
housing.
Supporting local economic development
In most host countries, Group companies nurture a close
relationship with professional organizations and local
authorities, while the General Delegations actively
participate in industry associations and chambers of
commerce (or similar bodies), and are in regular contact
with national government agencies.
In addition to these basic community outreach programs,
Group companies help to develop their local employment
catchment areas, thereby fostering a favorable economic
environment.
Relations with local communities are the most highly
structured in France, where our presence is densest.
This is primarily due to Saint-Gobain Développement,
which supports local development and the revitalization
of employment catchment areas.
Its contribution to the local economic fabric is multi-faceted,
from forging partnerships with small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) to participating in regional events
and providing support to local development networks
and organizations.
• To support growing SMEs, Saint-Gobain Développement
offers a comprehensive range of solutions, such as
unsecured, low-interest participating loans, expertise
sharing and skills transfers, as part of a long-term
“manufacturer–entrepreneur” partnership. In 2008,
Saint-Gobain Développement signed 127 agreements
involving more than €1 million in loans, thereby helping
to fund the creation of 482 jobs in our host communities.
Most of the loans were first granted to companies
involved in the environment.
In addition, Saint-Gobain Développement offers SMEs
the services of a skills transfer specialist, who supported
54 companies in 2008, sometimes with input
from Group employees on specific issues.
Saint-Gobain Développement also continued to extend
its work outside France through its Partenariat France
initiative, which supported the import/export projects
of three SMEs in the Czech Republic, China and Belgium
in 2008. Our extensive presence in these countries
meant that our local operations could provide assistance
and house the company’s VIE interns.
• In a commitment to strengthening its corporate citizenship
outreach and forging ties with local economic development
stakeholders, the Group takes part in a number of programs
to support local and regional development in France:
- The Alizé Local Intercompany Initiatives in Employment
Areas enable large corporations and government agencies
to pool their technical and financial resources to support
business development in a given region. Saint-Gobain
Développement has participated in these programs
for several years now and is particularly active in the regions
of Valenciennes, Dieppe and Savoie.
- A national network of regional centers for technical
support and innovation, known as Creati, brings together
government agencies and large corporations in a given
region to support SME innovation projects and contribute
the necessary capabilities. Saint-Gobain is involved in Creati
centers in the Ile-de-France, Picardie and Aquitaine regions.
- We are also active in economic development networks
and participate in the annual meetings of local economic
agencies in our host regions.
LAUNCH OF THE CREATI NETWORK IN PICARDIE
In 2008, Saint-Gobain was the impetus behind the creation
of the Creati Partech network in Picardie.
Officially launched in April, the network brings together
large corporations, such as Arcelor Mittal, Vinci Energies
and EADS/Airbus, and research institutions, like
the Centre Technique des Industries Mécaniques (CETIM),
the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP), and the Laboratoire
départemental d’analyse et de recherche de l’Aisne.
Saint-Gobain has led the network since launch,
with a projected budget of more than Ð1.3 million.
Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report