Last year’s progress involved one of our flagship products, the iconic BIC® Cristal® ball pen. Far more than a single-use product, Cristal® actually writes for over 2 kilometers! There’s one in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, one at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and one at the Mude in Lisbon. In past years, BIC® Cristal® evolved once again— with an upgraded, lighter-weight barrel that reduces material use without any compromise in quality. This is executed one machine at a time to ensure consistency, performance, and product integrity for consumers. Cristal® continues to evolve, as 2024 saw yet other two factories, our Kenya and Brazil locations, starting to move to the new design version. This builds on last year’s successful update at our factory in Mexico. Achieving this milestone is ongoing and no easy feat, requiring extensive factory upgrades, one machine at a time, to ensure the same quality and product integrity for consumers. Evolving One Penstroke at a Time BIC® Cristal® Ball Pen Introduction Climate Action & Commitments Products & Process Responsible Shipping & Manufacturing Making Logistics Count We have been transitioning to a more local/regional manufacturing model, bringing our products closer to the majority of our customers to reduce costs and risks. Take the BIC® Cristal® ball pen, for example. We manufacture it in seven of our regional hub factories, allowing proximity to the bulk of our largest markets in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. BIC is well-positioned to adapt to local realities and evolve based on regional demands. As part of our shift toward more local manufacturing, we’re expanding our regional hubs to better localize highdemand products in key markets, reducing both transport emissions and costs. In two notable examples, 2024 featured a transfer of our highlighter BIC® Highlighter Grip production from the U.S. to our facility in Samer, France—reducing transport and CO2 emissions. We also shifted production of our correction tape TippEx® Mini Pocket Mouse® product from Mexico to our factory in Bizerte, Tunisia. Ultimately, we are developing a hybrid approach where global production of non-core items is relocated closer to key regions, while core high-volume items will eventually be produced at multiple sites. Over 90% of BIC net sales come from products manufactured in our own factories. Community & Collaboration 2024 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 30
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