Having a more positive impact
Joining the B Corp movement
November 2023: Schmidt Groupe joins the worldwide movement of B Corp companies with a score of 84.3 points for its first certification.
The company now meets B Corp’s international social, environmental and governance standards.This approach helps to anchor our raison d’être and our quest for positive impact in the DNA of our company, for more conscious management of our impact on people and the living world.
Keeping our commitments
B Corp stands for demanding standards. For us, they are also daily commitments, both in production and in our working lives. Roll over each dot to discover our actions and results.
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Photo of a Schmidt kitchen captioned by twelve clickable buttons. Each one presents a concrete commitment made by Schmidt Groupe as part of its B Corp certification, in the areas of responsible production and working life. Hovering over or clicking on a button opens the details of the commitment.
Resources - 84% of the wood used is PEFC certified, from sustainably managed forests.
Origin - The furniture is made in Alsace and Germany, at 4 production sites.
Durability - The furniture is guaranteed for 10 years, and the metal parts for 20 years.
Health - The materials are checked to be free from chemicals of concern. In terms of employees, Schmidt Groupe scored 9.82 out of 10 for its safety protocols, risk prevention and well-being at work.
Circularity - Packaging is recyclable and comes with sorting instructions.
Waste - 94% of manufacturing waste is recycled or reused.
Ecodesign - The rate of wood waste has been reduced by 10% in 7 years thanks to optimised cutting, saving 495 tonnes of CO2.
Local economy - The Group employs 1,900 people, including 1,700 in Alsace. The other sites are in Germany, Spain and the UK. 25% of suppliers are local, less than 100 km from the production sites.
Fairness - Pay differentials between men and women are calculated and published every year.
Value sharing - 5% of net profit is redistributed each year to all employees.
Ethics - The purchasing policy is responsible, the supply chain is audited and there is no forced labour.
Climate - The carbon footprint is published every year. Scopes 1, 2 and 3 are measured, with the aim of defining a trajectory for reducing our emissions.
Choosing the demands of an international movement
More than a label, B Corp is a movement that today brings together more than 10,000 certified companies in 100 countries, including more than 600 in France. B Corp commits the private sector to sustainability and encourages companies to act in the public interest.
Schmidt Groupe is part of this global movement that is working collectively for a more inclusive, fairer and more just economy.
The principle: prove that the company generates a measurable positive impact in five areas – governance, employees, community, environment and customers.
B Corp is a way of making progress by observing and sharing best practice.B Corp is also a certification that involves the whole company. Production, purchasing, marketing, HR… all departments are involved and must do their bit. And the standards are constantly rising. This means that we have to make constantprogress and do better .
As we have been applying continuous improvement to our industrial processes for years, we are now doing the same thing, with the same tenacity, in our commitments.
B Corp thus supports and gives concrete expression to the Schmidt Groupe’s ambition to be a better company for the world, better for everyone, more respectful of the planet and its inhabitants.
B Corp is not an end in itself, but the beginning of a journey that will enable us to measure the impact of our business and improve it.
How do I become a B Corp?
The B Corp certification process is based on measuring a company’s impact and providing proof of everything it does. The audit is carried out online, in two stages:
- Assessment: the company answers a questionnaire (BIA or Business Impact Assessment) to measure its impact on 5 key areas: governance, employees, community, environment and customers. A minimum of 80 points out of 200 is required to move on to the next stage.
- Verification: the company undergoes a 90-minute conference call with a B Lab auditor, answers the auditor’s questions and provides supporting documentation with a view to certification. Each action must be documented, quantified and verified.
Measuring our performance by pillar
Governance
How do you ensure that your governance takes all stakeholders into account?
15.2 pts / 17.9 available
Our Supervisory Board includes independent members and regularly reviews the Group’s social and environmental performance. Schmidt Groupe’s mission is legally enshrined in our articles of association – which guarantees our commitment to impact regardless of changes in our shareholder base. Our code of ethics applies to all employees, managers and subsidiaries. Our financial results are shared with employees. Our social and environmental performance is published annually.
Download our impact report
Employees
How does your company look after its employees and help to improve their living conditions and well-being?
20.9 pts / 34.1 available
The health and safety of our employees is one of our top priorities. All our permanent employees benefit from formalised well-being initiatives. Our safety protocols are subject to regular, shared audits. Our managers are trained in continuous feedback and conflict resolution. We offer our employees parental leave over and above the legal requirements.
Community
How does your company support and make a positive contribution to its ecosystem and region?
20.0 pts / 37.4 available
Schmidt Groupe is deeply rooted in Alsace. More than 75% of our employees, at all hierarchical levels, are recruited locally. Our supplier relationships last on average more than 72 months – a guarantee of stable and fair partnerships. We donate an average of €1.5 million a year to charitable organisations. We play an active role in the Ameublement Français and SNEC working groups, to help raise standards throughout our profession.
Environment
How does your company prioritise the management of its impact on living organisms?
17.5 pts / 45.0 available
We measure and publish our carbon footprint every year, covering scopes 1, 2 and 3. We have an environmental management system that controls our energy and water consumption, waste production and emissions. Over 94% of our waste is recycled or reused.
Customers
How does your company make a positive contribution to the lives of its customers?
4.4 pts / 4.5 available
100% of our products are covered by a guarantee that goes beyond the legal framework. Our manufacturing processes are certified by independent third-party organisations. Customer satisfaction is measured, shared internally and monitored over time. We protect their data in accordance with the RGPD and have a responsive customer service department.
Keep moving forward
We will renew our certification at the end of 2026 to meet the new B Corp standards. We will be assessed according to seven more demanding impact themes.
Mission and Governance of Stakeholders
We act according to a clear and meaningful raison d’être, which seeks to generate a positive social and environmental impact while taking into account the interests of all stakeholders – not just shareholders.
We carry out a dual materiality analysis, initiated as part of the CSRD, to identify the Schmidt Groupe’s priority challenges beyond the financial aspects alone. We set targets for these issues and report on progress every year. Schmidt Groupe’s mission is legally enshrined in our articles of association, which guarantees our commitment to impact regardless of changes in our shareholder base.
→ Our next step is to increase the transparency of our impact: quantifiable objectives, measurement of results over time, validation by an independent third party.
Fair Work
We strive to create working environments where everyone can flourish, through quality jobs and a positive corporate culture.
Our safety protocols are regularly audited. We offer parental leave over and above legal requirements. We do not ask our candidates for their salary history. We calculate and publish the gender pay gap each year.
→ Our next step: to better document and make visible the value we create for each of our employees.
Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to fostering a more inclusive working environment and to advancing justice and fairness in all our practices.
Our three priorities are age, gender equality and disability. For each, an action plan with progress indicators is in place. Our job offers systematically include a commitment to diversity. Our recruitment processes are designed to limit bias.
→ Our next milestone: carrying out an equity audit to deepen our understanding of our employees’ practices and feelings, and deploying corrective measures where necessary.
Human rights
We strive to treat every person with dignity and respect, and are committed to integrating respect for human rights into our practices, rigorously applying our duty of care to how our activities and operations may affect people.
We act proactively to prevent and mitigate negative impacts on human rights throughout our value chain. Joint work between our Purchasing teams and our suppliers operating in at-risk countries is undertaken to identify, assess and address these risks.
→ Our next milestone: extending this monitoring to our entire supplier chain and formalising public reporting on the results.
Environmental Management and Circularity
We are committed to understanding our environmental impacts and acting to reduce their negative effects, in order to contribute to an economy that better conserves natural resources.
We monitor the production of waste from our activities and its final destination. Over 94% of our waste is recycled or reused. We monitor our energy consumption and water withdrawal. Our packaging is recyclable.
→ Our next milestone: on water, move from monitoring to quantified, public targets. With regard to waste, we need to involve our suppliers in reducing waste at source.
Climate Action
We see action on the climate crisis as a necessity for every company. We are taking concrete steps to help limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050.
We measure and publish our carbon footprint every year, covering scopes 1, 2 and 3. In 2024, we supported 65 suppliers in carrying out their carbon inventory – a collective effort that earned us the Purchasing Leadership Trophy.
→ Our next step is to steer decarbonisation actions by major identified levers.
Public Affairs and Collective Action
We collaborate with other organisations and stakeholders to contribute to positive impact and systemic change, beyond what we could achieve on our own.
We actively participate in Ameublement Français and SNEC (Syndicat National de l’Equipement de Cuisine) working groups to drive change across our profession – on the environment, the circular economy, quality and innovation. We are part of the “Éclaireur Coq Vert” community of BPI France and ADEME for our ability to mobilise our stakeholders.
→ Our next milestone: taking our charitable contributions beyond the threshold of 2% of our sales.
Training movement
B Corp is also a way of driving our ecosystem towards higher standards, raising the standards of our industry andhelping our suppliers to progress too.
In 2024, for example, we supported 65 suppliers in carrying out their carbon inventory. This collective effort earned us the Purchasing Leadership Trophy. But beyond this recognition, our entire value chain is making progress.
We are part of the Green Rooster Pathfinder community run by BPI France and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), in recognition of our exemplary capacity to mobilise our stakeholders.
We also play an active role in the working groups ofAmeublement Français and the Syndicat National de l’Équipement de la Cuisine (SNEC), with the aim of improving practices throughout our profession. Because transformation is built collectively.