People-oriented commitments
Our contributions to the world
Creating a more positive impact on the world is the key aim behind our Positive Impact strategy.
From a practical viewpoint, this means taking action on our supply chain, our production facilities, the relationships with our suppliers and partners, the sustainability of our products, the support available to our teams, and our our local presence.
We do not claim to have all the answers, but we are determined to ask questions, learn and develop our practices.
Protecting our forests and preserving resources
Because wood is our raw material and we are its guardians.
84% of the wood that we use is PEFC-certified.
There is a lot more to this commitment than a number and a label. It guarantees that each unit contributes towards the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable forest management practices. Since 2021, we have been working closely alongside WWF experts. Together, we have examined our sourcing policy and fine-tuned our biodiversity strategy. We have also pledged our support to the Nature Impact initiative, which is striving to preserve and restore some 15,000 hectares of the world’s richest and most endangered forests.
We are also improving our cut lists using an intelligent algorithm. As a result, our wood waste rate is falling, which has the effect of reducing our impact on the use of raw materials.
Made in France
Running our production activities from a central location in Europe has the effect of giving us full control over our processes and reducing our distances.
We have 1,900 employees, four production sites in Alsace, all within 20 kilometres of each other, and another plant in the Saarland. Therein lies our strength. In other words, we can produce close to where our products are needed, cut down on transport, and preserve skills and expertise in our host areas.
Every project is made to order, rather than made to stock, and tailored to the customer’s individual requirements. This approach improves materials, transport, inventory levels and energy, while limiting waste.
Producing units to last
A unit that lasts is a unit that does not need replacing.
In our laboratory, every unit is subjected to a battery of tests that are far more demanding than the market’s standards. We test our units with up to 250,000 opening-closing cycles, which is four times higher than the NF standard. Our shelves are 1.7 times more resistant than the level required by the market.
In our opinion, quality is not a luxury, but a responsibility.
We believe in enduring relationships
Schmidt Groupe is one of 100 French companies to have been awarded the RFAR label (Sustainable Supplier Relations and Procurement), and we have maintained certification for over 10 years. Our label was renewed for three years early 2025. This achievement recognises the practices that we have long been developing in the company, namely active listening, fairness, and collaborative construction.
What does this mean in real life? We pay our suppliers within 26 days to support their cash flow. 25% of our suppliers are based in Alsace. We prioritise short supply chains: first local, then regional, national and finally international.
Every year, all the employees in our Procurement Division are assigned CSR objectives. We have also supported 65 suppliers in carrying out their carbon footprint assessment, because progress can only be made together.
Working together to improve our practices and strengthen the positive impact of our entire value chain.
Boosting our local communities
Our local presence is not just a matter of geography, but a question of commitment.
With €82 million spent across eastern France with 499 suppliers, and €66 million in the Rhine basin with 432 partners, we are contributing directly to developing a thriving economy across our local region.
But our positive impact stretches even further. Both at our sites and in our network of dealers, our teams actively support local stakeholders, including sports clubs, charities, donation collections, and cultural events available to everyone.
That is our way of living in the world, by playing an active role in local community life.
Supporting associations
We choose our partnerships with great care as part of a long-term commitment.
We have been working alongside SOS Children’s Villages for over 15 years, with Emmaüs since 2009, and with WWF since 2021. Our collaboration with associations is built upon a long-term commitment, not one-off operations. Our relationships are built over time with organisations that challenge us just as much as we support them.
We have raised nearly €2.5 million for SOS Children’s Villages. We have supported 15,000 hectares of forest with WWF. We made in-kind donations worth more than €1.1 to Emmaüs in 2024. These figures illustrate the simple conviction that commitments are not measured by intentions, but by their duration and the actions taken.
Since our dealers are more than just retailers, they defend our values. They embrace our commitment towards our customers, and they play an active part in our outreach initiatives, such as our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, where every kitchen sold generates a donation.
Reducing our carbon footprint
When it comes to the transition, we’re walking the talk.
As a B Corp-certified company since 2023 with a score of 84.3 points, we have set a number of clear ambitions for 2030, such as reducing our Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 45% and our Scope 3 emissions by 25%.
We generate 1.6% of our electricity from solar power. Our target for 2025 is to reach 100% green energy. 90% of our handling equipment is already electric. The first electric box truck will be rolled out during the first half of 2025.
Even our lacquers are being redesigned. By switching over to water-based lacquers, we have reduced our emissions of volatile organic compounds from 55% to 5%.
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24% reduction in our gas consumption
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9.3% reduction in our electricity consumption
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300 tons of CO2 saved, equivalent to the annual impact of 133 French households
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25% target for reducing our Scope 3 emissions by 2030
Producing eco‑designed products
Eco-design principles have been an integral part of our practices for several years, and we are now aligning our approach with the clear ambition of ensuring that all our products incorporate demanding and measured eco-design criteria by 2030, thereby contributing to our overall objective of scaling down CO2 emissions by 25%.
This determination is reflected in a number of initiatives:
- Simpler, more compact systems that use less energy
- Integration of recycled materials and mono-materials
- Elimination of certain hardware items
- Reduction in the quantity of materials without compromising on quality
These technical choices have already had a real impact by avoiding 1,260 tons of CO2 since 2024.
Engaging our eco-system
All our employees in France and in our subsidiaries take part in the Climate Fresk.
We have also involved 65 suppliers in carrying out their carbon footprint assessment. This approach has earned us the Procurement Leadership Award. But beyond such accolades, a collective effort is underway to improve the entire value chain.
We believe in leading by example. That is why we are actively involved in the Écomaison and Ameublement Français groups as part of their efforts to improve practices across our industry. BPI France and ADEME have named us a Coq Vert Pathfinder in recognition of our ability to inspire other companies.
Promoting diversity and inclusion
We believe that a strong company is a diverse company.
Taking action to promote gender equality in the workplace
In 2025, we achieved a score of 94/100 on the gender equality index. We are taking action to increase the number of women in industry, promote female leadership, step up training on harassment, and raise awareness of women’s health issues.
Changing attitudes to disability
We are strengthening our Disability Plan, which features three focus areas: recruitment and integration, employability, and awareness.
Nurturing an intergenerational workforce
Everyone should be able to fulfil their potential at every stage of their career. To achieve this goal, we have taken a number of practical measures to capitalise on the strengths and assets of each generation.
B Corp: positive impact as a driving force
A demanding commitment to sustainable progress.
We believe that a successful company is one that creates value for the planet and its inhabitants.
Acting with an impact. Making progress every day. Doing better, everywhere.
Such is the spirit behind our B Corp approach. This demanding certification scheme evaluates our entire company and pushes us to go the extra mile for our employees, our customers, our partners and the planet.
Understand how we turn our commitments into tangible actions
