Actions de développement durable

01/04/2009 - 100 % of personnel uniforms are manufactured of "citizen fibres"

By using "citizen fibre" to manufacture of personnel uniforms, Avenance is a major driving force behind the use of uniforms contributing to safety at work and respect for man and the environment.

In figures : 100 000 uniforms manufactured since 2008

Better understanding
For the renewal of its personnel uniforms, Avenance has opted for a partnership operation with the Yamana NGO to draw up a particularly strict specification, demanding among other things:
- an engagement by manufacturers not to use colouring and chemical products that are harmful to the environment, or even carcinogenic, or allergenic fibres which can be irritant, in order to preserve the safety of its staff.
- compliance with the standards of the International Work Organisation by the manufacturing workshops outside the community countries.
- an undertaking by laundries regarding the taking of precaution in respect of the environment.

The materials of the new uniforms are essentially Ecolabel certified, addressing the European oeko-tex standard which is more demanding than the regulations in terms of health, transparency and traceability.

01/04/2009 - 100% of Avenance Entreprises napkins are manufactured from recycled

The principle
It is a fact that it takes 2 kg of wood to manufacture 1 kg of napkins (approximately 300 napkins). This makes it absolutely essential to use recycled paper in respect of the environment. Avenance Entreprises uses napkins comprising at least 70% recycled fibres and encourages the patrons of its restaurants to use a single napkin as a way of minimising waste.

In figures: 570 tons of recycled paper was included in the composition of our napkins in 2008

Better understanding
To manufacture recycled fibre napkins, it is necessary to:
- collect used paper, that is, more often than not, magazines, used cheque-books, newspapers, cartons, etc. This means that everybody must develop the reflex to sort their waste selectively.
- then process the papers (fibre stripping, purification, ink removal) so that the fibres can be reused to manufacture new sheets of paper, napkins, cardboard boxes …
It only takes 2 kg of recycled paper to manufacture 1 kilo of recycled fibres.
Recycled pulp production saves water, power and, naturally, wood, compared with the production of bleached virgin fibre.

01/04/2009 - All our sites reuse their edible

The principle
Since 2005 we recover all our used edible oils and reuse them as fuel for heating and for biodiesel engines.

In figures:
660 tons reused in 2007 in our restaurants, representing
495 tons of biofuels, i.e. 5 565 000 clean km

Better understanding
In its restaurant activities, Avenance Entreprises uses a large amount of vegetable oil. Once used, these oils represent a specific waste because of the nature of their fatty matter: when dumped into the drain, they degrade the piping (fatty deposits, chemical aggression) forming a fine film on the surface of the water that is difficult to capture in purification plants.
To forestall any impact on the environment, Avenance Entreprises has made a decision to commit to the systematic collection of the used oils produced by its restaurants in France.

Two specialised service providers, accredited by the Water Agencies, handle the collection and preprocessing of these used oils. They guarantee traceability of the treatment line. The oils recovered in this way are then reused as heating or biodiesel fuel.
The use of these oils on cosmetics or animal feed production lines is strictly prohibited.

This collecting system makes it possible to:
- eliminate any impact on purification devices and the receiving aquatic media (water courses, groundwater …),
- reuse our waste oils as renewable fuels,
- establish the traceability of the complete improvement line.

01/04/2009 - Coffee from fair trade sources

The principle
Avenance Entreprises is partner to the Max Havelaar association and proposes fair trade coffee from Guatemala to its patrons.
For Avenance, fair trade is part and parcel of its global sustainable development procedure: it helps the underprivileged producers in the developing countries to obtain more decent and secure living conditions so that they can develop and be able to control their own future.

In figures:
5.5 tons of fair trade coffee was sold in our restaurants in 2008 (more than 800,000 cups of coffee)

Better understanding
Fair trade is established on the 3 pillars of sustainable development:

- economic pillar: Producers receive income that not only allows them to live but also to invest in their future. They benefit from a minimum guaranteed price: importers pay producers prices that never drop below a baseline level. These prices are detached from the stock exchange, covering the production costs and the basic needs of the family (food, hygiene, education, health …)
- social pillar: Producers get together in properly managed organisations helping them become more independent. Social rights are respected.
- environmental pillar: producers reduce their impact on the nature, moving forwards towards organic farming methods.

What are the definite impacts for the producers in the south?
- improved living conditions (health, accommodation, food, clothing, education)
- the anchoring of the populations and a slowdown of the exodus towards the large cities
- a development effect which is experienced at the local and even at the regional levels

For further information: www.maxhavelaarfrance.org

01/04/2009 - Plastic bottle caps are recovered for reuse

The principle
Avenance Entreprises is providing bottle cap collection facilities in its restaurants. Patrons are encouraged to put the caps from plastic bottles (water, soft drinks, etc.…) in them. Plastic bottle caps are then recovered for reuse The money coming from this collection is paid over to the "1 bouchon: 1 sourire" association

In figures: 500 recuperation containers were installed on our sites for the Sustainable Development Week

Better understanding
The collected caps recovered by the "1 bouchon: 1 sourire" association are subsequently sorted by disabled people. The caps are melted down in a plastics factory and brought back to life as a new plastic material used for manufacturing various objects, like computer housings.
After being "regenerated" (recycled), the plastics have exactly the same properties as material produced from natural resources. Reusing plastic in this way saves on oil and minimises the volume of domestic refuse.

The finished product is managed by people undergoing vocational rehabilitation and the money generated by the sale of the plastic from the caps is paid over to associations. These associations support various local projects on a social scale, designed to strengthen the links between disabled and valid people.

Avenance has chosen to join forces with Evian because of its committed involvement in generating consumer awareness about selective sorting. Hydration is essential, so is recycling. Today, 51% of PET* bottles are recycled. Evian now aims at considerably increasing this recycling factor (with a final objective of 100% as indicated on its bottles), in particular through a selective waste sorting program.

To take this process even further, evian is strengthening its partnership with other natural mineral water brands so that they all include the "Objectif 100%" message on their labels, encouraging consumers to significantly boost this sorting factor.

For further information:
http://www.1bouchon1sourire.org/
http://www.evian.fr/emballages.php

* PET: PolyEthylene Terephthalate. Often used for drink bottles because of its transparency, its shock resistance, light weight and tightness for water, gas and aromas. It is one of the recyclable plastics.

Haut