5th regional edition of BPCE Group's PHARE symposium on the topic: “Promoting the local ecosystem in the South-East region of France”
On June 18th, the 5th regional edition of the PHARE* symposium was held in Marseille in the premises of the Banque Populaire Méditerranée, providing the Group with an opportunity to meet nearly 100 guests and to share its commitments in the area of responsible procurement, innovation, and the economic development of regional France.
The aim of this 5th symposium, jointly organized by Banque Populaire Méditerranée and the Caisse d’Epargne Côte d'Azur, Caisse d’Epargne CEPAC and Caisse d’Epargne Languedoc-Roussillon in partnership with BPCE Procurement, was to create business opportunities with the rich diversity of the local ecosystem – companies working with disabled people (disability-oriented social enterprises and support-through-work organizations) and innovation-driven entities (start-ups, SMEs) – with a view to helping these companies become listed Group suppliers, thereby favoring their economic development, and to prospect local markets to identify new partners.
In order to mobilize employees and suppliers around Groupe BPCE's CSR commitments, feedback related to co-contracting, co-innovation and customer relations made it possible to highlight concrete examples of services provided by companies in the region. Locally based suppliers also promoted their activities in the form of pitch presentations.
Finally, to encourage exchanges and the development of partnerships, a business corner brought together suppliers selected by the Group’s companies responsible for co-organizing the event.
Key figures
• 9 companies certified “Supplier Relations and Responsible Procurement,”
• 518 full-time equivalent employees given jobs thanks to procurement from companies working with disabled people, representing sales worth €15.1m (incl. VAT),
• 69% of suppliers are local companies, present in the banks' local catchment areas,
• 87% of the Group's suppliers are SMEs and 39% of purchases are made with SMEs,
• In 2017, Groupe BPCE supported the equivalent of 100,000 jobs and created wealth worth €5bn for the French economy.
* PHARE: an acronym from Politique Handicap et Achats Responsables in French or “Disability Policy and Responsible Procurement”