JCDecaux, official partner of COP21: Supporting initiatives for institutions and the public

JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide and official partner of COP21 is supporting a range of initiatives for institutions and the general public.

For JCDecaux, being an official partner of COP21 is a natural extension of the ambitious commitments in the company's Sustainable Development Strategy, rolled out in 2014. The Strategy's top environmental priority is to reduce the Group's energy consumption, particularly energy consumed by its street furniture and vehicles. Measures taken include new bus shelters for Paris that use 35% less energy than the previous model. JCDecaux has also set a target of procuring 100% of its electricity from green sources by 2022.

Under the sponsorship agreement signed with the COP21 General Secretariat, JCDecaux will make available street furniture free of charge to the French Foreign Ministry, which is coordinating organisation of COP21 at the Le Bourget conference site. The furniture will offer delegates a range of services: news kiosk selling daily newspapers, MUPI city information panels and Morris columns to deliver information and guidance for conference-goers, Powerpoles to recharge smartphones. We also gave 2,000 two-square-metre free advertising faces in more than 55 towns for a nationwide communication campaign.

On the artistic front, JCDecaux is sponsoring the "Redrawing the world" exhibition by Deyrolle for the Future. From 28 November to 13 December, 60 posters from Deyrolle's educational catalogue relating to sustainable development will be shown on JCDecaux totems on the Pont d'Iéna bridge. Also, in the week running up to COP21 the famous South African photographer Gideon Mendel will be showing a selection of photographs from his Drowning World series on 20 JCDecaux flagpoles in central Paris, helping raise awareness of the consequences of climate change.

COP21 is also a chance for JCDecaux to reaffirm its commitment to innovation. From 30 November to 13 December, the first electric assistance e-bikes will be on show in the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) as part of the "Paris of the Future" project. A positive energy bike renting station equipped with 30 e-bikes powered by an easily transportable battery will showcase the benefits of this new shared low-impact mode of urban transport, which anyone can try out.

Jean-Charles Decaux, Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: "COP21 will put France in the international spotlight, responsible for making different points of view converge and driving efforts to reach a consensus on climate change. It is the biggest diplomatic event ever hosted by France, and one of the largest climate conferences ever organised. Action to cut greenhouse gas emissions cannot be left to the countries alone. Companies too must commit to this cause. JCDecaux wanted to be a partner of COP21 to reaffirm its commitment to sustainable development for its employees, partners, clients and suppliers. By contributing innovative solutions to the challenges of the 21st century, JCDecaux can put its expertise and its teams' collective intelligence to work for long-term growth”.