Social responsibility

People first

Our commitment to social responsibility is an expression of Tarkett’s relationship with its employees: to be a great place to work and to be a contributing corporate citizen in local communities. Our strategic initiatives are articulated around the 4 pillars of our social responsibility:

• Safety, respect and integrity
• Talent development, empowerment and diversity
• Proactive employee communication and dialogue
• Involvement with local communities

The first 3 priorities are completely integrated in Tarkett’s human resources strategy. Find out more about our HR initiatives in the Careers section…

Involvement with local communities

Our commitment to people also means being a good corporate citizen in our host communities. Tarkett has established solid and enduring partnerships with the local communities where its industrial sites are located. Throughout the world, we support local initiatives that seek to improve quality of life for people such as funding local sports activities for young people and assistance for the elderly and to individuals with disabilities. These actions, often charitable initiatives, are designed locally to be close to the specific needs of the environments where Tarkett operates:

• France – Partnership with the Claude Pompidou foundation which provides assistance to the elderly, hospitalized individuals and children with disabilities
• Haiti – Financing of repair works at a hospital in Haiti
• Canada – Game of Hope sports tournament in Canada (the event raised $225,000 in 2012 for 2 children’s associations)
• Russia – Youth programs in Russia (i.e. design competition in Otradny…)
• USA – Centiva participation in a rebuilding initiative after a May 2011 hurricane in the city of Joplin, Missouri
• Serbia – Creation of a “Tarkett Fund” in order to finance local sports competition and social activities
• France – Partnership with France’s Handisport Federation
• USA – Partnership agreement with the US Soccer Foundation to provide sports fields in underprivileged neighborhoods

Tarkett Academy

Tarkett has developed over many years a unique approach to training: Tarkett Academy. Through a network of professional training schools for flooring installation, this program addresses diverse audiences:

• Tarkett trains young professionals in annual or multi annual sessions, providing them with a recognized qualification. In France, training sessions provided by Tarkett Academies are part of a national technical diploma (CAP). In 2011, our experts trained 90 young people.
• Tarkett trains building professionals (typically installers) on products and how to optimize installation, in sessions that range from 2 days to a full week. In 2011, our trainers provided 63 000 hours of professional training for close to 2000 people.
• Tarkett Academy also trains its employees to improve their company and product knowledge.

We also seek to make a meaningful impact in local communities through our education and professional training. For example, by opening training to employees of floor installation partners at Tarkett Academies, we help to improve the quality of installation as well as enhance skills and employability of individuals, many of whom have few professional qualifications.