AMA’s four key commitments

How does our raison d’être translate into commitments?

“Enhance professionals’ life while preserving the planet”; this is AMA’s raison d’être.

At AMA, creating this raison d’être was collective, from the level of employees to the Board of Directors. It is a federative process that unites all internal stakeholders.

The question of meaning and the impacts of the company’s activity informed its description. This approach considered both the company and its users in terms of performance and social well-being, also considering its environment. This roots our raison d’être in daily life.

While inspired by the use of its solution and consistent with its core activity, our raison d’être is also influenced by AMA’s culture and its employer brand #WeAreAMA. This strong identity led AMA to be considered as one of the best companies to work for in 2019.

A "raison d’être" is not a declaration of intentions; it must be lived, integrated in the company’s governance and part of its strategy. It therefore translates into action. The resulting key commitments represent the basis for our CSR strategy and are broken down into an action plan.

At AMA, there are four key commitments:

How does the CSR strategy represent teamwork over the long term?

Defining a raison d’être is a project with a vision and a strategy that involves each center (from production to sales, by way of purchasing, HR teams, support, etc.).
The key commitments are strong, the actions are performed over the long term and the subjects are cross-functional; all teams must be involved.
At AMA, in terms of CSR resources, volunteers play the role of CSR coordinators within each center as well as in the subsidiaries. They are ambassadors, not merely links, and they drive proposals that are essential, notably in the subsidiaries for initiatives in their regions. There is a cultural dimension, beyond the geographical distance, that enables them to become real actors and choose actions in line with AMA’s commitments within their communities.
The major steps for setting up the CSR approach are the concern of governance. They are also handled by dedicated management committee meetings. No fewer than 7 meetings took place in 2021.
Some departments are consulted nearly every week and the managers play an important role in the various steps.

• To facilitate well-being at work

In deploying the CSR strategy, the HR team is on the front lines, dealing with the social aspect.
One of the first actions was electing the CSE (company social committee) representative.
Recent events have strengthened, where necessary, the need to offer a stimulating collaboration environment, to share a vision, and to support every individual in their personal and professional development. Welcoming new AMAmates in the best conditions is a principle we have applied for a long time. This was an even bigger challenge with remote working.
Social dialog, quality of work life, and health and safety at work are decisive elements.
Other subjects such as training, diversity, inclusion and gender equality are the next challenges on which AMA is working, always striving for progress. Several issues to take the lead on! The HR team is hard at work in this area with a CSR team providing positive support.

• Protecting the planet

At the environmental level, employees and our customers are our primary allies.
AMA intends to play an active role.
How can a digital company improve its environmental impact?
By performing a carbon assessment every year. Because this concerns all our activities, each team contributes, sharing the main CO2 emitter items to then build a reduction action plan.
As part of this requirement to assess our impact, we have worked with our partner, Fondation Good Planet, to estimate that using an XpertEye kit would avoid an average of 1 metric ton of CO2 per month, based on the reduced travel that its use entails. To be more accurate in this estimation, we are working with volunteer customers on use cases.
Following this carbon assessment, through the Science Based Target initiative, we have committed to reducing our carbon footprint by 42% between now and 2030, on scopes 1 and 2. This goal is aligned with the Paris Agreement, to collectively limit global warming to 1.5° by 2100. We also want to raise awareness among AMAmates on sustainable development by sharing information and best practices. For example, we organize workshops and other events throughout the year (waste reduction, IT best practices and digital eco-friendly actions, clean-up day, etc.).

• Committing responsibly and ethically with our stakeholders

The need to extend our ethical commitment to our partners
By definition, a stakeholder is part of an exchange with the company. Each of them influences and contributes to the other’s activity. Two major actions have structured our approach: adhering to the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact and using the method recommended for B Corp certification. First projects initiated:
- Fighting corruption, which once again drew on support from executive officers and our manager supply chain internally, with the goal of mapping risks and developing a gift and invitation policy. Once again, it is a matter of medium term actions, but they are regular and long-lasting.
- We are committed to buying responsibly, asking those suppliers considered “critical” for various reasons to sign our code of conduct which affirms our values and our zero tolerance for child labor, corruption and non-compliance with labor laws and regulations. Buying responsibly also means buying locally, if possible, and choosing eco-certified equipment (93% of computers).
- AMA has chosen to invest in its communities by supporting local associations that share its values.
ASFAD, which assists women and children who are victims of domestic abuse
FACE, which is aligned with AMA on inclusion, notably by promoting TECH professions among young girls

• Enhancing field professionals’ life by creating innovative solutions

The action taken in this last area globally validates the collaboration method and the long-term commitment.
Selecting indicators and objectives, and monitoring them, cannot be done without support from developers, sales teams and our IT team.
How can we measure customer satisfaction, innovation and data security without working at the front lines with our teams in these areas?
Our collaboration takes place daily and the issues concern all levels of the company. The actions are part of a continuous improvement approach.
Innovation is an objective that depends on the company’s sustainability. It is part of a long-term perspective. Satisfying our customers is a constant goal that once again requires regular surveys and actions to maintain a high level. This is where the notion of responsibility comes full circle.

In conclusion

Developing as well as deploying the CSR strategy is a joint approach for all stakeholders at AMA. The CSR team fulfills its cross-functional role and communication is key.
We will soon invite our stakeholders to tell us once again how they feel about our actions. Your feedback helps us progress. Thank you for your participation.