Download 2003 Sustainable Development Report (PDF)

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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
From sustained growth to
sustainable growth
Going beyond the financial concerns of our organisation, as
detailed in the Annual Report, we wish to see this first document
as an expression of our values and of the principles which
guide us. They embody the conviction, built up over almost a
century, that growth should be both sustainable and responsible.
This report describes the most significant steps taken over
a number of years. It also sets goals for the future, for we are
fully aware of the work that remains to be done. We are determined
to move forward step by step thanks to initiatives that
are tangible and measurable.
Looking beyond a purely financial
business model
We have always been guided by a strong central idea: that
there can be no sustainable development for the company
without long-term economic growth. In 2003, for yet another
year, the growth in L’Oréal’s operating profit was measured in
double figures and all our energy is devoted to maintaining
this progress. That is our ambition. Nonetheless, true to our
corporate culture, we are absolutely convinced that, for that
growth to be truly sustainable, we must look beyond a purely
financial model. That is why we constantly seek to link our
financial performance to robust ethical principles and a genuine
awareness of our responsibility towards all within the
company, and to our environment and the wider community.
The ambition to be socially responsible is closely bound up
with our mission: L’Oréal is dedicated to serving all expressions
of beauty and well-being, which it seeks to make accessible to
women and men all over the world. Our cosmetic products
enable everyone to feel at ease with their body, to express
their beauty, to assert their identity and to express their
creativity. In that respect, they serve human beings in all that
is most profoundly human.
A social project
This corporate project is a thrilling one, and it relies first and
foremost on our 50,000 employees. Motivation, a sense of
belonging, and commitment to financial and societal objectives
are essential in a company whose business development
model is essentially based on internal growth. This great
human adventure is founded on one ambition: to make growth
an element of our social policy and our social policy an element
of growth.