Groupe Roullier

18 19 2021 Non-Financial Reporting Statement Groupe Roullier 2021 Non-Financial Reporting Statement Groupe Roullier To help farmers respond as effectively as possible to this challenge, TIMAC AGRO began work in France and internationally on developing biostimulant solutions as early as 1989. In 2020, an entirely new generation of biostimulants was created in conjunction with the CMI Roullier and in partnership with the University of Navarra in Spain. This new concept has now been launched or is in the process of being launched in 10 TIMAC AGRO subsidiaries (Switzerland, Poland, Germany (partially), France, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania (partially), Latvia and Lithuania). Biostimulation solutions can have a direct impact on reducing the effects of water stress in crops acting on root system development, strengthening cell walls to limit the outflow of water during periods of water stress, and osmoprotection 1 . CASE STUDY TIMAC AGRO SOLUTIONS HELP REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF WATER STRESS ON CROPS W ater stress results from the availability of water falling short of what is required for healthy plant growth, and poses a recurrent challenge for agriculture. Its negative impact on crop yields is amplified by climate change factors, such as excessive variations in rainfall, global warming and increased atmospheric CO 2 , which are already changing the water demand patterns of crops. Contrary to popular belief, irrigation is far from being an effective or even adequate solution, especially for field crops, as a result of the high levels of upfront investment required. On the other hand, changes in agricultural practices generally, and fertiliser application in particular, can help prepare plants to resist or recover from water stress more effectively, making them more resilient to the effects of climate change. An ecosystem of partners built around a central core of innovation As part of addressing climate change and increasing global demand for food, our Roullier Global Innovation Centre and subsidiaries are able to call on a broad network of specialists to help accelerate the pace of scientific research. The aim here is to share tech knowledge with every expert working in our main areas of research through collaborations with universities, research institutes, technical institutes and competitiveness clusters. These partnerships may be achieved via European or national consortia or even industry-specific projects by adopting a down-to-earth cross- disciplinary approach that brings us into close contact with today’s most advanced technologies, at the same time as aligning closely with consumer markets. For example, the Meth’algues project emerged from a 256 research partnerships 43% of all our projects are partnership projects national consortium whose members include INRAE (France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment), CEVA (the Algae Research & Promotion Centre) and the Valorial collaboration-based agri-food competitiveness cluster. At European level, the Deep Purple project to recover energy and valuable resources from urban waste streams brings together institutions as varied as the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, the Institute of Sustainable Processes (ISP) at the University of Valladolid (UVa) and Brunel University London. The project also involves private stakeholders, laboratories and manufacturers. 1 Osmoprotection increases the quantity of ions suspended in solution within the cell, thereby increasing its water content and maintaining constant concentration inside the cell. In other words, it is a way of forcing the cell to retain its water. COMMITTED TOGETHER FOR THE PLANET COMMITTED TOGETHER FOR THE PLANET