Press release «ARMOR develops its collaboration with Electriciens sans frontières» Press Kit 1. ARMOR : innovation in the service of sustainable development 2. Beautiful Light Factory in partnership with Electriciens sans frontières 3. ASCA, innovation by ARMOR PRESS CONTACT Donatienne Dujeu 06.61.96.59.53 d.dujeu@giotto-cr.com
ARMOR develops its collaboration with Electriciens sans frontières A winning partnership promoting energy access for the most disadvantaged communities. One year ago, Armor signed a partnership with Electriciens sans frontières in order to combat energy poverty. Creator of the Asca photovoltaic film, the company has committed itself to donating more than one euro to the charity every time one of its Beautiful Light Factory products is sold. One year later the collaboration is being intensified by the two partners, who are conducting an original experiment in the field of education. Other projects are on the drawing board with the same shared objective: to provide electricity down to the very last mile, including during periods of post-emergency response following climate-related disasters. Financial support for the charity On Tuesday 6 February, Hubert de Boisredon, the CEO of Armor, officially handed over to the Secretary-General of Electriciens sans frontières, Jean-Pierre Cerdan, the cheque for the donation element of products sold by the Beautiful Light Factory (BLF) in 2017. This cheque will enable the equivalent of 7 classrooms to be lit for a year, or 3 health centres over a similar period. The BLF products (Solar Bag, Solar Set and Solar Pocket) incorporating the flexible and low-carbon photovoltaic film designed by Armor are therefore solar products that carry real meaning: "Through the sale of our solar products we are delighted to be able to support the worldwide efforts of Electriciens sans frontières to provide access to water and energy for the poorest communities", states Hubert de Boisredon. Light for Palestinian schoolchildren In November 2017, Armor's commitment took shape on the ground through a novel educational project for Electriciens sans frontières at Al Ka Abneh school, near Jericho in the Palestinian Territories. Two mobile power kits composed of a new type of solar charger and a lamp selected for its compactness and low weight were made available to teachers and pupils. The schoolchildren can recharge the lamp during the day and take it home to enable them to do their homework, as well as benefiting the whole family. The initiative enables the children to work after school, giving them every chance of success and also getting their parents involved. "The experiment at this school in a Bedouin village without electricity demonstrates the need to provide innovative techniques to support children's education and improve the living conditions of their families", emphasises Jean-Yves Retière, regional representative of Electriciens sans frontières for the Pays-de-la-Loire region. 1
By enabling both teachers and families to benefit from this photovoltaic innovation, ARMOR and Electriciens sans frontières are convinced that access to solar energy is a vital factor in development and education. The objective is to extend this pilot project to other educational establishments in the Middle East and Africa. François Barreau, the project manager at Armor, relates the enthusiasm the initiative has generated: "I have nothing but admiration for the commitment of the volunteers at Electriciens sans frontières and the groups of teachers working on the ground in difficult conditions. The confidence they give us pushes us to improve our products and ensure that they offer maximum benefit on the ground. This experiment enables our kits to become more versatile by adapting them to the real-life conditions in which they are used. " The partnership between Electriciens sans frontières and Armor will soon take on new forms, notably through the provision of mobile first-response emergency power kits for communities falling victim to climate-related disasters. Mobile power kit introduced by Jean-Yves Retière, regional delegate within Electriciens sans Frontières for the region Pays de la Loire, with the teachers of the pilot school in Palestine. 2
1/ ARMOR: INNOVATION IN THE SERVICE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT "Industry for people": the driving force behind innovation The ambitious industrial mission of ARMOR is to offer effective solutions to the challenges faced by society: safety of goods and people through product traceability, reduction of the environmental footprint of printing by offering ingenious and responsble consumables, improving the safety, performance and useful life of batteries and offering maximum access to energy. To achieve its corporate mission, ARMOR is focussing on innovation and has established a 100M investment plan over the period 2014-2018. A challenge for the third millennium: maximising access to solar energy In the knowledge that existing photovoltaic technology based on silicon was unable to meet the demands of all applications, in 2010 ARMOR decided to rise to the challenge of widening the field of potential uses while setting itself the objective of producing a low carbon technology industrialised in France: ASCA was born! Électriciens sans frontières : actions in favor of human development and sustainable economy Electriciens sans frontières (Electricians without Borders) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which, for 30 years now, has been acting to meet the essential needs of communities threatened by poverty, climate change or humanitarian disaster. It therefore implements projects to provide access to electricity and water. Due to the lack of access to electricity, these rural isolated communities use energy sources that are very costly and detrimental to both health and the environment (disposable batteries, oil, candles, wood...) and water sources which are frequently of very poor quality or even dried up, such as marshland and low-level wells. The actions of Electriciens sans frontières favour collective structures, whether educational (schools and training centres), sanitary (clinics and wells), economic (markets and cooperatives) or social (orphanages and public squares) in order to sustainably improve the living conditions of the communities. Electriciens sans frontières also intervenes in humanitarian disasters. The association is also able to respond to the electricity requirements of other NGOs. 3
2) Beautiful Light Factory in partnership with Electriciens sans frontières In January 2017, ARMOR and its entity Beautiful Light Factory signed an agreement with Electriciens sans frontières. For each product sold by Beautiful Light Factory, ARMOR donates more than one euro* to the NGO. Beautiful Light Factory, a new entity within ARMOR Beautiful Light Factory (BLF) is the ARMOR group entity responsible for making solar energy available to everyone, promoting new uses via innovative applications. In the spring of 2017, BLF launches its new nomadic solar products integrating ASCA films, produced at industrial scale since 2016: a range of products that combines utility and sustainability. These products give the customers the insurance to stay connected all the time thanks to a renewable source of energy. Meaningful products Beautiful Light Factory products mean more than just solar products. They are sustainable products with real meaning: the ARMOR group undertakes to donate more than one euro* per product sold to Electriciens sans frontières. The money generated will support the work of the NGO around the globe to meet the essential needs of isolated communities via projects to provide access to electricity and water. Sustainable innovation Conceived in France and certified CE and RoHS by ARMOR, all products of this range are equipped with photovoltaics films ASCA, the new «low carbon» energetic material. Not only are they useful but they also have the advantage of increasing awarenesss about the benefit of solar energy. Moreover, using these products offers a unique experience of this new promising photovoltaic technology, that can change everyday life of a large number of people. www.beautiful-light-factory.com * 1,40 for the Solar Set PRO, 1,30 for the Solar Bag PRO, 1,50 for the Solar Pocket PRO 4
3/ ASCA, innovation by ARMOR ASCA, technological prowess and industrial production capacity - Light - Flexible The ASCA photovoltaic film: - Eco-responsible - Available in custom-made design - Low-carbon production process - Free of rare and toxic components - Semi-transparent - Designed and manufactured in France After 6 years of technological partnership with leading names in the global chemicals industry and industrial investment of some 40m, the French midcap ARMOR has launched production of a new generation of low-carbon photovoltaic films. This 3rd millennium material called ASCA opens up the way for a large number of industrial applications, the photovoltaic modules of which are individually designed at the company's site in La Chevrolière, near Nantes. ASCA, a «low carbon» energy revolution ASCA is the result of a process requiring low amounts of energy to produce the modules. In a just a few months it produces an equivalent amount of energy to that used in its production, and its impact in terms of CO2 emissions is fully controlled. Furthermore, ASCA is 100% recoverable and is free from any rare or toxic components. ASCA was introduced to the French minister Nicolas Hulot ARMOR s teams had the opportunity to present the ASCA photovoltaïc films during the United Nations Assembly for the Environment in December 2017 in Kenya. The French ecology minister was very interested in this new technology conceived and produced in France. 5