PROJECT

Projects

Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Number

34759

Company Name

SOUFFLET FINANCES

Date ESRS Disclosed

May 28, 2014

Country

Eastern Europe Subregion

Region

Europe

Last Updated Date

Jun 12, 2021

Environmental Category

B - Limited

Status

Completed

Previous Events

Approved : Jul 17, 2014
Signed : Jul 21, 2014
Invested : Aug 18, 2014

Sector

Grain Processing (Milling, Starch, Flour, Malt)

Industry

Agribusiness and Forestry

Department

Gbl Ind, Manufact, Agribus & Services

Project Description

IFC investment (the “Project”) involves providing a multi-country A-Loan of up to EUR60 million to finance Soufflet’s operations in six countries of the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, namely Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, Serbia, Romania, and Poland. Soufflet will use the proceeds of the new IFC corporate loan to (i) originate malting barley and other crops, (ii) increase in-kind pre-financing to farmers, and (iii) process grain into malt. The new IFC loan will be committed as a 5-year A-Loan with a revolving feature.

Established in France in 1900, Soufflet (the “Group” or the “Company”) is a mid-size global agribusiness group. The Group started to expand into the ECA region in 1998, as a strategy to follow its customers. Today, the Company operates in nine countries in the ECA region, including the six that will be financed by the new IFC loan. Soufflet has 9 silos and 6 malting plants in these six countries and their share represents about 15% of the grain originated by the Group, and 27% of its malt production. Core businesses of Soufflet operations under the Project include grain procurement, malt production, grain storage and trading and distribution of agricultural inputs including crop protection products.

Soufflet is an existing IFC client. In 2009, IFC invested US$12.5 million in an annual renewable loan to support Soufflet working capital needs for its Ukraine trading division (Project # 27510). In January 2011, IFC extended a corporate A-Loan facility to Soufflet amounting to EUR60 million (Project#30067 and Project#30588). Environmental, health and safety (EHS) performance for the existing investment is satisfactory and ESAP’s action items have been effectively completed. Information on the EHS aspects of the Projects can be found at the IFC website.

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

IFC’s environmental and social review comprised visits to Soufflet offices and facilities in France, Poland and Serbia; meetings with senior management and key specialists at Soufflet headquarters in Nogent, France; meetings with site management and observation of operations of malting plant and silo located near the town of Poznan, Poland; malting plant in Nogent, France; and malting plant in Backa Palanka, Serbia.

Appraisal included as well a review of technical documentation provided at each site, including responses to IFC’s Environmental and Social (E&S) E&S Questionnaire, plant’s operational permits, internal and external environmental and occupational health and safety audits/ inspections, review of the human resources regulations, life and fire safety, resource efficiency (water, energy), emergency preparedness and response, and social performance. Also, available information about the Company’s Environmental, health and safety (EHS) performance was sourced from the previous IFC investment and taken into account during this appraisal. Soufflet demonstrated its commitment to continuous improvement of E&S performance and completed the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) of the existing investment.

IFC’s appraisal considered environmental and social management plans for the Project described below and gaps if any between these plans and IFC requirements. Where necessary, corrective measures, intended to close these gaps within a reasonable period of time, are summarized in the paragraphs that follow and in the agreed Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) disclosed in this review summary. Through implementation of these management plans and the ESAP the Project is expected to be designed and operated in accordance with Performance Standards objectives.

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Stakeholder Engagement

Broad Community Support

Environmental & Social Action Plan