Gaïa Rating - New Award for ESI Group's ESG Commitment

Regulatory News:

Gaïa Research, a service of EthiFinance and a major player in the field of ESG rating (environment, social and governance) of French mid-sized listed companies, has awarded ESI Group (Paris:ESI), a global player in virtual prototyping, committed to a cleaner, safer, and more productive industry, the first Gaïa 2021 prize in the category of mid-cap companies with annual revenues under €150 million.

This award received during the ceremony held on October 19^th, 2021 in Paris, illustrates the efforts made by the Group to continuously improve its CSR commitments (social, societal, and environmental).

2021 was shaped by several significant actions for ESI Group, both within its governance, its environmental commitments, some in collaboration with Reforest'Action, and above all, with initiatives dedicated to its employees.

Particularly shaken by the Covid-19 health crisis, the work-life balance was a field of action for ESI Group, which employs 1,200 people in about 20 countries. In this context, the Group has introduced a "No-Meeting Day": one-day per week dedicated to restoring the importance of taking time, without meetings, enabling employees to work differently. While reducing the stress and pressure caused by overloaded agendas, this format increases the concentration and productivity of teams.

"We are delighted with this new distinction from Gaïa Research. In 2021, ESI succeeded in optimizing its ESG commitment on all areas. The pandemic has disrupted the lives of our teams as well as our work habits. With the ‘No-Meeting Day’, we wanted to offer an initiative that would give our employees the opportunity to break the rhythm which could sometimes be counterproductive and allow them to thrive in their missions. We also worked for the Planet by helping reforestation, strengthened the independence of our governance and contributed to the decarbonization of the industry through our solutions. All this would not have been possible without the contribution of all our teams, who, in addition to being expert and recognized, reflect diversity. This is a real source of pride for all of us!" declared Corinne Romefort-Régnier, ESI Group's Governance Director.

“We want to be a vector of progress. The companies monitored by the Gaïa Research teams are growing companies with strong development ambitions. Our objective, in addition to supporting financial players in their responsible investment approach, is also to prepare companies for the new expectations of their stakeholders in terms of environmental, social and governance issues," says Emmanuel de La Ville of Gaïa Research. "Our evaluations allow investors to identify the most transparent and efficient companies in terms of CSR."

Methodology:
Since 2009, Gaïa Research has been conducting an annual data collection campaign covering most of the SMEs listed in France. Based on this information, companies are rated on their level of transparency and performance. The ratings are based on 174 criteria (economic, governance, human capital, environment and stakeholders) and are used by leading management companies in their management process and investment decisions. Since its creation, this index has outperformed the CAC 40 and the CAC Mid & Small every year.

About ESI Group
Founded in 1973, ESI Group envisions a world where Industry commits to bold outcomes, addressing high stakes concerns - environmental impact, safety & comfort for consumers and workers, adaptable and sustainable business models. ESI provides reliable and customized solutions anchored on predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise to allow industries to make the right decisions at the right time, while managing their complexity. Acting principally in automotive & land transportation, aerospace, defense & naval, energy and heavy industry, ESI is present in more than 20 countries, employs 1200 people around the world and reported 2020 sales of €132.6 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris.

For further information, go to www.esi-group.com.

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About Gaia Research, EthiFinance and Qivalio
Gaia Research is an EthiFinance service, a subsidiary of Qivalio, a European rating, research and consulting group dedicated to sustainable finance and development. The Group provides solutions to investors, companies and organizations to meet the challenges of financing and environmental and societal transformations. Created in 2017, Qivalio is the result of the merger between Spread Research and EthiFinance, French financial and extra-financial rating agencies founded in 2004. The group's purpose is to work towards the transformation of finance and the real economy for a more sustainable society, by promoting enlightened and responsible decision-making.

Qivalio serves a portfolio of leading international clients under Spread Research (independent credit research), Qivalio Ratings (financial rating agency), Qivalio Analytics (risk modelling) and EthiFinance (extra-financial rating and advisory agency) brands.

For further information: www.ethifinance.com www.qivalio.com

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Contact information

ESI Group
Florence Barré
press@esi-group.com
+33 1 49 78 28 28

Verbatee - Press & Shareholder Relations
JJérôme Goaer, j.goaer@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 61 79 34
Aline Besselièvre, a.besselievre@verbatee.com, +33 6 61 85 10 05