CSR Policy

CSR Charter – Wow Geneva SA

Purpose: Establish a comprehensive, clear, and operational framework to integrate social and environmental responsibility across all agency activities (strategy, creation, media, data & AI, production, internal operations, procurement, client and partner relations).

Scope: Employees, freelancers, partners and suppliers working for or with Wow Geneva SA.

1) Vision, principles and scope

Our ambition: Make communication a lever for positive, measurable, and sustainable transformation. We prioritise real impacts (carbon, inclusion, accessibility, data ethics) over reputational effects.

Guiding principles

Evidence before promises: Environmental and social claims must be documented and verifiable.
Sobriety & efficiency: Design useful, accessible, and frugal solutions (responsible digital, low-impact production, optimised media).
Transparency: Annual publication of key indicators and an impact report.
Equity & inclusion: Diversity, pay equity, accessibility, and responsible representation are non-negotiable.
Privacy & ethics by design: Strict compliance with FADP/GDPR, strong data governance, and responsible AI use.

Impact scope

Internal: Offices, IT, mobility, procurement, working conditions, training.
External: Consulting, strategy, creation, production, media, data/AI, partners, hosting, websites/apps, influence, events.

2) Governance, roles and operations

2.1 CSR Committee (cross-functional, meets quarterly)

Composition: Leadership, Operations, Creation/Production, Media, Data/Tech, HR, Office/Finance representative.
Missions: Set objectives, steer the action plan, arbitrate sensitive cases, and communicate the impact report.

3) Environmental Pillar – Responsible digital, production, and operations

3.1 Responsible digital (core activity)

Already in place at Wow

Eco-designed websites: Systematic "eco-designed site" option (light code, optimised images, standard fonts, sober UX).
Green hosting: 90% of websites hosted with a low-carbon provider (Infomaniak).
Responsible emailing: Database hygiene, image compression/optimisation.
Archiving: Deletion/archiving policy for old assets (files, rushes, campaigns) to limit storage.

Commitments and standards

Eco-design by default: Page weight budgets, capped image/video sizes, lazy loading, system or variable fonts, cache/CDN.
Vital pages ≤ X KB on first load (value defined per project type), compliant LCP/TBT/CLS.
Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance whenever possible (or action plan), dedicated QA check.
Performance & sobriety: HTTP request budgets, limited third-party scripts, Web Vitals measured in pre-prod and post-prod.
Hosting: Default preference for the selected low-carbon hosting; alternatives evaluated by PUE/energy, location, and SLA.
Logs & monitoring: Monthly dashboard (average weight, requests, uptime, errors, performance, accessibility).

KPIs (examples)

Indicator: Eco-designed projects — Measurement/Monitoring: % of projects delivered with internal "eco-designed" label.
Indicator: Performance — Measurement/Monitoring: Median homepage weight / % compliant Core Web Vitals.
Indicator: Accessibility — Measurement/Monitoring: % of sites delivered WCAG AA compliant / number of quarterly accessibility audits.
Indicator: Footprint — Measurement/Monitoring: Annual tCO₂e attributed to hosted projects and % low-carbon hosting.

3.2 Audiovisual production & content

Already in place

Local teams preferred, efficient equipment, on-site waste sorting.

Commitments

Sustainable shooting checklists: Train travel by default, travel pooling, reused sets, local catering, limited generators, LED lighting.
Carbon budget per project (alert thresholds and go/no-go arbitration).
Waste management plan and material reuse/donation.
Low-impact alternatives: Remote shooting, light animation/stock, natural-light filming when relevant.

KPIs

Indicator: Production sobriety — Measurement/Monitoring: % of productions with validated sobriety plan.
Indicator: Carbon per project — Measurement/Monitoring: tCO₂e/project (production) / emissions avoided vs baseline.
Indicator: Reuse — Measurement/Monitoring: % of sets/props reused.

3.3 Media & distribution

Commitments

Integrate carbon cost into media planning at the same level as CPM/CPC/CAC.
Optimise advertising pressure (controlled frequency, capping, removal of useless impressions).
Low-impact formats (capped weight, limited auto-play, preference for high attention environments).
Measurement: estimated media emissions per campaign; quarterly review.

KPIs

Indicator: Media emissions — Measurement/Monitoring: Estimated emissions (tCO₂e) per 1,000 impressions / per euro invested.
Indicator: Monitoring — Measurement/Monitoring: % media campaigns assessed / % optimised after measurement.

3.4 Internal operations (offices & IT)

Already in place

Paperless: Collaborative tools (Google Workspace, Monday, Slack). No printed presentations.
Waste sorting: Paper, plastic, coffee grounds, batteries, cartridges.
Energy: Switchable power strips, shutdown at night, LED lighting, auto-sleep workstations.
Soft mobility: Sustainable mobility allowance, train > plane.
Videoconference by default when an in-person workshop is not necessary.

Commitments

100% renewable electricity for offices (when possible).
Sober IT: Longer device lifespan (reuse, refurbished), repairability prioritised, responsible IT procurement policy.
Travel: Internal rules (flights only allowed if productivity/impact justified), compensation as last resort.

KPIs

Indicator: Consumption — Measurement/Monitoring: kWh per workstation and kWh/m² / % renewable electricity.
Indicator: Zero waste — Measurement/Monitoring: Number of prints/month (~0 target) / kg of sorted & recovered waste.
Indicator: Mobility — Measurement/Monitoring: % business trips by train / number of flights avoided / tCO₂e from travel.

4) Social & Societal Pillar – Team, clients and society

4.1 Internal: wellbeing, equity, skills

Already in place

Hybrid remote-work policy + ergonomic equipment.
Right to disconnect (no emails/calls evenings & weekends except emergencies).
Equality & diversity: equal pay for equal roles, non-discriminatory recruitment.
Wow Run Club promoting physical activity internally.
Skills development: training budget for all.
Transparency: regular sharing of key figures and orientations.

Commitments

Pay equity: annual audit, correction of gaps > 3%.
Parity: representation objectives at each hierarchy level.
Wellbeing & health: psychosocial risk prevention, access to support resources, sport, parental policy.
Training: marketing, development, accessibility, data & AI, and more. 100% of client-facing teams trained continuously.

KPIs

Indicator: Equity — Measurement/Monitoring: Median gender pay gap / promotion rate by gender and origin.
Indicator: Training & Wellbeing — Measurement/Monitoring: % employees trained / eNPS score / absenteeism.

4.2 External: responsible communication & societal impact

Already in place

Inclusivity & representation: diversity of bodies, origins, ages, genders; fight against stereotypes.
Digital accessibility: growing RGAA/WCAG expertise among UX/UI/Dev teams.
Message sobriety: guidance to avoid unnecessary overconsumption.
Pro-bono support: skill-based volunteering days offered to a local association.

Commitments

Responsible communication policy: evaluation grid (truthfulness, context, proportionality, impacts), anti-greenwashing clause, right of refusal.
Creative diversity index: tracking representation (casting, voice-over, scripts, channels).
Accessibility: AA level whenever possible for public websites; external audits on key projects.
Pro-bono: 2 days/year/employee dedicated to local social causes.

KPIs

Indicator: Ethics — Measurement/Monitoring: % campaigns validated by responsible grid / cases refused for ethical reasons.
Indicator: Accessibility — Measurement/Monitoring: % AA-compliant deliverables / number of external accessibility audits.
Indicator: Pro-bono — Measurement/Monitoring: Days delivered / achieved impacts.

5) Governance & Ethics Pillar – Data, influence, procurement

5.1 Responsible data & AI

Requirements

FADP/GDPR: minimisation, legal basis, explicit consent, user rights, security.
Cookies & consent: clear banner, granular settings, limited tracking by default.
Data-driven advertising: ban on discriminatory targeting, equity review.
AI: inventory of models/tools, traceability of prompts/datasets, governance (usage register), risk evaluation (bias, hallucinations, security), preference for efficient solutions; disclosure of AI-generated content when relevant.

KPIs

Indicator: Incidents — Measurement/Monitoring: Number of reported incidents/violations / average resolution time.
Indicator: Compliance — Measurement/Monitoring: % of projects with DPIA/PIA when needed.
Indicator: AI — Measurement/Monitoring: % AI uses documented, audited and compliant.

5.2 Influence & creators

Requirements

Transparency: mandatory #ad, #sponsored; contracts requiring authenticity (no misleading claims, no unproven health/results claims).
Profile selection: alignment with values, behaviour history, handling controversies (morality clause).
Audience protection: special attention to young/vulnerable audiences, no encouragement of risky behaviours.

KPIs

Indicator: Compliance — Measurement/Monitoring: % influencer campaigns with correct disclosure / content audits.

5.3 Responsible procurement (incl. print)

Already in place

Local and certified printers.
Recycled/certified paper systematically proposed.

Requirements & commitments

Supplier policy: evaluation on social/environmental/ethical criteria, CSR clause in contracts.
IT & office: preference for refurbished, energy-labelled, repairable products; cleaning providers with strong social policies.
Freelancers: signature of the charter and ethical clauses (confidentiality, GDPR, inclusion, anti-discrimination).

KPIs

Indicator: Responsible spending — Measurement/Monitoring: % spending with suppliers rated “responsible”.
Indicator: Print — Measurement/Monitoring: % recycled-paper printing / number of printed pages.

6) Client policy & sensitive sectors

Claims credibility: requirement for proof (relevant scope, orders of magnitude, benchmarks).
Right of refusal: briefs incompatible with the charter (greenwashing, misleading practices, societal risks) or without a credible improvement plan.
Transition plans: propose low-impact alternatives, improvement trajectories, and condition collaboration on measurable milestones.

Process: Pre-evaluation (short ethical questionnaire), internal review (Strategy + CSR + Legal/QA), documented decision (go/no-go), conditional clauses when needed.

7) Measurement, objectives & reporting

7.1 Measurement framework

Carbon: Scopes 1 (offices/energy), 2 (electricity), 3 (procurement, IT, travel, hosting/digital, production, media).
Digital: page weight, Web Vitals, accessibility, hosting/server/CDN footprint.
Social: pay equity, diversity, training, wellbeing, pro-bono.
Ethics: data/AI incidents, influencer compliance, refused cases.

7.2 Reporting

Annual internal dashboard.
Occasional external audit to secure key figures.

8) Operational processes & checklists

8.1 Responsible communication grid (creative/messaging validation)

Truthfulness & available evidence.
Context & order of magnitude (no material omission).
Societal impact (stereotypes, health, safety).
Avoiding overconsumption.
Inclusion & representation (casting, visuals, tone).

8.2 Accessibility QA check (AA)

Semantic structure, contrast ratios, visible focus states, alternative texts, keyboard navigation, forms, transcripts/subtitles, error messages, responsive behaviour, screen reader tests.

8.3 Low-impact shooting memo

Transport (train/local teams, pooling), locations (close, permitted, natural light), equipment (LED, rechargeable batteries, no generators when avoidable), sets (reuse, responsible rentals, organised end-of-life), catering (vegetarian by default, zero plastic).

8.4 Emailing – hygiene & sobriety

Inactive-user cleaning / consent reconfirmation, image compression, text-first content, controlled frequency, preference centre.

8.5 Responsible procurement – short grid

Criteria: social (decent work), environmental (carbon/energy), ethics (governance/controversies), local (km), total cost (incl. carbon).

8.6 AI – safeguards

Declared usage, non-sensitive data by default, bias reviews, human validation, source traceability, attack-testing (prompt leaking), sandbox environment.

9) Legal compliance & incident management

FADP/GDPR: Identified DPO/Privacy Lead; rights-exercise procedures; processing register.
Cookies & trackers: clear policy; prior consent for non-essential cookies; respect of user preferences.
Reporting: confidential channel for incidents/breaches; investigation and response within 30 days.
Crisis & withdrawals: withdrawal protocol for non-compliant campaigns; remediation plan and transparent communication.

Commitment statement

By publishing this charter, Wow Geneva SA commits to:
Providing low-impact and responsible alternatives to every client;
Measuring and reducing its impacts;
Protecting people and their data;
Promoting inclusion and accessibility;
Reporting annually and continuously improving.

Version: v1.5 – reviewed annually by the CSR Committee.