Elis signs its first €900 million Sustainability-Linked Revolving Credit Facility
Elis signs its first €900 million Sustainability-Linked Revolving Credit Facility
Saint-Cloud, November 9, 2021 – Elis, an international multi-service provider, offering textile, hygiene, and facility services solutions, which is present in Europe and Latin America, today announces that it has successfully signed a new €900 million syndicated Revolving Credit Facility (the “RCF”) with a group of 13 core relationship banks.
This new RCF, which has a term of five years (November 2026) plus two one-year extension options (“5+1+1” years), replaces the existing €500 million and €400 million revolving credit facilities signed in January and November 2017. This refinancing will allow to further secure and extend the Group’s liquidity profile, and to reduce the annual financial charge by €1.5 million thanks to more competitive pricing on commitment fees compared to the existing facilities.
Considering the high priority given by Elis to the social, societal, and environmental issues, integrating CSR as a core component of the Group financing policy, and within this new RCF, was the natural next step for the Group.
This new facility includes an adjustment mechanism that links its cost to the achievement of annual targets for two selected sustainability KPIs, at the forefront of the Group ESG strategy:
- Water consumption: achieve a 30% reduction per kg of linen delivered over the period 2018-2030 in the European laundries.
- Gender diversity: increase the proportion of women in executive and management positions to 42% by 2030 (34% in 2020).
Commenting on this announcement, Xavier Martiré, CEO of Elis, said:
“By linking this new facility to our sustainability performance on such core environmental and social KPIs, we demonstrate the integrated approach of our business & CSR strategy, which is fully embedded into our operational model and financial policy. This refinancing further strengthens the Group’s already very solid liquidity and credit profile, as underscored by the upgrade from S&P to BB+, announced on October 27th”.
This sustainability linked RCF has been structured by BNP Paribas as Sustainability Coordinator, Credit Agricole CIB and HSBC Continental Europe as Documentation Agent and Coordinators.
The circular economy is at the heart of Elis’ business model
Elis offers its clients products that are maintained, repaired, reused, and reemployed to optimize their usage and lifespan. The Group therefore selects its textile products based on durability criteria, to ensure frequent washing and also operates repair workshops. Elis is convinced that the circular economy model, which notably aims at reducing consumption of natural resources by optimizing the lifespan of products, is a sustainable solution to address today’s environmental challenges.
Contact
Nicolas Buron
Investor Relations Director – Phone: +33 1 75 49 98 30 – nicolas.buron@elis.com
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