The Reunion wholesale distributor of food products has been labeled RFAR (Supplier Relations and Responsible Purchasing) in November 2024. Almost two years later, it remains the only private company in the DROM, and one of the rare SMEs nationally, to have reached and maintained at this level. Attracting the attention of a growing number of public and private actors, Import Fees continue their approach
August 20, William Giraud, founding president of Frais Import and Eve Giraud, general director, received the members of the RFAR club from Reunion, which were joined by several entrepreneurs interested in this approach. They were surrounded by Solenne Benard, QHSE-RSE engineer and Grégory Marcerou, development director in charge of managing all practices linked to the label. And, locally, only two structures have passed the label stage : Reunion Island Roland-Garros Airport and Import Fees, To date, several of them have signed the commitment charter constituting the first step of the journey. The RFAR Club of Reunion, which brings together chartered, labeled but also aspiring, meets every two months to share everyone’s progress. The Club's trip to Frais Import in Pierrefonds was a recognition of the leading role that the company plays in the movement..
New audit in September
Gage d’excellence, this label is awarded for a period of three years. Carried out by an approved audit firm, the annual review is completed by the passage to committee ensured by the National Purchasing Committee (CNA). Scheduled for September 8, it will make it possible to evaluate the continuation of Frais Import’s commitments and to validate the renewal of the distinction. “We were able to put in place and then maintain our label management tools over the long term.. During the audit we provide all the deliverables attesting to the completion of our actions”, explains Grégory Marcerou, also satisfied that “some of our local suppliers are in the process of signing the charter”.
Commitments kept
According to ever more structuring requirements, Frais Import’s RFAR approach gradually brings together all its services. It translates concretely into a training plan that permeates the entire company, as well as by the establishment of monitoring indicators. In terms of human resources, a QHSE engineer and a lawyer dedicated to the contractual relationship with suppliers have been recruited. Purchasing policy side, Import Fees now include the overall cost of a product over its entire life cycle (TCO, Total Cost of Ownership). Finally, the company has strengthened and secured its anti-corruption policy as well as its management of purchasing and CSR risks (good purchasing practices from sourcing to final storage, or recycling of packaging). The priority for territorial development is one of the actions of which the company is most proud : 28% of Import Fees suppliers are located in Reunion, while the geographical distance and logistical constraints specific to insularity generally push players in the sector to favor external supplies.
The transition to a low carbon model
Another illustration of this voluntary approach : as part of its RFAR commitments, Frais Import has carried out its carbon assessment and is now preparing to implement its low-carbon trajectory. The company involves its suppliers in its CSR strategy by ensuring that their practices and commitments, contribute to a more responsible supply chain. In addition, it launched a survey aimed at collecting the level of satisfaction of its suppliers. An action carried out as part of actively listening to the voice of suppliers. It is therefore indeed a strategic mobilization, aiming to make the company evolve in depth, in which the Frais Import team is invested.
RFAR : a requirement and a framework
Under the aegis of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance and supported by the Business Mediator and the National Purchasing Council, the Supplier Relations and Responsible Purchasing label distinguishes companies and administrations (ministries, communities, etc.) having established “sustainable and balanced relationships” with their suppliers. The journey begins with the signing of a charter comprising 10 commitments. The label attests to the implementation of these commitments. At Frais Import, responsible purchasing constitutes one of the four pillars of the CSR policy.
