PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Verallia (Paris:VRLA) announced today that it successfully priced its inaugural Sustainability-Linked Bond in an aggregate amount of €500 million with a 7-year maturity with a coupon of 1.625%. As the very first issuer of a Sustainability-linked Bond in the Glass packaging industry in Europe, Verallia is confirming its sustainability leadership in the sector.
Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: “We are proud to be the first in our industry to launch a sustainability-linked bond in Europe. This issuance is fully aligned with the Group’s ESG strategy released in January 2021. The order book of close to EUR 2 billion demonstrates the confidence of investors in the Company’s financial strength, strategy and ability to deliver on its sustainability targets.”
The proceeds of the transaction will be used to refinance part of the existing financial indebtedness of the Group. This landmark transaction enables Verallia to (i) further diversify its sources of funding with a direct access to the bond market, (ii) lengthen its debt maturity profile and (iii) further reinforce the visibility of its commitment to sustainability.
The Sustainability-Linked Notes are fully aligned with Verallia’s ESG ambitions and were issued in accordance with the ICMA Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles. In its Second Party Opinion, Vigeo Eiris is of the opinion that Verallia’s Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework is aligned with the core components of the Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles 2020. Vigeo Eiris rates both KPI’s relevance and target’s ambition as advanced, the highest rating on its scale. The Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework and the Second Party Opinion can be found here.
The coupon amounts depend on the achievement of the two following Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs):
- SPT 1: Reduce Verallia’s annual CO2 emissions (scope 1 and 2) to 2,625kt CO2 for the year 2025 (15% decrease vs 2019 baseline), and
- SPT 2: Reach a 59% rate of external cullet usage by 2025 (+10 pts increase vs 2019 baseline).
This is in line with Verallia’s 2030 ambition aiming to reduce scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 27.5% and increase its cullet rate usage on all furnaces. This objective is in line with the Paris COP 21 goals to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and has been validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative.
BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB and Deutsche Bank acted as Joint Global Coordinators on the bond issuance. Bank of America Securities Europe SA, Raiffeisen Bank International, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking and Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking acted as joint bookrunners.
About Verallia - At Verallia, our purpose is to re-imagine glass for a sustainable future. We want to redefine how glass is produced, reused and recycled, to make it the world’s most sustainable packaging material. We work in common cause with our customers, suppliers and other partners across the value chain to develop new healthy and sustainable solutions for all.
With around 10,000 people and 32 glass production facilities in 11 countries, we are the leading European and the third largest producer globally of glass containers for food and beverages, providing innovative, customized and environmentally friendly solutions to more than 10,000 businesses around the world.
Verallia produced more than 16 billion bottles and jars and achieved revenues of €2.5 billion in 2020. Verallia is listed on compartment A of the Euronext Paris stock exchange (Ticker: VRLA – ISIN: FR0013447729) and belongs to the SBF 120, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid & Small et CAC All-Tradable indexes.
For more information, visit www.verallia.com.
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Certain information included in this press release does not constitute historical data but constitutes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions, including, without limitation, assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Verallia operates, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results or other events, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified under Chapter 3 "Risk Factors" in the Universal Registration Document approved by the AMF and available on the Company's website (www.verallia.com) and the AMF's website (www.verallia.com). These forward-looking information and statements are not guarantees of future performances.
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