Committed to the awakening and development of children, the independent and family-owned French company Maped has just published its 2023 mission report. The opportunity to take stock of a year full of significant strategic progress and to unveil the main axes of its roadmap for 2024.
Maped is a French brand born in Annecy in 1947, who designs and manufactures school items, coloring (Color’Peps), writing and office kits as well as creative leisure kits (Maped Creative) and portable food containers (Maped Picnik). The group employs 1,800 people, distributes its brands in more than 120 countries, has 17 subsidiaries worldwide, as well as three production sites (China, Mexico and France). It displays a turnover of 204,5 million euros in 2023, of which 75% is exported. Maped adopted mission company status in October 2022. So, 2023 is also the first full year of deployment of objectives for the French family business present internationally. “The accomplishments of this first year are already numerous. For exemple, the group managed to reduce its total carbon emissions by more than 5% (hors compensation) thanks to the implementation of more virtuous industrial and operational practices at the heart of the processes of our subsidiaries. We are racing to meet our commitment to reduce our carbon emissions by 30% between 2018 and 2026.”, analysis Romain Lacroix, president of Maped.
The achievements of 2023
From Maped’s mission-driven company activity in 2023, four statutory objectives must be retained in particular (themselves composed of operational objectives) : ecodesign, learning and creativity ; accessibility to education ; environmental impact and best-in-class social practices. A mission committee, guarantor of monitoring the execution of statutory objectives, is already active. The first objective is most in line with the mission centered on education that Maped has set for itself.. It materializes in the implementation of work with experts (occupational therapists, speech therapists, school teachers), in the deployment of observation sessions for primary school classes or in the creation of a range of products recommended by teachers (Kidy Learn). It also consists of systematizing user tests via studies to ensure the educational and academic interests of Maped products.. Finally it lies in the promotion of educational content via a specific platform : Mapiwee. Created in 2020, it already has 615,000 unique visitors in 2023.
The 2024 roadmap
In 2024, Maped is once again deploying a massive development plan with an investment envelope of 12,5 million euros, i.e. more than 6% of its turnover. This strategy is considered over the long term since the company has planned a cumulative budget of 40 million euros over the years 2024 to 2026, pursuing three strategic objectives. The revitalization of its “Maped for the Many” offer, a range of innovative products, sustainable and competitive companies whose ambition is to penetrate more widely the markets of the southern hemisphere. Accelerating its environmental transition, with the solarization of all of its industrial sites and the renewal of its production equipment serving the environmental change of its processes and its offer (on-site bioenergy, packs without single-use plastics, innovative materials and polymer substitutes, eco-reengineering of part of its product offering). The regionalization of its production sites, as close as possible to its markets, to be both more competitive and more flexible. The company is present in 120 countries, it plans significant industrial transfers to Mexico (for South American markets) and Tunisia (for French and EMEA markets), and local partnerships in Central Africa and India.
