Upian transforms into a group and becomes a social economy company.

Many of you have asked us about our transformation into an SSE company.

On January 1, 2023, Upian.com SAS became Upian SAS and the mother of two daughters.

In administrative terms, this means that we create a holding company and two subsidiaries. The two subsidiaries are :

Upian Studio for all services, executive production and web design
Upian Productions for all press and documentary-related activities.

Upian SAS holds 100% of the subsidiaries and presides over their destinies.

This separation of our activities into two entities had become essential to our smooth operation, and will enable us to better develop each of them.

We felt the need to separate our journalistic and documentary activities from the rest of our commercial activities.
This will enable us to read our accounts more clearly, as the two activities (press and services) do not obey exactly the same accounting rules.
The Holding company will be able to continue investing in emerging media projects with greater clarity.

But – and this is the subject of this long article – we wanted to transform the entire group into an ESUS-type SSE company. For us, this is an important step, aimed on the one hand at translating into official action our commitments over the past 25 years, but above all at projecting ourselves into the future with a strong, binding framework.

Let’s start with a definition: what is the SSE?

The social and solidarity economy (SSE) brings together economic players who seek to reconcile social utility, economic performance and democratic governance.

All sectors of activity are represented, and the SSE label can be applied to a wide range of legal forms: associations, cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations, and companies with commercial status, as long as their ambition is to :

Pursue a goal other than profit-sharing alone
Implement democratic governance, providing for stakeholder information and participation in the company’s achievements
To be managed in such a way that the majority of profits are devoted to maintaining or developing the company’s activity.

These structures are all based on a social or environmental project that is expressed through their activity, the people they employ, their customers and beneficiaries, or the way they are organized.

For Upian, the ESUS label was the obvious choice

To be eligible for « ESUS » accreditation, social economy companies must meet the following conditions:

pursue social utility as their main objective, in the direction of vulnerable populations or territories, or in favor of preserving and restoring social and territorial cohesion, citizenship education through popular education, sustainable and solidarity-based development, or international solidarity
prove that the pursuit of social benefits has an impact on the company’s income statement
have a remuneration policy that meets two conditions:
- the average sums paid, including bonuses, to the five highest-paid employees or managers must not exceed an annual ceiling set at seven times the French minimum wage (smic)
- compensation paid to the highest-paid employee must not exceed an annual ceiling set at 10 times the minimum wage.
The company’s shares may not be traded on a financial market.
5% of profits must be allocated to the legal reserve
At least 20% of profits must be allocated to a mandatory statutory reserve fund known as the « development fund », until the total amount of reserves reaches one-fifth of the share capital;
25% of profits are allocated to optional statutory reserves or to retained earnings.
Only 50% of profits are available for distribution.

This also implies the creation of an SSE committee, comprising managers, employees, stakeholders (customers, suppliers, partners) and independent experts, which meets once a year to analyze the company’s strategic outlook in the light of its commitment.

ESUS accreditation is generally granted for a period of five years. Approval is granted by the Dreets (Directions régionales de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités).

In concrete terms, what does this mean for a company like Upian?

Many of you have asked us about the content of our articles of association and the way we have drafted Article 1. Although it’s not perfect, we’ve come to the following consensus:

Article 1 of our bylaws now reads as follows:

The Company’s main objective is to achieve social utility and social and environmental impact.

The social utility of the Company is characterized by the fact of promoting digital communication devices for the media, institutions and brands wishing to communicate with the general public on subjects with a high social and environmental impact.

The Company’s editorial choices focus on the fight against discrimination and gender inequality, raising awareness of climate issues, promoting sustainable development and, more generally, educating citizens.

The Company produces programs dealing with social issues with a strong social impact, offering interactive components that promote research and citizen participation.

The Company’s diversity and inclusion policy is based on four pillars: professional mix, age, disability and origins.

This objective is achieved, in particular, through the following activities, carried out both in France and abroad, directly or indirectly:

(and then we describe our activities)

A little bit of politics

Let’s be clear: the postulates of the SSE are hardly compatible with mainstream thinking, which values the enrichment of corporate executives and the remuneration of capital. SSE is founded on values of non-profits, and therefore runs counter to the quest for maximum profits.

« The criterion for a successful economy should be that people have access to a certain quality of life. The SSE can play a role in redefining what is at stake in the economy. »

– Bernard Gazier, French economist

For some, it’s hard to grasp the advantages of such structures. For decades, the model has favored maximum profit for the individual, whereas the SSE is part of a social project. Yet… The repeated crises, the need for ecological transition, the questioning of the exercise of democracy are all positive signs for the SSE.

We are convinced that working together to create such an economic system is an essential step for all those who want to build a livable and happy future. We are determined to be part of this movement, and are of course ready and willing to share our experience and meet other players who are more advanced than we are. Don’t hesitate to contact us.

It’s just a start

Our feedback on phase 01 is that it’s great to see all these things written into the bylaws. The fact that we’ve been working on this for a year has given us strength, and the symbolism of linking this transformation to our 25th anniversary in 2023 is very pleasing.

Because working on this subject is also a way of making Upian face up to its own challenges:

improving our work tools and working conditions in general.
taking a critical look at our suppliers (energy, banking, purchasing)
work on areas where we are lagging behind: disability, for example.

And that’s exciting!