In CSR news, we will talk about the latest interview with Brigitte Nivet, researcher and expert in responsible management, who proposes to move from management based on control to management based on listening and recognition. While businesses in the United States are adapting to new net-zero laws, in France, public opinion is increasingly concerned about responsible consumption. In this global context, the need for more human and responsible management is a priority for a sustainable future!
Find the 10 CSR news of the week in this article.
Moving from control management to listening management
Brigitte Nivet is an associate researcher at Cereq and professor of management at ESC Clermont. A doctor in management sciences and a specialist in responsible management issues, she gives an interview to Novethic.
She notes that there is a clash between a “mechanistic vision” of work on the part of managers, who think of work in terms of objectives and control, and the vision of “living work”, in its fundamentally human dimension. When do crises happen “Management's desire to control is out of step with the subjectivity of workers”.
According to her, to avoid it, it is necessary for management to take the path of listening, debate and democracy in the company, but also to attack “remuneration justice” in order to rethink the balances of recognition.
In the US, businesses are taking the net-zero tick
A survey conducted by EcoOnline reveals that 8 out of 10 American companies have already launched net-zero development programs. This dynamic can be explained as a response to the implementation of the SB 253 law by the State of California, which requires large companies to report extra-financial.
According to an EcoOnline survey, 73% of American executives surveyed see sustainability as “an opportunity for revenue growth”, and 94% admit that it “reinforces the value of their brand.” In other words, getting ahead of the entry into force of reporting obligations also allows these companies to derive productive benefits from sustainability approaches.
Finally, we learn from the survey that 84% of companies plan to use software for collecting, analyzing and reporting their CSR data “to meet legislative requirements”.
Microplastics spotted in Schweppes and Coca-Cola
The association Agir pour l'Environnement has published an investigation that indicates the presence of 6 types of plastic “in the form of micro and nanoparticles” in Schweppes and Coca-Cola bottles. After a series of surveys, they notified health authorities and consumers.
By infrared analysis, they detect 6 different forms of plastic, even though the company only declares 2 in contact with the drink. An “astonishing” discovery according to the association. One hypothesis adopted is the degradation of the cork, which releases microplastics as they are used.
The Agir association recalls that the effects of the ingestion of micro and nanoparticles by the human body are still poorly documented but that this represents “significant health risks”.
The pretenses of economic criticism of ecology
The two scientists Gilles Boeuf and Marc-André Selosse give an opinion piece to the World in which they castigated the rhetoric of blaming political ecology for constraining the purchasing power of populations. According to them, the additional costs generated by the impact of chemical inputs on public finances “far exceed the gains in purchasing power” that justify them.
Their argument is that pollution from agricultural and industrial activities poses public health problems that the State finances through its health system.
Thus, according to a study by the European Commission, by banning the most dangerous chemical substances we “would save between 11 billion and 31 billion euros in public health per year in Europe”, which make up for the loss of profits at the industrial level by ten times.
Ecological responsibility is gaining ground in the minds of French people
Ademe and Greenflex have published a barometer of responsible consumption. The latter shows the evolution of French mentalities with regard to ecological and sustainability approaches over the past 20 years. The interesting thing about this study is that it takes stock of perceptions of ecology in the light of the widespread awareness of society that a sustainable transition is a political imperative.
While in 2004 ecological issues were often relegated to the background by those interviewed, to date 70% of respondents are in favor of responsible production and consumption systems, but also more sober.
Thus, the concept of sobriety is taking up more and more space. More than 80% of respondents believe that companies “encourage overconsumption”, and a feeling of distrust in them seems to be really taking hold.
Thailand: €260 in local consumption premium
The Thai government decided to pay €260 (10,000 baht) to its poorest residents. This investment in household consumption is conditional on local purchases, which finance the national economy. Thus, this measure aims to “relaunch consumption, without falling into consumerism”.
This system to boost consumption would cost the Thai State more than 11 billion euros, for more than 45 million people who live in precariousness.
This endowment is a digital currency, which will only be valid for six months in order to encourage beneficiaries to spend rather than save. The economist Jean-Christophe Duval sees this as a good initiative, but regrets that Thailand is not going further by injecting “a debt-free currency, whose counterpart is ecological or social”.
A SpaceX satellite to monitor GHG emissions
The Tanager-1 satellite designed by NASA took off on board the SpaceX Transporter-11 mission on August 16. It is sent into orbit in order to detect and track carbon and methane emissions around the world. A project that aims to provide accurate data in real time on the progress of global warming.
Known as “hyperspectral”, this satellite is capable of measuring data “across a wide range of wavelengths”, and thus identify super-emitters from space with an accuracy never achieved before.
On the one hand, this transparency approach aims to help companies better understand and identify their environmental responsibility. On the other hand, it will also be used to measure the impact and effectiveness of climate commitments and other international agreements.
Is recycling noble metals the sustainable solution for tomorrow?
Present in very large quantities in electronic devices, noble metals are expensive and their extraction highly emissive in GHGs. The benefits of recycling them are twofold: on the one hand, to reduce the environmental impact of the mining industry, on the other hand to reduce our dependence on new raw materials.
For example, the Swiss association Swico Recycling collects and recycles nearly 40,000 tons of electronic scrap every year, equivalent to 10 million electronic devices. The recovery of the noble metals made from them makes it possible to satisfy 14 times the national demand for smartphones, for example.
In Switzerland, nearly 90% of devices are recycled: this represents 900 kg of noble metals and 21,600 tons of iron or copper annually.
Paralympic Games: Paris faces the challenge of accessibility
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (28 August - 8 September) raise with renewed urgency the question of the accessibility of the city to people with disabilities. In particular, the subway and its innumerable stations without elevators, its long corridors and its spaces between the platform and the step board.
To date, only 29 out of 320 stations meet the accessibility needs of people with disabilities. However, according to Île de France Mobilities buses and trams are “100%” equipped. A situation that remains unsatisfactory and that tends to marginalize some people from various public services.
Nicolas Mérille, National Accessibility Advisor at APF France Handicap, denounces a situation where too many neighborhoods are not sufficiently accessible and goes so far as to mention “segregation”.
Australian project for the world's largest solar power plant
The Australian government has announced the launch of a solar farm that aims to be the largest in the world, planning to be installed on an area of 12,000 hectares. It will include solar panels but also batteries and a large cable that will connect Australia to Singapore.
After installation, the project should produce 4 gigawatt hours of energy to meet national demand in order to supply 3 million homes. It is also expected that 2 gigawatt hours will be sent to Singapore.
Very affected by climate change, Australia is thus joining the international effort to gain more independence from fossil fuels, which still represent a large majority of its electricity production.
The sources
- Novethic “Managers should move from control to debate and listening”, Brigitte Nivet, professor of management”
- RSE Magazine “In the United States, 8 out of 10 companies are already developing net-zero programs”
- Sustainable news “Traces of microplastics in bottled Coca-Cola and Schweppes”
- Le Monde, Tribune of August 21, 2024, Gilles Boeuf and Marc-André Selosse
- Novethic “Responsible consumption: sobriety is beginning to prevail”
- Novethic “A “helicopter currency” in Thailand: what are we talking about?”
- RSE Magazine “SpaceX launches a satellite to track carbon and methane emissions”
- RSE Magazine “Recycling: tons of noble metals recovered every year in Switzerland”
- Sustainable news “Disability: the Paralympics challenge Paris to improve accessibility”
- Le Monde “Australia approves plans to build the “largest” solar power plant in the world”
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