From small and medium-sized companies that adapt their models to attract youth, to large CAC40 companies singled out for their low ecological investment, through innovative initiatives such as the European Space Agency's Zero Debris Charter, find the 10 news of the week.
SMEs rely on CSR to attract young people
For SMEs, adapting to the requirements of young people can sometimes become a generational shock. To seduce them, they tend to highlight their CSR commitments. Competition from big companies on the job market pushes them to promote different values. They must now adapt their models to meet the growing quest for meaning among newcomers.
The challenge of organizing working time is also central: micro-SMEs seem to have to comply with the requirements of teleworking or a better work/life distribution of young workers.
“Globally, young people are forcing us to think about business differently”
Pierre-Damien Rochette, president of PME,
OddWashing: CSR platform highlights excesses
Plateforme RSE is a division of France Strategy that formulates CSR recommendations. In a recent report, she focuses on the promotion of the SDGs by businesses. Although they are integrated into corporate communication, these SDGs do not sufficiently structure the business models of actors in the French economy.
The report states that “barely 20%” of the goals linked to the SDGs will be achieved in 2030 at the current rate. Moreover, the biggest complaint against businesses is that they focus their communication on their positive impact, while masking what distances their strategies from achieving the SDGs.
Thus, Plateforme RSE alerts on a practice that “transforms the SDGs into a communication tool rather than a transformation tool”.
The CAC40 pays its shareholders more than the planet
In the midst of shareholder meetings, the NGO Oxfam compared the amount of dividends and that of green investments. Their conclusions show that CAC40 companies paid 4 times more money to their shareholders than to the fight against the environmental crisis.
Thus, not including the financial sector, the CAC40 devoted €16.8 billion to green investments: this represents 11% of its investment expenditure. However, the Carbone Disclosure Project (CDP) recommends a 25% share of capital investment in the sustainable transition sector.
The NGO recommends the establishment of an ecological and social dividend in order to “devote part of corporate profits to the transition”.
With the CNC, CSR is making its mark
On the occasion of the Cannes Film Festival, the National Cinema Center (CNC) announced the creation of a responsible production standard. It is a framework that aims to constitute a “manual” in order to support the cinema sector in its sustainable transition.
Organized in 7 chapters, this “Afnor Spec 2308" framework offers various strategies to gradually promote the adoption of responsible practices during the production of a film. Produced in partnership with the French Standardization Association (Afnor), this framework aims to prepare professionals in the sector for regulatory obligations, in particular the CSRD.
Currently optional, it could in the future condition access to CNC funding, as is already the case for the implementation of a carbon footprint by productions.
The health of the unemployed as important as that of the workers
In a political context of unemployment insurance reform, the occupational psychologist Dominique Lhuilier gives a forum to Le Monde. Its message is simple: the health of the unemployed is disregarded by employment policies, and insufficient attention is paid to their well-being. Thus, unemployment is associated with mortality that is 60% higher than the rest of the population.
In fact, its recommendation is “to consider unemployment as a transition to occupational health services”. Indeed, the health of the unemployed generally begins to deteriorate in the professional context: intensification, precariousness, individualization.
In other words, taking care of individuals during a return to work process means ensuring that they return to the workforce in good health.
At VivaTech, greentech in the spotlight
With 13,500 start-ups present and more than 160,000 visitors, the VivaTech show was a real success. You could meet many start-ups specialized in ecological transition, which, according to specialists, benefit from an “alignment of the planets”.
Indeed, there are 2,750 companies specializing in greentech in France, and in 2023 attracted a lot of venture capital investors: 4.3 billion €. This is a growth of 26% compared to 2022 when investments amounted to 3.4 billion.
This exceptional growth can be explained by a combination of factors: the strong political and regulatory commitment of France and Europe, which support a growing market, which welcomes innovative players, in many sectors.
Limiting pollution... even in space!
The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated a Zero Debris Charter to eliminate space waste linked to human activity in orbit by 2030. To date, 12 countries and ESA have signed the Charter.
There are currently over a million pieces of space junk and junk larger than 1 centimeter around Earth. They are a major threat to space missions. The challenge is to reduce the time spent in orbit by obsolete vehicles, and to ensure that they do not increase the risk of collisions, which are always likely to generate more waste.
Removing space debris presents a major challenge for technological innovation, in which Europe is a pioneer.
The competition authority reaches out to sustainable business projects
The competition watchdog has published a press release on the recommendations it could make in terms of sustainable development, in order to support companies in complying with competition rules.
The approach is designed as a collaborative dynamic, where companies are invited to present their sustainable projects prior to their implementation. Thus, the competition authority is sending them “informal recommendations”. From there, companies receive a proof of concept, or are encouraged to correct or even rethink their guidelines.
In short, it is a tool for verifying the compatibility of sustainable development projects with competition rules a prima facie.
The real cost of carbon emissions would ruin big French companies
The Truth 40 Index aims to calculate Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) and to adjust it according to the carbon emissions of large companies. In other words, it is a way to measure the extra-financial efficiency of a company in terms of carbon impact.
The result of these measures is impressive: “half of CAC40 companies would be in deficit if they had to pay their carbon bill”.
Based on data from the IPCC and the Paris Agreements, the Truth 40 Index calculates a carbon bill, considering the ton of CO2 emitted at €142. This result is compared to Ebitda, which gives an idea of the profitability of businesses compared to the real cost of carbon emissions.
The Court of Auditors wants to systematise a report on ecological transition
A financial jurisdiction of the French administrative order, the Court of Auditors checks the regularity of the State's accounts. Its president Pierre Moscovici announced his desire to publish an annual report on the ecological transition. The challenge is a publication that makes it possible to promote climate and financial issues at the same time.
On this occasion, he recalls the three current priorities of the Court of Auditors: public finances, social finances and ecological transition.
The financial jurisdiction had recently prompted the State to assume its role as a “strategist” and to “better quantify budgetary efforts” in terms of adapting to climate change.
The sources
Les Echos “Small and medium-sized businesses facing the growing puzzle of recruiting young people”
Novethic “Faced with the risk of OddWashing, the CSR Platform makes its recommendations”
Novethic “CAC40: dividends four times higher than green investments”
Carenews “The CNC guides film productions towards an eco-responsible transition”
Le Monde “It is time to consider unemployment as a transition to the service of health at work”
L'info Durable “Ecological transition start-ups on the offensive at VivaTech”
RSE Magazine “Space: ESA does not want any more orbital debris”
La Figaro: “The Competition Authority wants to cooperate with companies on their green projects”
Sustainable news “The Court of Auditors wants to devote an annual report to ecological transition”
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