As part of our commitment to the fight against global warming, in 2022 we carried out our first full carbon assessment, based on our 2021 data. This assessment, carried out with the support of GREENFISH according to ADEME methodology, covers scopes 1, 2 and 3. The results, available here, have laid the foundations for our approach and deepened our understanding of our carbon footprint.
In 2024, we completed our second carbon assessment, this time with the support of CARBO, based on our 2023 data (100 employees and €13m sales). This second assessment enabled us to clarify and update our emissions while refining our understanding of the levers for action.
Why carry out a Bilan Carbone?
In our sector, as in many others, every player has a role to play in the fight against climate change. Although this is a legal obligation for larger companies, we have chosen to commit ourselves now to make a positive impact.
The carbon footprint is an essential tool that enables us to assess the footprint of our activities, target our main sources of emissions and identify concrete, measurable actions to reduce them.
The results of our Bilan Carbone 2024
Our 2023 emissions will amount to 150 tCO2eq, compared with 125.3 tCO2eq in 2022. Although this increase may seem worrying, it is mainly due to our company's growth, with the opening of 2 new branches (in Toulouse and Bordeaux). In addition, this second assessment is based on more precise data collection, having involved all our employees to better understand their habits in terms of home-work transport, digital storage and food consumption. As a result, even if our emissions have increased in absolute terms, they remain under control and well below what they would have been without taking our development into account.
- Digital products: 29 kgCO2e
- Operations: 43 tCO2e
- Purchases and services: 23 tCO2e
- Offices / Sites: 52 tCO2e
- Travel: 31 tCO2e
The 3 biggest sources of emissions are: our employees' meals at work (40 tCO2e), organized events (24 tCO2e) and commuting to and from work (22 tCO2e).
To consult our results in detail, go to this link: https: //pro.hellocarbo.com/reviews/5-degrs-2023-1/public
Our action plan 2024-2030
A number of actions have already been implemented for 2024, and we hope they will soon bear fruit, for example: the end of meat at our events, the introduction of eco-responsible luncheon vouchers, a review of the frequency of our events ("less but better quality"), the introduction of a sustainable mobility package, the deployment of Fresques du climat and the creation of a responsible purchasing policy.
To see all the actions we have carried out in 2024, go to this link.
Based on this new carbon footprint, we have set an ambitious target of reducing our emissions by 21.57% by 2030, or 82.7 tCO2e avoided, based on a 2027 projection of 169 employees and sales of €16.5m, and a 2030 projection of 260 employees and sales of €25.5m.
This commitment is part of an ambitious low-carbon trajectory, supported by concrete actions already planned.
The levers identified
As part of our action plan to reduce our carbon footprint, we have identified several concrete levers to activate now, while reinforcing the actions already in place:
[OPERATIONS]
Streamline our digital tools:
Analyze SaaS application usage to reduce consumption and costs by 20%.
- In 2024, we undertook an initial sorting of our employees' storage spaces (collaborative hub) and email addresses, while encouraging our teams to take part in Cyber clean-up day in March. We intend to continue this work in 2025. However, to take our approach a step further, we need to carry out an in-depth analysis of the use of our various SaaS applications in order to reduce their consumption and costs. This process, which includes a detailed audit and in-depth study of the proposed solutions, will require an investment in time, but is essential to optimize our tools and limit our digital impact.
[PURCHASING & SERVICES]
Optimize our equipment and supplies:
Acquire at least 50% of new electronic equipment as refurbished and extend the life of existing equipment.
- Since 2023, all new IT equipment has been chosen with a repairability index of over 7. When an employee leaves the company, his or her equipment is refurbished and reintegrated into the fleet, without replacement or scrapping. We give preference to local service providers for repairs, to limit unnecessary transport. In addition, all our smartphones are purchased from BACK MARKET, a circular economy platform. The year 2025 will mark a key milestone, during which we will assess our practices and adjust our actions to achieve our goal.
Implement a reuse policy to reduce office supplies purchases by 30%.
- Since 2024, we have been using recycled paper in our printers and, wherever possible, reusable products to avoid disposables. In addition, we have implemented a responsible purchasing policy favoring recycling and reuse, by selecting sustainable products. We also encourage our teams to adopt more responsible practices, such as reusing documents and optimizing available resources through communications. In this way, we hope to achieve the -30% target by 2026.
[OFFICES / SITES]
Encouraging responsible eating habits:
Raise our employees' awareness so that 50% of average meals become flexitarian, then 50% vegetarian.
- We respect everyone's freedom to choose their own diet. However, we have decided to take action on our premises and at our events to promote more responsible eating. In 2024, we eliminated meat from our events, and vegetarian options are now in the majority. We also adopted Ekip luncheon vouchers, offering 10-20% cashback at committed businesses, including many vegetarian restaurants, encouraging sustainable food choices. From 2025, we will include recipes and tips in our monthly newsletters, encouraging people to limit their meat consumption. Vegetarian eateries around our premises will also be highlighted. In addition, we will be raising awareness on World Food and Vegetarian Days (October).
Promote the preparation of home-cooked meals to halve the number of takeaway meals.
- Since 2024, every employee has received a water bottle, a mug and a reusable cutlery kit to reduce the use of disposable packaging. For the festive season, we will also be offering them a lunch box to encourage them to prepare home-cooked meals for their lunch breaks, while promoting more responsible eating and waste reduction. Finally, as of January 2025, we will be creating a space on our collaborative hub dedicated to sharing recipes between employees, to promote better eating in general and strengthen exchanges on the subject of food.
Improve the energy management of our offices:
Switch from gas to a lower-emission electric solution for our energy needs (agency concerned to date: Toulouse).
- For future relocations, we will take this criterion into account in our choices, and give preference to low-energy buildings. In the meantime, we are continuing our efforts to reduce energy consumption in all our branches, notably by installing timers, systematically switching off the electricity supply in the evenings and at weekends, and raising our teams' awareness of responsible practices.
[MOVING]
Optimize business and home-to-work travel:
Help our teams replace 25% of car journeys with public transport.
- Since June 2024, we have been offering a €100 package per year for our employees using soft modes of transport (cycling, walking, electric scooters) for their home-to-work journeys. We plan to increase this amount from January 2025 and make it a monthly payment to encourage more people to take advantage of it.
Make train travel compulsory between our agencies, to limit our reliance on air travel (except in cases of force majeure).
- An internal communication has already been sent out to this effect, and regular reminders are planned. Information will also be communicated to all new employees via our onboarding booklet. In addition, the admin department, which is the first department to be asked to organize trips, has been made aware of the issue.
Reduce the use of company diesel and petrol vehicles by at least 50%, in favor of electric vehicles.
- When current leases expire, we are committed to converting at least 50% of our diesel and gasoline-powered company vehicles to electric power.
Ongoing commitment
The plan is open-ended, and aims to take our commitments even further, by building on initiatives already underway. It reflects our determination to combine ambition and pragmatism to achieve our objectives.
We also aim to offer our employees a new workshop entitled "2 tons" from 2025, to enable them to better understand how they can act individually and collectively to support this low-carbon transition.
