It was a bit laborious, but it had to be. For a year, the 60 franchisees of the Basilic & Co restaurant chain answered a questionnaire concerning their daily energy consumption and the modes of transport used in the professional context… A painstaking task, but essential to achieve their first carbon footprint in collaboration with the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe).
All the data was then meticulously integrated into the Mobeetip digital platform, in order to measure as finely as possible the brand’s impact on the environment. “Based on this assessment, we have developed an action plan to achieve our goal of zero carbon emissions by 2040, without slowing down restaurant openings,” says Cyril Gervais, marketing manager for the brand. It is true that Basilic & Co did not start from a blank sheet, the ecological commitment being inscribed in the DNA of this franchise created in 2007. “Use low consumption light bulbs, get green electricity, sort waste, reusing wood from old barns to decorate… were and remain strong and common commitments, confirms Cyril Gervais. This base of values unites the franchisees.”
Like Basilic & Co, many networks are committed to reducing their carbon footprint at each stage of their activity: construction of the store, eco-design of products, energy management, logistics, packaging, reduction of waste… At the French furniture manufacturer Gautier (72 stores in France), the strong point is supply. The wood used comes from sustainable forests certified PEFC (program for the recognition of forest certifications), located moreover less than 300 km from the factory in Boupère (Vendée). To avoid a large-scale mess, the company even procured maritime pine charred by the fires last summer in the Landes and Gironde.
At KFC, packaging of grass fibers
For its part, the famous cosmetics designer Yves Rocher has launched an ambitious low-carbon strategy for its 1,700 franchise or lease-managed stores around the world. On the menu: generalization of LEDs, choice of vehicles running on electricity or natural gas, extension of the life of computers and smartphones… To support this vast movement, the brand of Breton origin has trained “social responsibility” correspondents and environmental” (CSR), responsible for transmitting good practices in the points of sale.
If, in general, efforts to reduce their impact on the environment are progressive, brands sometimes record surprising progress. This is the case at KFC, one of the champions of fast food which has put on the menu, in the summer of 2022, the vegetarian burger of the Colonel Original Veggie brand whose packaging is made up of… grass fibers . “The ecological balance is much better than that of containers made from wood, with a 75% drop in carbon emissions linked to manufacturing, and a sharp reduction in water and energy”, rejoices at KFC.
In reality, franchisors and their partners have little choice: they must act. More than 8 out of 10 French people expect their merchants to actively commit to eco-responsibility, according to the 18th annual survey of the Kantar-Banque Populaire-French Franchising Federation. And the Russian-Ukrainian war imposes more sobriety. Drop in temperature in stores, switching off lights at the end of activity, closing doors when the heating or air conditioning are on…. In total, the protocol formalized on July 18 by the French Franchise Federation (FFF) and the Perifem organization (which brings together distribution players around environmental, energy and innovation issues), provides a 10% reduction in consumption within two years.
To help franchises control their consumption in this area, software indicates any threshold overruns. This is the case of Facility Expert (Schneider Electric). “Sensors installed on the circuit breakers allow the transmission of data and alerts directly to the professional’s PC or smartphone, explains Julian El Khoury, director of the industrial group’s digital power activity. The merchant can intervene immediately if an oven or a malfunctioning cold room.” Useful for all types of franchise, this tool is particularly suitable for baking, a particularly energy-intensive activity. In 2022, the Paul franchises of the Strasbourg company Finarest succeeded in reducing their electricity consumption by 15%.
Beware of image greening lawsuits
Despite the support of technology, reducing your carbon footprint sometimes remains a complex and frustrating exercise. “A trade can very well improve its practices without reducing its carbon footprint if the craftsmen with whom it works do not play the game”, points out an expert in the sector. “Our mozzarella producer has not calculated his own carbon footprint. We therefore lack certain data to estimate the impact of each recipe”, regrets Cyril Gervais (Basilic & Co) who has undertaken to support his suppliers in this approach.
Faced with lawsuits for greening their image often brought by environmental defense associations, the networks have a responsibility to communicate effectively with their franchises and provide them with solid arguments. “All candidates are invited to spend a day at our Boupère manufacturing site. A quarter of the visit time is devoted to CSR initiatives, specifies David Soulard, general manager of Gautier furniture. And when the contract is signed, 25% of the program training is dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint. Consumers have become very sophisticated on the subject of the environment. Our partners must be able to answer all of their questions.” In this case, the interest of the company joins the general interest…
An article from the special Franchise special issue of L’Express. On sale since March 16.