“What is this thing?” The Impact France Movement still has a long way to go to gain notoriety. But the passage of its two new co-presidents on the show Daily by Yann Barthès – author of this legitimate question – illustrates their efforts to emerge from anonymity. Resulting from the merger of the Movement of Social Entrepreneurs and Tech for Good, this mini-Medef of committed companies intends to give voice with the arrival of an unexpected tandem at its head, formed by Pascal Demurger, 58, and Julia Faure , 35 years.
The first, enarque, has been managing Maif and its 9,000 employees since 2009. The second, an engineer in agronomy, is the co-founder of a responsible clothing brand, Loom, with less than 10 employees. A “professional thunderbolt” struck them when they met last August, as part of the Summer Universities for Tomorrow’s Economy. The convergence of their vision led them to form a ticket.
“Limit negative externalities”
A duo without an adversary, acclaimed on May 24: the two leaders were elected with 86% of the votes, despite the challenge of the hardliners of social entrepreneurship, worried about a dissolution of their solidarity ideals. Because Julia Faure and Pascal Demurger have chosen to accelerate the opening of the movement to societies in transition, beyond the exemplary figures of impact companies. And some new members, arrived in their wake, make the most intransigent talk. L’Occitane and Doctolib will be part of the board of directors, as will the SNCF, the responsible asset manager Mirova, Harmonie Mutuelle, but also the inclusive recruitment specialist Mozaïk RH and the anti-food waste application Phenix. Their common point? “Manage their activity by maximizing their positive impact for society while limiting their negative externalities”, underlines the co-president. The approach appeals, the new representatives of the committed bosses are already receiving “numerous requests”, including large groups wishing to rally the cause of the 15,000 current members.
The Faure-Demurger project aims to weigh more in the debate “to change the rules of the game, quickly and deeply”, argues the entrepreneur. “We want to become an essential interlocutor of the public authorities and the social partners”, supports the leader of Maif, already in contact with the Minister of Industry Roland Lescure and the Secretary of State in charge of the Social and Solidarity Economy Marlène Schappa. Pascal Demurger regrets that 150 billion euros in public aid are paid each year to companies without distinction, whether production is made in France or relocated to countries with low production costs, and whatever the consequences on the environment. . “There is a competitive advantage in doing something wrong”, criticize the representatives of Impact France, in favor of imposing conditions to benefit from this aid.
Stunning business ideas
Same thing for the 200 billion euros in annual public orders: why not introduce social and ecological criteria into the calls for tenders with the same weight as the financial ones? Another radical lever for influencing corporate behavior is taxation. “We recommend simple measures, such as a differentiated tax rate according to the use made of the profits, explains Pascal Demurger. At Maif, for example, we reserve 10% of our profits for actions favorable to the planet, and to biodiversity in particular. This portion could be exempt from corporation tax and, if it becomes widespread, this practice could become a real means of financing the transition. The retained and reinvested earnings would be subject to a normal rate, while the dividend paid to shareholders would be subject to an increased rate.”
Like what, an employers’ organization can support stunning ideas… The mutualist leader specifies: “We are not an anti-capitalist NGO, we are business leaders with an acute awareness that the rules must change so as not to take us into the wall ecological and social. But he does not forget that his “responsibility also consists in ensuring the economic performance of Maif”. So many parameters that it is not always easy to reconcile.