In the corridors of the headquarters of the French ski manufacturer Rossignol, Laure Jarlaud, responsible for corporate social responsibility (CSR), is far from being unknown to the rest of the employees. Integrated into the management committee, the engineer by training takes part in all major strategic orientations and is invited to multiple marketing or financial meetings. Forgotten, the caricature drawn in recent years by CSR project managers, with gimmicky responsibilities and excluded from governance bodies. The fiftieth anniversary, thanks to its omnipresence, is at the origin of numerous environmental and social commitments, starting with the promise of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The manufacturer has also launched the first range of recyclable and created a recycling center which intends to bring its products up to date. Finally, he did not hesitate to relocate several factories to France.
Attractiveness and boycott
If the example of Rossignol is often cited in meetings of large groups, it is above all the fruit of “an inevitable movement”, underline seasoned observers of the sector. “Companies have understood that we need to move on these issues,” points out Thierry Philipponnat, founder of the NGO Finance Watch, which calls for regulating financial movements in Europe. And this, first of all with regard to the expectations of their employees. An OpinionWay survey for the Agir contre l’exclusion (Face) foundation in December 2023 ensured that 69% of private sector employees found it “important” that their company carries out CSR actions. Some, particularly in the younger generations, like Alexandre, study these promises when making a career choice. After a master’s degree in business school, he joined the French educational support company Acadomia, motivated by its sports development programs.
Then, the least virtuous companies find themselves increasingly blacklisted by… consumers. Lacoste, Coca-Cola, Shein, etc., in recent years, we have lost count of the boycott campaigns of major brands, stigmatized for the origin of their supplies or even the working conditions of their workers. Finally and above all, they no longer have a choice: since the implementation of the European directive on the publication of extra-financial data (CSRD), companies with more than 500 employees must analyze the financial risks to which they are exposed, but also the environmental consequences of their activities (quantity of CO2 emitted, damage to natural environments, etc.). This sustainability report reflects the reality of companies’ CSR policy. It adds to a long list of regulatory obligations. The recent Anti-Waste law for a circular economy (Agec, August 2020) has tightened the obligations regarding waste, while the Pacte law has notably made it possible to integrate the consideration of social and environmental issues inherent to different activities. This legal development encourages organizations to assume a role in preserving the common good and no longer only takes into account the principle of profitability as a cardinal value.
“I think we can talk about a CSR revolution today,” insists Eric Duverger. After more than twenty years as an executive at Michelin, he resigned to create the Corporate Climate Convention (CEC). Founded on the model of the citizens’ climate convention, this association helps more than 700 leaders keen to make their model more virtuous. In terms of successes, the CEC is pleased to have supported the furniture manufacturer Tikamoon, which has become a company with a mission removed from the hypergrowth pattern, or the Expanscience firms, which have embarked on a trajectory with their flagship product Mustela. zero waste. “But the problem remains the same: any ambitious project starts from the desire of its leader. Some have a real transformation policy, others are content to look for solutions to circumvent the laws,” specifies Eric Duverger. And implicitly there is the question of evaluating a company’s CSR policy: how to quantify the efforts? Fortunately, today tools are available to align concrete data with the promises displayed in advertising campaigns. This is the case of Greenscope, a CSRD calculator.
The race for certifications
This platform evaluates a company’s non-financial performance, commonly grouped under the acronym ESG (environmental, social and governance criteria), which designates all commitments on which ambitious CSR results can be expected. Among them, transparency on executive remuneration, the existence of an audit committee and even the management of waste recycling. Thierry Philipponnat assures us: “The world of finance today takes these results into account before investing.” Compliance with some of these criteria has even become mandatory in French law, such as the establishment of a gender parity index, now required in any company with more than 50 employees. And all of these requirements require effort… “With all these standards, these injunctions, we sometimes have the impression that doing CSR is as complex as sending astronauts to the Moon,” says the executive of a large group ironically.
To highlight all these efforts, small and large companies are embarking on a certification race. The most prestigious undoubtedly remains the triple A of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a non-profit organization which reports on the environmental impact of the largest international groups. Its commercial director, Dexter Galvin, estimates that the CDP reaches “hundreds of financial institutions” and is keen to point out that its data feeds “indexes and ratings on global financial markets”. Faced with the predictive power of the label, large groups monitor its wishes like milk on the stove, like Kering, Danone or L’Oréal, who continue to communicate their good results from one year to the next. awarded by the CDP.
On the SME side, we also pay attention to certifications of this type, in particular the PME + label. The latter, which only concerns French distribution players, values ethical and responsible practices. Although it seems much less strategic than triple A, it is essential, particularly for obtaining certain public aid. This risks having a perverse effect: with all these tools and certifications, experts and managers may be tempted to apply a CSR policy “to fill in boxes on a table”. But, even at full speed, becoming “greener” is no longer a simple option for businesses.
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