.svg){kind=logo}
%20(1).png)
In this week's CSR news, we'll be talking about professions undergoing radical transformation, alarming reports on climate adaptation, and natural disasters with their amplified impacts... there's a lot at stake...
What are the highest-paying CSR professions?
Les Echos, in partnership with recruitment agencies Birdeo and Brawo and the Jobs_that_makesense platform, has published a list of the "hottest" CSR jobs at the moment. Focus on some of them.
Responsible Purchasing Manager for a large company (60,000 to 80,000 euros per year): in charge of guaranteeing CSR compliance between suppliers and products.
Chief Value Officer for a company subject to CSRD (from 80,000 to 100,000 euros per year): in charge of creating a responsible business model and guaranteeing the conditions for a sustainable approach to the company's management and governance.
Climate change adaptation manager (from 70,000 to 90,000 euros per year): in charge of monitoring climate risks throughout the value chain, and proposing ways of adapting to them.
68% of SMEs do not see the environment as a strategic priority
The Banque Publique d'Investissement has published a study aimed at assessing the measures taken and the interest shown by SMEs and VSEs in the challenges of adapting to climate change. But the results are far from encouraging. A first indicator is the extremely small number of participants: only 360 companies responded, out of the 60,000 questioned, "the lowest score in terms of respondent rate", says the person in charge of the study.
Among the responses received, we find that for 68% of the SMEs and VSEs questioned, "adapting to climate change is neither a priority nor a strategic issue". Nevertheless, 53% of managers consider it an "important" issue.
Finally, 60% of those questioned said they were unaware of any support schemes for adapting to climate change.
Delays in adaptation will cost companies dearly
While numerous studies have shown the future scale of the cost of inaction on a macro-economic scale, a recent study by the World Economic Forum looks at it on a company level. Their findings are as follows: by 2035, companies least adapted to the consequences of climate change could lose up to 7% of their annual revenues. This figure rises to 12% by 2055, according to the study's forecasts.
Thus, the eternal principle that "the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of adaptation" does not only apply to public authorities.
Sectors whose business operations and supplies are most dependent on extreme weather events will be hardest hit, such as telecommunications and energy suppliers.
The Cour des Comptes (French State Audit Office) points out the State's CSR shortcomings
The French State's investment choices and procurement strategy have been criticized in two reports published by the Cour des Comptes, which highlight a series of shortcomings in terms of social and environmental responsibility.
For example, the agency in charge of managing the State's shareholding positions and investment strategies (APE) is singled out for its "extremely cursory CSR approach". Limited social and environmental indicators, on the one hand, and insufficient resources, on the other, reflect a lack of commitment on the part of the agency.
The Cour des Comptes goes so far as to recommend that this state agency use the CSRD to structure its sustainability reporting policy. A remarkable recommendation, given that this European directive was originally intended for companies.
Mayotte: the political situation worsens the natural disaster
Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, causing extreme damage to people and infrastructure. The disaster situation was exacerbated by precarious housing, "dilapidated and saturated" buildings and the archipelago's structural vulnerability to climate change.
According to a study conducted byImperial College London, the effects of climate change on the island are tending to significantly intensify the violence of these cyclonic phenomena. According to them, storm Chido is "40% more likely to occur in the climate of 2024".
What's more, 77% of the island's inhabitants live below the poverty line, half of them on "less than 3,140 euros a year". As a result, 320,000 people have seen the shanty towns where they live "completely destroyed".
Shein and Temu win the hearts of French consumers
As the festive season approaches, the trend towards a sharp increase in purchases on the Shein and Temu e-commerce platforms is set to gather pace, and even reach a consumption peak. Indeed, despite controversies, these two Chinese e-commerce giants remain very popular with consumers, in an economic context that is increasingly constraining French households.
According to La Poste, 22% of parcels delivered today come from the two platforms... France is Temu's 2nd largest European market, with "12 million monthly recipients".
These trends include CSR policies that are harmful to the environment, and the shipment of products that are hazardous to health, especially that of children.
Oil spill off Crimea: 35 km of coastline devastated
Two Russian tankers carrying almost 9,000 tons of fuel oil ran into a storm as they passed through the Kerch Strait off Crimea. One of them broke up, while the other was severely damaged. To date, more than 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil are said to have drifted ashore.
35 km of coastline is said to have been contaminated by the oil spill, poisoning local flora and fauna, as shown by the pictures sent to European journalists. Specialists are still waiting to find out the exact nature of the oil spilled, in order to make an accurate assessment of the damage.
These two vessels are said to belong to a "phantom fleet" discreetly commissioned by Russia to support its war effort. One of the tankers no longer even had a navigation permit, and both should have been dismantled 15 years ago...
Major new IPCC publications on biodiversity
IPBES, the intergovernmental body generally referred to as the "IPCC of biodiversity", has published 2 reports, one of which urges that the various issues surrounding ecosystems be addressed simultaneously, while the other explores the obstacles to action and change in the field of biodiversity.
Calling for "transformative change", they identify 3 priorities for action: transforming our ways of thinking, transforming our organizational structures, transforming our practices.
The other report stresses the importance of an approach that integrates various subjects (water, biodiversity, food, energy, etc.) to increase the coherence and effectiveness of environmental protection actions. In this respect, they identify 71 solutions available to governments to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
A European coalition of sustainable banks?
Under the name of Sustainable Banking Coalition, various European banking institutions have come together to encourage individuals and investors in the European Union to move towards an "ethical banking system".
Its objective is clear: to give the ESG-conscious sustainable finance sector sufficient importance and authority to position itself as an influential player with European public authorities.
The coalition has announced 3 strategic priorities:
- Increasing the representation of "ESG-focused" banks within EU institutions
- Ensuring that the Green Deal is respected by other banking players
- Establish a "European regulatory framework" for these "ethical" banking institutions
In France, the plastics sector adapts to CSR requirements
The Xerfi institute has just published a study for Elipso on the French plastic packaging sector for the year 2023. The companies surveyed represent 65% of the sector's sales (€7.2 billion).
In 2023, the sector produced 1.3 million tonnes of plastics, down -7% on 2022. Moreover, compared to 2018, the weight of half of all plastic products has "lightened by 17%".
Plastic packaging manufacturers have increased the proportion of their investments in Research & Development (+8%) and the circular economy (+3%) compared to 2022. To date, almost a third of packaging is not petrosourced, but biosourced (8%) or recycled (28%).
The sources
Les Echos "The 11 hottest green jobs (and their salaries)".
Sustainable news "Adapting to climate change: not a priority for SMEs and mid-sized companies".
Youmatter "Climate risks: companies could lose up to 7% of their revenues"
Novethic "Purchasing and investments: the French government's CSR strategy under fire".
Novethic "Despite controversy, Temu and Shein have become French darlings".
Carenews "A coalition of banks in favor of environmental and social sustainability".
Elipso study (trade association) "Key figures 2023 for plastic packaging in France".
.jpg)