published in Les Echos, April 15th, 2021, find it here

Rethinking companies in times of ecological and social crises: employees take action

"It only takes 10% of the employees to change the company as a whole," according to the Harvard Business Review. In an era of climate, environmental and social crises, companies will undergo profound transformations. To do so, they can count on their employees.

All over France, many are already engaged in internal collectives to make a difference. Their names are Emergence, Go Green, Green Force, Tribu Sustainability... We are part of them and made it our mission to change our companies from the inside. This manifesto constitutes our first collective communication.

We are coming from companies of different sizes, sectors and locations, made up of a handful of employees or several hundred, close to our management or not, our groups act wherever they can to accelerate the transition to sustainable models. We have already initiated hundreds of initiatives: raising our peers’ awareness through Climate Collage workshops, developing more sustainable products or services, or strategic discussions with our management, setting up responsible procurement policies, eco-mobility projects, etc. Sometimes modest, sometimes unlocking major structural changes, our action aims to systematically put sustainability topics at the core of our companies’ activity.

With the unprecedented challenges we now face, rethinking our business models is imperative. Our companies are part of the problem: climate and ecosystem disruption, increasing inequality, loss of purpose... We believe they are also part of the solution: through the impact of both their products and services, and their unique ability to focus human and economic resources on a given objective. Changes and initiatives are multiplying: that’s for the best! But these evolutions, although necessary, still fall short of the required impact, while we already run out of time.

Our message is demanding and ambitious, yet positive and constructive: companies will undergo profound transformations and we stand ready to help them in that process. Together, we share three convictions. First, companies must make the response to ecological and social challenges their priority. Second, companies should involve and mobilize all stakeholders –especially their employees - in this effort. And third, the organizations that will succeed in making these transitions today will be the most impactful tomorrow, as well as the most attractive to consumers, investors, and future employees.

We are conscious that the equation is complex and that companies face conflicting imperatives. How can we include impacts on climate and biodiversity in companies’ performance in the short, medium and long term? In which activities should we invest more and which should be discontinued? Which decision-making mechanisms should be adopted to include all stakeholders? This is not the umpteenth warning call but rather an invitation to work collectively on this inspiring endeavor.

We have the power to make a change.

To those who are already engaged in change as collectives or as individuals: we are making progress. Let’s continue to offer concrete solutions, to try and push further, to strengthen our expertise, to cultivate our critical thinking.

To those who feel the desire to get involved but don't know where to start: go for it! Create a working group, suggest actions to your manager, launch a first initiative in your company.

To company executives and decision-makers: we count on you and you can count on us! Every day, an increasing number of voices call for a sustainable world and we are convinced that together, we can make it a reality. Now is the time for you to be ambitious and to rely on employee collectives to accelerate the transition of our companies.

As for us, we shall pursue our actions to bring out tomorrow’s models. We wish to maintain the same level of energy among the collectives, and bring together employees, decision-makers and committed groups to carry out joint projects and build our expertise up. Every half-degree counts, every action matters. The magnitude of the task which lies ahead of us all is immense. But this is the adventure we wish to embark on for the years to come. We believe that inventing tomorrow together is the only way forward, a way both positive and meaningful.

​

Collectives