It's not always easy to find a job that aligns with your environmental beliefs. And yet, when you consider that we spend a little over seven hours a day at work, it seems essential to find fulfillment in an organization that is consistent with our values! But how can you convince your company to commit to ecological transition? Here are a few tips to help you motivate your colleagues and encourage your company to gradually move towards a more virtuous model.
Build a dream team 👫
Unity is strength, as the saying goes! To encourage your management to make changes, there's nothing like group initiatives. Identify which of your colleagues are particularly interested inecology: this can be done through informal discussions at the coffee machine, by observing who comes to work by bike, or who never leaves home without their water bottle...
Start a conversation and try to identify together what actions could be improved within the company to make it greener. Could it be putting an end to disposable cups at the coffee machine? Composting waste from the canteen? Introducing a mobility plan?
It's not about rethinking everything at once, but about starting to think about small actions that will enable the company to move slowly but surely towards a more sustainable model. And to do that, the more people you have discussing it, the more ideas will flow!
Divide up the tasks 🗓
The advantage of working together on this initiative is that you can draw on a wide range of skills. Depending on their positions and interests, your colleagues will be able to implement certain changes more easily than others, or will have easier access to decision-makers. Get in touch with your company's CSR department, if it has one, and don't hesitate to reach out to human resources or members of the Social and Economic Committee, who are often good liaisons with management.
For smaller companies with fewer structures, it is possible to capitalize on each person's role: for example, the events manager may choose to work with more sustainable materials at future events or decide to organize internal events around sustainable development. Similarly, a purchasing manager may be more sensitive to the issue of energy saving, or a technician to the recycling of IT equipment.
Seize opportunities 🙌🏼
To raise awareness among those around you, take advantage of global or national days, such as World Oceans Day or National Food Waste Day. These are great opportunities to rally your colleagues aroundinternal initiatives or to start conversations about topics that are important to you.
In practical terms, this could involveorganizing mini-conferences with a guest expert during lunch breaks, setting up zero-waste challenges for a week, or collectively joining an Amap (Association for the Preservation of Small Farming).
Any opportunity is a good opportunity to bring environmental issues into everyday office life!
Knowing how to persuade 💪
In order for your company to commit, you will need to prove to your superiors that the ecological transition also has economic benefits: this is known as "economy." Yes, sometimes you have to get back to basics! For a more pragmatic approach, try to prioritize initiatives and calculate their cost: putting greenery back into offices will probably be easier to implement than adopting a chicken coop.
Don't hesitate to consult with specialists in these areas within your company to draw up a roadmap that is as realistic and precise as possible. This will make it all the easier to convince your superiors when the time comes.
To help you, keep in mind that theAdeme provides numerous resources to help you better understand how to assess and reduce your company's environmental impact. If possible, consult or have a carbon assessment carried out for your company (mandatory for companies with more than 500 employees).
In the industrial sector, it is possible to use productlife cycle assessment (LCA) to determine their environmental impact. This analysis is carried out using specialized software and can be done in-house or outsourced to an external organization. It will enable the company to make more sustainable choices when manufacturing and designing products or services. Here too, don't hesitate to talk to your managers or consult with resource persons on the subject, such as product engineers or the CSR department.
Finally, remember that embarking on the path to ecological transition takes time, especially when the company is large. Start with steps that are easy to implement and whose benefits are quickly visible before tackling more substantial projects. Slow and steady wins the race!
Text: Coline de Silans Credits: Jeffery Erhunse, Dylan Gillis, Max van den Oetelaar
