3.1.2.4.7 Sustainable Development Training and Awareness Raising
EDF focuses its sustainable development training and awareness raising actions on the visibility of EDF’s contribution to a just and fair energy transition. It also aims to boost understanding of the related transformation of the Group’s business lines.
Employee training
In 2019, the EDF group University launched a “Strategic energy business” course for 70 Group executives; it particularly focuses on the impact of climate change on the energy industry, as well as the different processes to achieve carbon-free energy by 2050. 70 Group directors also completed a “Business and sustainable development” module, and for managers, a 100%-digital “management and sustainable development” course was released on the ecampusmanagers training platform.
The document setting the corporate training aims for EDF SA now includes a chapter focused on EDF’s contribution to the energy transition. Both the “business” process and the integration of new employees maintain and develop skills relating to low-carbon electricity generation, the safety of facilities, energy efficiency and the integration of renewable and decentralised energy into the energy mix. The Company is bolstering its skills regarding management of environmental risks, and responsibility to employees and suppliers, as well as people and communities. EDF developed a “dialogue and regional involvement” training programme for projects managers and senior staff designed to develop knowledge of stakeholders, understanding of the issues involved, and expertise regarding dialogue and consultation practices. New courses on public participation in projects and regional involvement were made available to DP2D project stakeholders and 5 videos (“Dialogue in under 6 minutes”) were released to all employees and managers on the e-campus online platform. Overall, nearly 500 employees completed listening and dialogue training, including 230 “dialoguers” for the “Let’s Talk Energy” programme.
Raising employee awareness
In 2019, EDF launched “Combating CO2, it starts with us”, which encourages employees to manage their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. This programme is part of the CAP 2030 strategy, and meets an expectation highlighted by staff in “Let’s Talk Energy”. Currently targeting all Group employees in France, it promotes environmentally-friendly practices and provides access to preferential terms for the low-carbon sales offerings available from EDF and its subsidiaries. For electric mobility, they have access to a framework contract with motor vehicle suppliers selected for the “EV100” commitment on the EDF vehicle fleet (see section 3.2.2.2.1 “Electric mobility”), as well as virtuous recharging solutions provided by EDF subsidiaries.
In 2018, the 101,000 employees of EDF and its subsidiaries in France (excluding Enedis) were invited for dialogue on the Company’s strategic vision (“Let’s Talk Energy”). The resulting 20 challenges are currently being implemented, including the appointment of employee ambassadors to encourage adoption of the solutions(1). In 2019, Let’s Talk Energy gave employees the chance to share their thoughts on the implementation of the multi-year energy programme law and to consider the Company’s main mission. More than 1,400 proposals were put forward.
Awareness Raising among external stakeholders
This campaign targets the general public, opinion leaders, and young people. It prioritises CSRGs, and more specifically the fight against climate change and biodiversity.
To target the general public, EDF supports the “Energies for Climate” programme headed up by Makesense, an international community of citizens, non-profits, and entrepreneurs. The community created for this programme features more than 7,000 contributors and 400 ambassadors in 43 countries. By organising more than 100 forums and meeting/debates in 2019, Energies for Climate helped to raise awareness among some 100,000 people regarding climate change issues and impacts. The aim of the programme is to get everybody to put theory into practice by setting up or supporting projects that will transform modes of generation, consumption of and access to energy, through which nearly 800 innovative businesses have been identified and already 50 start-ups and entrepreneurs promoted or supported.
Faced with the environmental emergency, which has become a major cause for concern in France, EDF is supporting Make.org’s key campaign “Agissons pour l’environnement” (Let’s take action for the environment), a coalition of more than 70 institutions, non-profits, media organisations, grass-roots movements and partner businesses. Via a digital platform that provides tools to improve understanding of climate and biodiversity issues, a large-scale call for grass-roots solutions in order to take collective action in favour of environmental preservation was launched in November 2019. In year two, workshops will be organised to make the step from proposals to action plans. The first phase of the programme will focus on managing five to ten chosen projects, and assessing their impact. At the end of 2019, more than 366,000 people had already participated in the programme, submitting more than 13,700 proposals.
In France, EDF has been a partner of “Fête de la Nature” (i.e. “Nature Festival”), a government-funded project, since 2008, particularly via the French Biodiversity Agency (AFB), the French Ministry for the Ecological & Inclusive Transition, and IUCN(2). Every year, EDF’s divisions and entities in mainland France and its overseas regions and departments work to provide visibility on the issue of biodiversity, by raising awareness among the general public, and employees, of the practical measures put in place by the Company’s business lines to preserve our planet. These joint sessions offer the opportunity to highlight the links between biodiversity and climate change. The organisation of these events by business lines contributes to one of the commitments made in act4nature (“mobilising all the Group’s entities”). In 2019, for the 13th edition focused on “Nature in motion”, EDF’s business lines organised 77 events and received nearly 5,500 visitors. Since 2008, more than 60,000 visitors have been welcomed to EDF sites. Finally, special focus was placed on communication regarding solidarity, particularly in terms of the fight against poverty, with several campaigns aimed at the general public, explaining to them about programmes designed to help them consume less and better, which were recognised by the AFNOR “Engagé RSE” (i.e. “committed to CSR”) certification scheme.
Focusing on opinion leaders, the Group continued the cycle of its “Energy Climate Encounters” started during COP21, where experts share their approach towards climate issues and energy transition with targeted audiences (major companies, local authorities, government representatives, NGOs, etc.). Accordingly, in 2019 EDF organised a conference with the Chair of the CNDP (French National Public Debate Commission), Chantal Jouanno, on the theme of “Projects, public participation issues”. In the French context of the “yellow vests” crisis, which has further underlined the need to take account of the dependency of consumers on fossil fuels and to find ways to make the climate policies currently being put in place acceptable to the most vulnerable communities, EDF organised, as part of its partnership with the Théâtre du Rond-Point, a day of discussions on “The fair energy transition: a debate on the acceptability of public policies”, with the participation of the Abbé Pierre Foundation, FONDEM (Fondation énergies pour le monde, i.e. Energies for the World Foundation), European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC), Climate Finance Pact, and Ademe (French Environment & Energy Management Agency). In 2019, Group R&D organised two major events: in partnership with EPRI, an “Electrification Europe Summit” on the theme of “Practical solutions for the electrification of practices and decarbonisation of society”, for French and European businesses (nearly 800 participants); a “Climate: look before you leap” day, with the aim of providing and sharing information, and joining forces to tackle issues of climate change.
For young people, EDF offers primary, secondary and high schools free conferences on electricity and sustainable development(3). In 2019, EDF totally overhauled these conferences, which are now focused on the theme of “Energies & Climate” and based on a new educational approach: workshops that increase interaction and make students play an active role in their own learning by throwing them into an “real-life” situations (developing an energy strategy to reduce GHG emissions; transforming a city into a smart city, etc.). More than 52,800 students attended these workshops.
(1) This initiative received the participation and consultation trophy on 19 November 2018, organised by the Gazette des Communes and the Décider Ensemble association under the auspices of the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, the National Public Debate Commission and the Commissioner-General for Sustainable Development.
(2) IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
(3) In partnership with the French Ministry for National Education under the terms of an agreement signed in 2002.