In 2019, the total production of conventional waste amounted to 613,259 t in France, 19,706 t in the UK, 31,265 t in Italy, 1,319 t in Belgium. Waste that is disposed of in a landfill consists of waste that does not benefit from recovery processes: sludge from flue gas processing (de-sulphurisation) or effluent processing and containing hazardous substances (the prefectural by-laws for authorisation require burial of this waste), insulation and mineral insulation (no industrial-sector solution available), and mixed waste similar to household waste. Year-to-year changes in tonnage are strongly influenced by investments and decommissioning programmes. In 2019, cleaning work (frequency: every 10 to 15 years) on the Serre-Ponçon dam in France generated nearly 280,000 tonnes of sediment, which is considered as waste but was fully recovered by local quarriers. Elsewhere, other entities’ generation levels were relatively stable due to the progress made on EDF’s major projects (“Grand Carénage” nuclear fleet project, thermal power plant decommissioning in France and French overseas departments and territories).
3.3.3 EDF, a company with a responsible attitude to its employees and service providers
3.3.3.1 EDF, a company with a responsible attitude to its employees (CSRG no. 2)
The Group’s actions go beyond merely integrating environmental issues into its strategy, as EDF remains a socially-responsible, committed employer and a leader in terms of the professionalism and involvement of its employees.
In 2019, the EDF group thus pursued its plan to transform and improve work organisation, setting the following goals: encouraging accountability, simplifying operating methods, and promoting innovation and the use of digital technology, with a focus on employee health and safety. Various initiatives have been developed within the Group, and helped improve organisation, working conditions and quality of life at work as well as employees’ well-being. On 12 November 2019, a “sustainable mobility” agreement was signed at the Group level in France to develop methods of organising work that provide greater protection for the environment and employee health and well-being, with the aim of becoming a “low-carbon employer” (see section 3.3.3.1.1 “Employee employability and enhancement of the internal social elevator”).
The Group also encourages the development of methods of organisation fostering empowerment. With the “osons la confiance” (dare to trust) project, it supports the approaches and initiatives of entities based on trust and confidence and empowerment within teams in order to improve both operational performance and the quality of working life.
In addition, all employees and subcontractors of the global Group are covered by the provisions of the Global Framework Agreement on the EDF group’s Corporate Social Responsibility signed in 2018, which sets out the major principles to be respected in several areas: respect and integrity, people development, dialogue and consultation, support for local residents and the impact of the Company’s policies on local regions. It is specifically implemented by the Group’s subsidiaries as they integrate it into their strategic action plans as part of their continuous improvement approach. The local projects implemented demonstrate a willingness to promote the agreement as a vector for social dialogue, policy development (digital accessibility) and innovation (circular economy project). The agreement is managed through a collaborative approach, as was the case for the global negotiations with all trade union organisations. A launch guide for managers has been co-written with the trade union organisations of the Social Dialogue Committee for the global agreement, tasked to monitor the agreement. A vigilance plan is being developed in liaison with the Committee monitoring the agreement (composed of employee representatives) and will result in training for the Group’s trade union organisations and HR staff. The governance of this Agreement was awarded a Bronze medal on 25 November 2019 at the 7th CSR Awards Night (nuit de la RSE) in the category of “best collaborative approach with a high societal impact and/or serving stakeholders and corporate performance”.
In 2020, the CSR agreement will be implemented by all relevant subsidiaries and departments, in the form of CSR action plans (development of initiatives already conducted and goals for future improvement, integration into strategy, etc.) and centralised by the Social Dialogue Department.
The members of the Committee monitoring the agreement will produce a roadmap defining improvement indicators for each article.
3.3.3.1.1 Employee employability and enhancement of the internal “social elevator”
A stable workforce in a transitional context
The EDF group’s consolidated workforce totalled 164,727 employees at 31 December 2019, including five companies with a workforce of over 10,000 employees: EDF (63,962), Enedis (38,754), Framatome (14,630), Dalkia (16,563) and EDF Energy (13,190). The overall workforce dropped very slightly compared to the end of 2018 (-0.6%) against a backdrop of the energy transition, technological developments and intensifying competition in France and the UK.
80% of the workforce is French, 96% of the workforce is located in Europe (including France) and 4% outside Europe.
The Group’s workforce in France
In France, Group companies employed 131,099 people at 31 December 2019, stable over the last two years, excluding the impact of changes to rules for the counting of employees at Group companies in each region(1). This relative stability in the workforce reflects contrasting trends among EDF group companies in France. Nuclear service and supply companies are experiencing strong growth to keep pace with the expansion of their business (for example: +8.3% for Citelum, +2.8% for Dalkia, +2.9% for Framatome and +20% for Cyclife in France [decommissioning]).
EDF remains committed to its transformation and to adapting its business model (new nuclear power, development of renewable energies, development of new commercial offers, including digital offers, electric mobility, optimisation of support functions, digitalisation of internal tertiary processes, targeted international development etc.). These adaptations have led to a gradual reduction in its workforce (-2.1% since the end of 2018). In this respect, a voluntary early redundancy plan was proposed to employees in 2019 in departments with declining activity: almost 900 employees signed up for the scheme and will leave EDF over the next 3 years. Prospective studies have been conducted at the Group level with all subsidiaries in order to anticipate the transformation of its staffing needs and certain key professions to allow it to adapt the workforce and skills in the short, medium and long term, and develop intra-group career paths.
International Group workforces : 85% of the international workforce is European(2)
20% of the workforce is located outside France. It is stable and based essentially on the development of Dalkia, Citelum and Cyclife, along with the presence of EDF Energy, EDF Renewables, Framatome and Edison in Europe. The remainder of the workforce is mainly located in America (5,883), Asia (741) and to a lesser extent in Africa (177). The table below presents a breakdown of the workforce of the international subsidiaries and shareholdings included in the EDF group consolidation scope, as well as the change in headcount since 2018 year-end.
(1) As from the 2018 Registration Document, a change to the EDIFIS information system has made it possible to count employees in the country in which they operate, rather than the country where the Company’s registered office is located. The figures and% change presented in the rest of the sections take into account this new employee counting method.
(2) Consolidated subsidiaries.