Addressing environmental challenges through people-centred innovation

Social innovation involves developing and implementing effective solutions to address social or environmental issues through active collaboration between stakeholders from different sectors (businesses, local authorities, and non-profit organisations).

Through inclusive recruitment, partnerships with actors in the social and solidarity economy, and the commitment of our staff, we have developed pioneering expertise in social innovation to enhance its impact and offer circular and inclusive solutions. We also support citizens and customers in the environmental transition, helping them to manage their water consumption and waste production, and by developing innovative, performance-based waste management models designed to reduce waste.

We have a role to play in addressing social and environmental challenges. We can use our business lines as levers for impact to offer circular and inclusive solutions aligned with the ecological and solidarity-based transition.

Our social innovation team has developed a method and tools to strengthen the social and circular impact of our offerings, always guided by the same principle: mobilising and integrating complementary local stakeholders to better meet our clients’ expectations and go further in terms of the circular economy and inclusion.

We seek to develop long-term, trust-based partnerships, where mutual understanding is a key factor for success.

Our Social Innovation Department operates in regions across the country where the Group faces significant challenges. Our regional teams support the design of circular and inclusive services and then coordinate their operational implementation with social economy partners.

Coalition of social economy stakeholders on the Montauban performance contract – In 2024, 12 services were delivered with 5 social economy partners, generating over 52,400 hours of work integration for 117 people. A platform for sorting oversize waste was created to maximise reuse and recycling, operated by four employees with disabilities. A bicycle-based collection service for oversize waste and cardboard was rolled out in La Rochelle and Marseille, following an initial launch in Lyon. These initiatives reinforce our commitment to the circular economy and inclusion.

Cycle logistics – Launch of a bicycle-based collection service for oversize waste and cardboard in the city centres of La Rochelle, Marseille and Lyon in partnership with Tout En Vélo.

Solidarity Plumbing - In 2024, our Social Innovation team coordinated three Solidarity Plumbing initiatives in France. In Nanterre, more than 580 inhabitants were made aware of the scheme, 61 free assessments were carried out and 30 households benefited from plumbing repairs. In Brive, 105 people were made aware of the issue, 89 assessments were carried out, and over 230 water-saving devices were installed. These concrete actions illustrate our commitment to an accessible and inclusive green transition.

Recognising that developing the circular economy requires support for entrepreneurs in the sector, we have been committed for several years to supporting social entrepreneurs in the circular economy across various regions.

Through our recruitment needs, we have a major lever for action in favour of inclusion. Our social innovation team supports our HR teams to encourage the recruitment of people who are distant from the labour market or under-represented in the Group’s business lines. We are therefore rolling out a diverse range of initiatives to reach people who are distant from the labour market: in 2024, 1,758 people distant from the labour market took part in 106 initiatives coordinated by the Social Innovation Department. We are also working to promote inclusive work-study schemes by engaging our network of employment and integration stakeholders and by specifically targeting people from priority neighbourhoods: in 2024, we exceeded our target of integrating 10% of work-study students from priority neighbourhoods in France.

Project Lotus: creating training and recruitment cohorts for shortage occupations
In 2024, we created two cohorts of refugees training as HGV Mechanics and Industrial Maintenance Technicians in waste management, and one cohort of Pipe Fitters in the water sector.

Rebond Insertion offers environmental services and temporary staffing solutions by employing people on integration schemes. It acts as a springboard to the mainstream labour market: in 2024, 70.2% of its employees on integration schemes moved into employment-training schemes (positive outcomes).

Encouraging our employees’ involvement in local charities
We facilitate our employees’ involvement in local community organisations. Since 2023, we have adopted a “Solidarity Engagement Charter” which enables all our employees in France to commit up to two days (solidarity time credit) or, at the end of their career (through skills-based volunteering for up to one year), to carry out assignments for local charities.

 

To this end, we have set up a solidarity engagement platform: