Priority No. 1: optimise the environmental footprint of the Group’s internal workings
Everyone in the Group has a role to play in reducing its environmental impact, primarily by effectively managing the three main direct sources of greenhouse gas emissions: paper use, business travel and office building management. Employees have adopted a number of waste-sorting practices. Similarly, train travel is being used more instead of air travel, and video conferencing has become another regular habit.
Structures for addressing environmental issues
Environmental issues are handled locally by each entity. The resources mobilised for this purpose vary with the entity’s size. Group subsidiaries report to the parent company on their environmental performance on an annual basis.
CNP Assurances has a Sustainable Development department, which reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. Environmental issues are addressed and monitored by the corporate Purchasing, Working Environment and Property Investment departments. The Building Management department monitors regulatory developments. Each year an external audit firm prepares an assessment of regulatory compliance and a monitoring tool for equipment at risk.
To mark the launch of its new “Multiplicar” CSR policy, CNP Assurances Compañia de Seguros has established a Sustainability Committee comprising employees who take part in the development of proposals for action.
CNP UniCredit Vita entrusts its approach to the CSR department in charge of environmental issues. CSR projects were previously monitored by the Green Group, which is made up of volunteer employees. Since 2013, key CSR indicators have been included in the Company’s management reports.
The Caixa Seguradora group set up a Sustainable Development Committee in 2007 to address environmental issues. This Committee, comprising 11 representatives from various sectors within the Company, is chaired by the chairperson of the Group’s Executive Committee. The initiatives in the environmental programme help to instil a culture of sustainable development within the Company.
Greenhouse gas emissions audit
CNP Assurances’ greenhouse gas emissions
CNP Assurances’ emissions of CO2 equivalent have been monitored for five years. Since 2012, they have been measured in accordance with Article 75 of France’s Grenelle law of 12 July 2010, and were as follows:
| 2015 | 2014 | Year-on-year change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1) | 2,673 t.CO2eq. | 2,643 t.CO2eq. | + 1% |
| Indirect greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumption (scope 2) | 2,246 t.CO2eq. | 2,074 t.CO2eq. | + 8% |
| Other indirect emissions (excluding financial assets, see page 40) | 16,485 t.CO2eq. | 15,267 t.CO2eq. | + 8% |
Scope 1 and 2 emissions are not material, which means that their volatility is inevitable, regardless of optimisation efforts: the slight increase in direct GHG emissions (Scope 1) is attributable to the higher level of maintenance work and tests on generators carried out in 2015. Heating over a full year of the new Parisian building purchased in 2014 explains the change in indirect GHG emissions attributable to energy (Scope 2).
The gap in respect of indirect emissions (Scope 3, excluding financial assets) is attributable chiefly to a change in methodology in determining the services.
Detailed information by source as reported to the French authorities is available in French at www.cnp.fr. In addition, CNP Assurances has reported its greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project since 2005.
Caixa Seguradora group’s greenhouse gas emissions
The Caixa Seguradora group’s carbon footprint, measured in terms of emissions related to business travel and buildings (based on the GHG protocol), totalled 2.63 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per employee. With its emissions offset by reforestation in the Atlantic Forest carried out with Iniciativa Verde, Caixa Seguradora has earned CarbonFree certification for several years in a row.
Analysis of the main components of the income statement
As CNP Assurances is a service company, its environmental footprint is related to employee behaviour and IT server activity. Energy, business travel and paper are the most significant items.
| Emission sources | 2015 emissions in t.CO2eq. for CNP Assurances |
|---|---|
| Energy | 3,414 |
| Déplcaements professionnels | 2955 |
| Papier | 940 |
Business travel
Car travel is a big part of the CNP Assurances Group’s carbon footprint. As the potential economic and environmental gain is significant, training and awareness campaigns on road risks and eco-driving were established for all employees in 2013. In 2014, new employees in the sales network attended specific personalised modules.
Expanding video conferencing
The use of video and audio conferencing is now widespread within the Group. It is promoted to limit business travel. The Caixa Seguradora group encourages its employees to reduce travel and to use any alternatives available to them. Since 2013, CNP UniCredit Vita has included tracking indicators for video and audio conferencing hours, as well as for air and train travel, in its quarterly report presented to the Management Committee.
In 2015, 11,742 hours of video conferencing were recorded across the Group, an increase of 31%, of which 70% at CNP Assurances.
Commuting
As part of its Business Travel Plan, CNP Assurances updated the commuting survey in 2013. Commuting by car was down (by between 9% and 30% depending on the site), while journeys by motorcycle or scooter and carpooling were up (by 8% for employees working at Paris Montparnasse). In all, greenhouse gas emissions related to commuting have been reduced by 13% in three years.
Business travel
| 2015 | 2014 | Year-on-year change | Level of coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million km travelled by plane | 15.6 | 13.9 | + 12% | 98% |
| Million km travelled by train | 3.7 | 3.9 | -5% | 99% |
| Million km travelled by car | 10.2 * | 0.9 | -11% | 93% |
* Including CNP Assurances from 2015
The increase in air travel is attributable chiefly to Caixa Seguradora. Air travel was either steady or down at the other Group entities. In Brazil, air travel is justified by business expansion and the size of the country.
CNP Assurances has prepared a written travel policy, providing a framework for employee practices to reduce their impact on the environment, while continuing to ensure the comfort and safety of travellers. Train travel relates mainly to CNP Assurances. Employees travelled 3.5 million kilometres by train, of which more than half between its main sites in Angers and Paris.
Kilometres travelled by car increased sharply during the year due to the consolidation of CNP Assurances (92% of the total). In previous years, car travel at CNP Assurances was expressed in terms of fuel consumption.
CNP Assurances encourages the use of public transport. Taxis can be used under certain conditions, and in this case, hybrid vehicles have been given priority by the booking office since May 2013. Accordingly, hybrid vehicles accounted for 40% of taxi journeys in 2015, up from 36% in 2014.
A large number of subsidiaries cut back on business travel or opted for cleaner modes of transport in 2015. As such, CNP UniCredit Vita continued its work to raise employee awareness (train versus plane and public transport), offering staff annual subscriptions at reduced rates after negotiation with the public transport company of Milan.
Consumption of office supplies
The CNP Assurances Group’s operations are entirely in the field of insurance. As with other financial services, paper is the principal raw material consumed. For several years now, many initiatives have been deployed by Group entities to reduce paper use. In 2013, for instance, CNP UniCredit Vita’s paper use was included as a key indicator in the monthly report presented to the Management Committee. Since 2014, CNP Partners has posted a guide to good practice on its Intranet to reduce paper use by employees.
A reduction in Group-wide paper use for internal operations
| 2015 | 2014 | Évolution | Niveau de couverture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper use for internal purposes | 32.6 million sheets | 35.5 million sheets | - 8% | 98% |
| Proportion of recycled paper used for internal purposes | 19.4% | 17.2% | +13% | 97% |
Thanks to the concerted efforts of employees, CNP Assurances is reducing its paper use year after year, with savings of 11% in 2012, 5% in 2013 and almost 6% in 2015. Caixa Seguradora and CNP Assurances Compañia de Seguros have significantly reduced their paper purchases for internal purposes, by 30% and 14% respectively. CNP UniCredit Vita and CNP Europe Life use only recycled paper for internal purposes.
Green office supply purchasing
In line with last year’s figure, 35% of office supplies ordered by CNP Assurances are labelled “green”.
Office building environmental management
Controlling energy use
Energy use by the CNP Assurances Group corresponds to heating and cooling systems in its office buildings, office equipment used by employees and IT servers. Electricity is the main type of energy used.
| 2015 | 2014 | Year-on-year change | Level of coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity consumption | 22.1 million kWh | 21.6 million kWh | + 2% | 99% |
| Gas consumption | 2.2 million kWh | 2.3 million kWh | + 4% | 98% |
| Fuel oil consumption | 87,945 litres | 56,010 litres | + 57% | 63% |
CNP Assurances has adopted energy-saving measures designed to help buildings operate more efficiently. For example, improving how heating (French sites except Arcueil), air conditioning and ventilation systems are controlled requires the expert management of programmable time settings. The Group has also established room temperature guidelines and the regulation of fan coil units, whose efficiency has been improved by the closure of the doors.
Significant work has been carried out to reduce energy use. For example:
- as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce energy costs at the Saint Serge building in Angers, and on the basis of the energy performance assessment, a four-year programme (2014-2018) has begun with renovation work on the refrigeration system. The work will allow compliance with regulations, via the removal of R-22 and the replacement of open air-cooling towers, which consume large amounts of water, with closed towers, which, by virtue of their design, do not consume water. A new stage of the project has begun, with the aim of fully renovating the ventilation and air conditioning system. For this, a management system and control equipment have been established;
- following the purchase of a new office building in Paris in 2014, multi-annual renovations of the control system continued, with the installation on three levels of new terminal units to control fan convectors;
- the installation of LED lighting at SIC Beaucouzé resulted in an energy gain.
Furthermore, in accordance with Article L.233‑1 of the French Energy Code, CNP Assurances conducted an energy audit on operating buildings before 5 December 2015. This audit was carried out at the headquarters and on the site in Angers, thereby covering 65% of energy bills paid by the Company. The operation of buildings was studied, and measurements were taken of the consumption of the various buildings.
A total of 4.44 million kWh of heating supplied by the CPCU district heating network in Paris was used to heat CNP Assurances’ Paris offices in 2015. Fuel oil consumption, which is occasional and not material, relates exclusively to the power generators at the main sites in France.
CNP Assurances’ subsidiaries have also gradually adopted measures to reduce electricity use, notably for lighting, heating and IT servers. The Caixa Seguradora group moved its headquarters to a more energy-efficient building equipped with presence detectors, LED lighting, glass façades (less artificial light) and a more efficient air conditioning system.
Awareness campaigns have also been conducted among employees in the Group’s entities (see “Building employee awareness of sustainable development issues through training” on page 32).
The buildings used by Group entities are not currently equipped with systems for generating renewable energy.
Water use
| 2015 | 2014 | Year-on-year change | Level of coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water consumption in cubic meters | 63,205 | 71,960 | - 12% | 98% |
An analysis of local restrictions on the Group’s water use, based on the Global Water Tool 2015, shows that 5% of its water use is in extremely water-scarce areas (Cyprus), 8% in water-scarce areas, 2% in water-stressed areas, 46% in water-sufficient areas and 39% in water-abundant areas (see the area definitions at http://www.wbcsd.org).
The removal of open cooling towers at CNP Assurances and the installation of more energy-efficient equipment at the new headquarters of the Caixa Seguradora group (modern air conditioning and water pressure limiting system) explain the drop in water consumption recorded in 2015.
Waste management
| 2015 | 2014 | Year-on-year change | Level of coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion of employees with access to waste sorting | 95% | 89% | + 7% | 98% |
| Tonnes of waste paper and cardboard recycled | 237 | 179 | + 32% | 91% |
Waste-sorting systems allow Group entities to recycle printer cartridges and paper used in offices for internal purposes. The financial benefits of recycling are donated to NGOs in France. Each Group entity has conducted campaigns to teach employees about recycling. Caixa Seguradora’s move into a new building in late 2014 provided an opportunity for a diagnostic review of waste management within the organisation and a survey of employee behaviour.
The CNP Assurances recycling system was extended in 2011, with the addition of a dedicated process for office furniture. Used batteries and light bulbs are collected at the main facilities, representing over half a tonne in 2014.
Computer equipment is also a significant source of waste. CNP Assurances sells or gives away over half of its obsolete equipment, and the rest is dismantled for recycling by a specialised firm.
CNP Assurances Compañia de Seguros has made waste management one of the major planks of its new CSR policy. To raise employee awareness, training on sorting has been carried out by an association employing people with disabilities. It has also led a campaign involving the replacement of individual bins in favour of collective bins. To go further, all obsolete computer equipment is given to a specialised association.
CNP UniCredit Vita has set up a plastic bottle compaction system, including caps, in one of its communal areas.
Pollution
Given the nature of its business, CNP Assurances causes no water or soil pollution, and emits very few greenhouse gases other than CO2. Nonetheless, as part of its woodland management, it employs techniques that prevent soil erosion and ensure water filtration and purification.
The Group’s entities do not cause noise or other forms of pollution. Several entities have installed lighting in their offices that switches off automatically.
None of the Group’s entities have been convicted of any environmental violations or have been the subject of any non- monetary environmental sanctions.