Carbon Waters has been a committed and responsible start-up from the very beginning. Now, it’s shifting into higher gear by implementing a proactive, well-defined CSR policy. For Alban Chesneau and his team, sustainable development is a key component to managing the new challenges that lie ahead in energy, ecology, and the economy.
Carbon Waters is breaking new ground with the launch of its industrial phase. At the same time, it’s asserting its green ambitions by developing a clearly organized CSR plan. Charlotte Gallois asserts, “The issue of our social, environmental, and corporate responsibility must be raised right now, and it must become the keystone of our industrial model.”
Measuring Environmental Impact
Carbon Waters plans to start by working on Scope 1, to measure its total carbon footprint. Gallois explains, “Then we will look into Scope 2, which focuses on the amount of energy we need to consume to produce graphene and our additives, so that we can assess the company’s total consumption.” In the medium term, Carbon Waters will start on Scope 3, which covers the entire value chain: raw material purchases, transportation, supply chain, waste management, reuse, etc. Gallois continues, “Our aim is to set up a life cycle analysis [LCA] of our next products, to fine-tune our vision.”
She adds, “This new CSR stance also requires us to raise awareness among our teams, and to deploy best practices. So we’ve just created a usage chart for our consumption of water and electricity, and for transportation, such as travel between home and work and business travel. That way, everyone can have a hand in our CSR policy.”
Respecting Human Rights and Labor Rights
While facing the challenges of sustainable development associated with energy consumption, Carbon Waters also plans to follow the major principles of the United Nations Global Compact. Gallois notes, “We will keep a close eye on our suppliers and their distributers; they must be a model for the respect of human rights and labor rights.”
Carbon Waters is also intent on combatting all forms of discrimination and promoting equality of the sexes in its hiring and work practices. Out of concern for the well-being of its associates, the start-up also plans to take meaningful actions to enhance Quality of Life at work. “On another topic, educating young people about careers in chemistry has special meaning for us; we are very serious about taking part in numerous student forums and exchanges.”
In It for the Long Haul
The company will appoint key associates to implement this ambitious road map. Their job will be to define the overall goals and their perimeters. “It’s a project for the long haul, so it’s critical to accurately target the actions to generate and the indicators to consider,” Gallois tells us. “We have already begun identifying various local and national partners to accompany us on this journey. Our goal is clear: become certified or recognized in the medium term through evidence and quantifiable actions to demonstrate our commitment to CSR.”