Numerous player initiatives

How are French stakeholders taking ownership of the SDGs?

As a key player in disseminating the culture of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and mobilising local and regional authorities, Comité 21 has coordinated the production of a report bringing together 70 contributions from civil society, including analyses of the situation and accounts of action taken.

This report draws up a state of play of the global appropriation of the Agenda 2030 and its 17 SDGs, broken down by major type of player: companies and the private commercial sector, local and regional authorities, NGOs, the voluntary sector, education and research players, and trade unions.

By presenting a number of remarkable initiatives and actions linked to the six "SDGs of the Year" - specifically analysed at the UN in July 2018 - this report highlights the concrete nature of the use of the SDGs.

At regional level

Some examples of local initiatives

An association for environmental education and sustainable development 

Pik Pik Environnement is an association that is organising workshops throughout 2018 throughout the Île-de-France region in connection with ODD4 "quality education", ODD10 "reduced inequality" and ODD12 "responsible consumption and production" entitled the "FAIRE" Workshops (to make, learn, innovate, repair and save).

Regional management

The Dreal Nouvelle Aquitaine, in partnership with the Institut de formation et de recherche en éducation à l’environnement, proposed a specific workshop to reflect on the appropriation of the SDGs by local authorities already involved in sustainable development initiatives: the idea was to start from actions carried out by local authorities and to seek to enrich them with regard to the SDG targets.

City of Saint-Fons

With the support of Lyon’s urban planning agency and Cerema, the city was used as a testing ground for the in-situ development of an "SDG" module in the Reference Framework for European Sustainable Cities (RFSC). The use of this tool enabled the local authority to re-examine all the actions it was taking in relation to the 17 Goals, and to identify the areas for progress, the levers and the innovations to be implemented in order to contribute to the Agenda 2030. The results have been compiled in a "Sustainable Development Framework Plan - Saint-Fons 2030".

What stakeholders say

Producing and consuming organic produce in Mouans-Sartoux

The commune of Mouans-Sartoux, in the Alpes-Maritimes region, has been committed to developing organic farming for several years now, in particular by setting up a municipal agricultural production scheme. No fewer than 8 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been targeted, including 100% organic produce in schools and crèches and for local staff, as well as a number of initiatives to raise public awareness, including a solidarity grocery shop, Boomerang (a packaging-free grocery shop), composting, organic market gardening and a sustainable food centre.)

A few years ago, the town of Mouans-Sartoux developed its own 4-hectare farm. The farmer, employed by the town council, manages the entire operation, which produces 20 tonnes of certified organic vegetables every year. This large vegetable garden supplies 80% of the vegetables used by the town’s canteens. The farm operates like a traditional market garden, producing a wide variety of seasonal vegetables. The municipal land is also an important educational tool, as children regularly visit the municipal garden to help with planting and harvesting, and above all to see where the food comes from. Since 2010, the catering staff have been weighing the leftovers on the plates every day. A few years ago, we had 147 grams of waste per meal, whereas today we have reduced this to 30 grams. The Mouans-Sartoux canteens focus on the right quantity and on what the children want, by offering them different plates with different portion sizes, for example.

Protecting water with farmers in Lons-le-Saulnier

In response to problems with the quality of its drinking water in the 1990s, the capital of the Jura region introduced a pioneering policy in France to protect groundwater in consultation with stakeholders, particularly farmers. These measures have also led to the development of organic farming, high-quality drinking water (100% or more) and low prices (32% below the average), incorporating no fewer than nine objectives.

The municipality of Lons-le-Saunier operates its drinking water network directly. In the 1990s, the municipality was faced with a number of quality problems, including the presence of increasing levels of nitrates and pesticides, particularly atrazine. Rather than invest in an expensive curative unit, it decided to take preventive action, encouraging farmers to change their practices. From 1992 onwards, agreements and contracts were put in place with the farmers concerned. Jacques Pélissard, mayor of Lons le Saunier, explains the approach that has enabled water quality to be restored rapidly, for the benefit of his constituents.

At company level

Global compact

Relais local officiel du Global Compact des Nations Unies, dans la diffusion de la culture des Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) et la mobilisation, le Global Compact France (GCF) rassemble plus de 1 100 entreprises et 100 organisations à but non lucratif.

n 2016, Global Compact France (GCF) and its SME members launched the " Tour de France PME ", which aims to meet companies working in favour of sustainable development in their territories each year and to promote their good corporate social responsibility practices. The GCF has also set up Global Impact+, a platform designed to promote the adoption of the SDGs by companies.

The GCF regularly organises events (themed conferences, lunch debates, webinars, workshops) on the implementation of the SDGs, such as the "SDGs and business: the ABCs" workshop. . Global Compact France has also developed a number of tools to help companies take ownership of the SDGs, such as the guide "Companies, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals!" in partnership with B&L Évolution or SDG Compass in French.

« Companies committed to the SDGs »

In September 2017, sustainable development consultancy B&Lévolution published a study on the mobilisation of French companies for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) entitled "Companies committed to the SDGs: which practices stand out?". This study was carried out with the support of the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Global Compact France.

The study shows that more than a third of the SBF 120 (the 120 largest market capitalisations on Euronext-Paris) is committed to the SDGs, but with different levels of commitment depending on the nature of the SDGs.

Suez environnement

Adopted in early 2017, the Group’s roadmap 2017-2021 was designed following extensive internal and external consultation, and is a lever for the Group’s transformation and a tool for its management.

Consisting of 17 dated and quantified commitments, the roadmap is accompanied by action plans to achieve the objectives by 2021 and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.The Group’s roadmap is organised around four priorities: to be a collaborative, open and responsible company, to be a leader in the circular and low-carbon economy, to support our customers’ environmental transition with concrete solutions, and to contribute to the common good.

The commitments set out in this new roadmap are accompanied by indicators of results and progress, and will be published annually in the Group’s Integrated Report and verified by an independent third party. They will be the subject of an annual dialogue with a panel of internal and external stakeholders.

Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is currently redefining its sustainable development strategy based on four fundamental pillars. This will include an action plan for 2030 aligned with the SDGs with monitoring and performance indicators. Pernod Ricard sees the SDGs as a common language for its internal and external stakeholders. It contributes to raising awareness of the SDGs by publishing examples of action through various communication channels, including social networks, aimed at society, NGOs, governments, customers, rating agencies and consumers. Pernod Ricard has developed a partnership with Impact 2030 to raise awareness of the SDGs among its employees. The Group sees the SDGs as an opportunity to build on the CSR efforts it has been making for many years and to extend them through partnerships.

Kering

Kering’s sustainable development strategy to 2025 is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The company aims to provide a new definition of sustainable luxury that respects "planetary limits" by committing to continue to reduce its environmental impact, to promote well-being at work and the protection of employees inside and outside the Group, and to encourage disruptive initiatives and innovative platforms for sustainable development.

The scope of the 2025 strategy encompasses the entire supply chain and aims to integrate sustainable development right from the start of the creation process. Guided by the SDGs, Kering has also set goals for 2025 structured around three themes: care, collaborate and create.

Associations and research

Some associations are mobilising their knowledge and expertise to complement the work carried out by government departments.

La Fonda association

Fonda, an association of public utility, is a think tank for the associative world. It has placed its research work under the banner of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): it provides insights and tools for understanding the phenomena at work in society, exploring their effects on associative action and feeding into the strategic decisions of associative leaders and their partners.

Its« Faire ensemble 2030 » project has a threefold objective: to provide a better understanding of the SDGs; to make associations aware of their potential to contribute to a universal and shared agenda and suggest that they include their actions in it; to build partnerships and renew dialogue with public authorities on the basis of shared guidelines. In March 2018, Fonda produced an analysis that deciphers the changes taking place in society, identifying the key trends, the major areas of uncertainty and the emerging issues that need to be taken into account in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Iddri

The Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) is an independent research institute and a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue that identifies the conditions and proposes tools for positioning sustainable development at the heart of international relations and public and private policies.

IDDRI’s objective is to outline the transformations in the governance of sustainable development, both in its institutional and non-institutional components, and to debate its achievements in relation to the SDGs. More specifically, it follows the establishment of new international sustainable development institutions and the appropriation of the SDGs by stakeholders in France and Europe.

FWP

The French Water Partnership (FWP) is a platform for French public and private players in the international water sector. It brings and 140 members together from NGOs, companies, local authorities, researchers, as well as the State and its public establishments. The FWP has been working for 10 years to put water on the global political agenda. It promotes a multi-stakeholder approach to water-related issues at international level and makes collective use of French expertise. A specific working group on the Agenda 2030 is led by the FWP, produces guides, and makes available resources on the SDGs.