Discover the heart of sustainable initiatives with Béatrice, our CIS Group CSR and Sustainable Development Manager. Explore the mechanisms of corporate social responsibility management in his captivating journey and discover his thoughts on the strategic importance of sustainable development in our organization.

As the Group’s Head of CSR and Sustainable Development since January 2023, can you tell us about your role at CIS?

Taking strong social and societal action in all our countries of operation has always been part of the CIS Group’s DNA. My job is to structure and support the Group’s sustainable development approach around the 3 ESG* aspects.

• Helping to reduce our carbon footprint and protect biodiversity,
• Be a responsible employer towards our employees, clients and suppliers,
• Promote ethical practices and transparency.

The Group’s Carbon Footprint and materiality analysis have enabled us to highlight the areas in which we need to make efforts in terms of social and environmental responsibility.

CSR is a cross-functional function. I work closely with the various head office departments, management and our subsidiaries. I am supported by a Group CSR Committee, which includes a representative from each department and major subsidiary, and which meets every month to discuss progress.

Annual non-financial reporting is the ultimate goal. It’s a real management tool that enables us to report on our progress on the various CSR issues to all our stakeholders.

What sustainable development priorities does CIS want to pursue in the short, medium and long term?

The first step is to structure our sustainable development approach, i.e. to set up CSR relays in the group’s major subsidiaries, make the reporting of extra-financial data more reliable, promote the initiatives already undertaken and generalise good practice. Training employees and management in CSR issues is also an essential first step.

The next step is to support our teams in carrying out actions that have a positive impact on the ground:

In the long term, the aim would be to work hand in hand with our customers to help create a positive impact, together: to be the operator that supports its customers in a more virtuous approach: greener, safer, more sustainable.

As an international and responsible company, we are determined to act proactively to reduce our impact on the environment. What levers is CIS using to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

Reducing our carbon footprint is essential. Following the completion of the Group Carbon Footprint (which measures the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our business), senior management has set a GHG emissions reduction target for 2024: -3% GHG emissions /M€ turnover. This means that CIS is committed to growing more responsibly and efficiently.

Consumption of animal proteins, particularly red meat, energy and travel to and from work are the main levers we can use to reduce our carbon impact at Group level.

Working on less carbon-intensive menus, promoting the circular economy, proposing alternative energy solutions to reduce our energy consumption, optimising travel, and promoting more environmentally-friendly transport (such as rail or cycling) where possible are all solutions on which we will be working with our operational staff.

Given the growing expectations in terms of CSR, what are the challenges currently facing the CIS Group?

The world has changed in 30 years. Like many companies, CIS has to adapt to these new challenges (climate, energy, geopolitics) in order to be part of the future.

Internally, the main challenge is to ensure that these changes are understood and accepted. That’s why it’s important to train our teams so that everyone feels involved and includes a CSR dimension in their day-to-day work. The organisation of the necessary resources on the ground is also a point of attention.

Some of our customers are beginning to grasp the importance of these issues, and we need to forge close links with them. Changing attitudes to the (over)consumption of animal proteins is also a major challenge for CIS.

The circular economy, biodiversity and water are all issues that will become part of the life of companies and for which we need to be able to offer solutions.

What outstanding initiatives have our subsidiaries put in place locally that could be replicated in other operations?

Each year, the Group organizes the “Best sustainable development initiative” competition to highlight exemplary social and environmental actions carried out in our countries of operation.

In 2024, the reforestation program in the Democratic Republic of Congo was awarded the prize for “Best environmental initiative”. Social action of the year was awarded in Kazakhstan for the renovation and support of the first social center in the Atyrau region.

Our teams in Chad also received an award for their ongoing support in the areas of women’s literacy, children’s education, and long-standing support for the “Dieu Bénit” orphanage in N’djaména.