Article
Carbone 4 Group 2022 Annual Report
Carbone 4 Group 2022 Annual Report
Check out Carbone 4's 2022 Annual Report
Read Carbone 4's 2022 Activity Report
A Message from the Partners
Carbon 4 in 2022:
Contribute to the transition in every way possible
Global awareness of the climate emergency has undeniably grown around the world in recent years. One COP follows another, as do ambitious declarations from governments and companies. Citizens and NGOs are stepping up and pushing for change. And yet, progress has been slow to materialize in the form of emissions reductions.
It must be said that the problem is complex and systemic. Good intentions are not enough. To take action not only at their own level but also within their value chain and regulatory context, each economic actor must understand all of its stakeholders and ensure that they understand the actor as well.
As a leading player in France in the field of carbon accounting and the developer of numerous assessment and decision-support methods derived from it, Carbone 4 works to help economic actors measure their exposure to environmental risks as well as their scope of responsibility for taking action. Carbone 4’s methods are widely used and recognized. They facilitate action, promote it both within and outside companies, and foster dialogue with stakeholders and partners.
To disseminate its methods as widely and effectively as possible, Carbone 4 aims to engage in a variety of activities, including methodological publications, consulting, foresight analysis, awareness-raising, training, and data dissemination…
Also emphasize adaptation to climate change
Faced with growing uncertainty about the future state of the world, with unprecedented events severely disrupting the functioning of society and the economy (COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, energy prices, and extreme weather events), organizations may feel paralyzed: nothing seems certain anymore, and any attempt to plan for the future seems futile.
However, the climate of the coming decades is relatively well understood: due to the inertia of the climate system and the structure of human societies, the climate in the medium term will primarily be the inevitable consequence of our past greenhouse gas emissions and our existing infrastructure. Climate models (which inform the work of the IPCC) provide a wealth of data that businesses can use in very practical ways. But it’s not enough to simply “draw conclusions” to determine whether a company’s buildings, employees, customers, or suppliers are exposed—directly or indirectly—to climate risks (droughts, heat waves, storms, floods, etc.). Companies must envision a world “in upheaval” to identify relevant actions to increase their resilience. Carbone 4 has been active in this field for several years.
We are significantly behind schedule on this issue. But there is some good news: even amid all this uncertainty, it is still possible to work with some certainties, which allows us to be constructive!
Stay clear-headed… and enthusiastic
Carbone 4’s mission is to work with clarity and enthusiasm toward a society in harmony with the natural world. It should come as no surprise that Carbone 4 prides itself on its clear-eyed approach: our firm’s hallmark is championing a realistic vision that integrates climate science and the biological sciences. We consistently draw our clients’ attention when they speculate on overly optimistic assumptions—futures relying on technological breakthroughs or levels of energy efficiency never before observed—which risk leading to inappropriate actions.
But this seriousness and clarity must not give rise to pessimism, shock, or depression. We have rarely spoken about the topic of enthusiasm. It is a fundamental value that we share with everyone on our team. You have to believe in your chances to take action; otherwise, no one will ever get anything done.
We are facing a problem that is now well understood, one that the public is increasingly aware of, and one that we can begin to address today. The next step is to scale up our efforts, and Carbone 4 is committed to playing its part.
Our Initiatives in 2022
For the Council:
We have doubled the number of our locations: after Paris, where we started, and Lyon in 2020, we have opened offices in Rennes and Toulouse. There is also demand in the regions. It often comes from family-owned businesses, for which the environmental transition is seen as a matter of long-term sustainability.
In terms of sector-specific expertise, Carbone 4 has made significant progress in the agri-food, luxury, consumer goods, and information technology sectors.
From a methodological standpoint, the NZI initiative, which encourages companies to be more ambitious, has continued to gain momentum; the OCARA method has enabled more companies to focus on adaptation and resilience; the IRIS scenario-building project was launched with more than 15 major sponsors and about ten academic institutions; and finally, Carbone 4 has established a Biodiversity practice.
True to its mission, Carbone 4 widely shared its methodological advances through a record number of publications in 2022.
Overall, whether in terms of time spent, number of assignments, or revenue, business increased by 40%.
To support this growth, a new organizational structure has been put in place: a group of “Senior” executives who are now responsible for ensuring the balanced operation and development of the consulting business.
For several years now, Carbone 4 has expanded beyond consulting. We are also active in the fields of data, training, and personal carbon footprints.
Personal carbon footprint:
Launched in 2021, the MyCO2 program reached 17,000 participants in 2022, who were invited to calculate their personal carbon footprint using a tool developed by our teams, consistent with the country’s carbon footprint calculation. The very high user satisfaction rate shows that we have met a genuine need.
Education:
To address the climate challenge, many professions must evolve—either radically, as certain activities come to an end or undergo a complete transformation, or incrementally, in a more gradual way. New skills are needed to take action: assessing carbon footprints, understanding climate data, and using foresight to develop new products and services...
These professional developments require changes not only to academic curricula (initial training) but also to continuing education, with the challenge of scaling up these programs quickly.
Carbone 4 Académie is the group's response to the tremendous challenge of training as many people as possible, and the human resources dedicated to this effort are up to the task.
Data Dissemination:
In the financial sector, the Carbone 4 Group has continued to produce its proprietary data, enabling even the most demanding stakeholders to assess the “double materiality” of climate issues within their portfolios. Whether it involves infrastructure financing through the CIARA platform, listed securities using the CIA, CRIS, and BIA-GBS methods, or bank loans using the Green Weighting Factor, the group’s client base (both French and international) nearly doubled in 2022. In recognition of this expertise, the CIA database was selected by the Eurosystem—the consortium of European central banks—to calculate the climate risks of its assets.
A managing director has been appointed to lead the Carbon4 Finance subsidiary and drive growth in this business.
Cross-functional resources:
To support our growth, our cross-functional departments (communications, HR, finance, and IT) have been significantly expanded.
Our Goals for 2023
Carbone 4 intends to meet expectations—and set new ones—in 2023.
For the consulting division, increasing our impact remains our top priority. This involves expanding the number of companies and projects we work with, while continually refining our approaches and methods to make them even more relevant. Our methodological publications will remain accessible to everyone in order to maximize our impact.
For Carbone 4 Académie and MyCO2, the goal for 2023 is to reach thousands, and eventually tens of thousands, of people, thereby helping to build this “climate army” dedicated to the energy transition.
In the field of data, the implementation of new platforms will enable us to offer more services and make our analytical methods (based on CIA) available to a wider range of stakeholders. We also intend to capitalize on the rapid expansion of our offerings in the field of biodiversity.
Regardless of the field, we hope to maintain the reputation we’ve earned among recent graduates, because we need talented people (who are also motivated!) to tackle these major challenges of our time—challenges that are bound to be—or so we hope—inspiring for young people who thrive on a challenge.
It is the hope of contributing to environmental transformation that will continue to guide Carbone 4’s strategy, and we, the partners, are committed to this collective ambition.
As with any company, this ambition can only be realized under two conditions: rigorous and profitable management, which ensures our independence; and meaningful work and a healthy work-life balance for our teams, which are essential to their creativity and enthusiasm.
.jpg%3Fv%3D2026-06-30T09%253A31%253A20.056Z&w=3840&q=75)
