Interview with Anne Rostaing, Executive Director of La Coopérative Carbone La Rochelle

In October 2024, Carbone 4 spoke with Anne Rostaing, executive director of La Coopérative Carbone La Rochelle.

The Cooperative aims to accelerate the low-carbon transition in its region by engaging businesses, public institutions, and citizens in the financing and implementation of projects to reduce emissions and develop carbon sinks in the region.

Ongoing experiments on the development of carbon sinks in renovation and new-construction projects will help clarify the role of real estate stakeholders in the low-carbon transformation of the regions where they operate.

Carbon 4: How did the initiative come about, and what challenges does it address?

Anne Rostaing: The cooperative was founded four years ago with the goal of accelerating the low-carbon transition in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It has two main missions: support efforts to reduce emissions local stakeholders in the region through individual and collective projects; and develop local carbon sinks in the forestry, agriculture, and real estate sectors (use of reused or bio-based materials in real estate projects)and, more recently, wetlands. It is an SCIC^[1] With no focus on financial results, the guiding principles are usefulness and traceability !

Carbon 4: Who is responsible for monitoring and certifying funded projects?

Anne Rostaing: As part of the Low-Carbon Label initiative^[2], an audit system has been put in place, but it is not activated until five years have passed. In our view, this is not enough. That is the advantage of being based in a region close to the projects, We can provide regular follow-up, at least once a year. We are in contact not only with project leaders but also with experts to conduct assessments and take measurements (for example, measuring the thickness of insulation for a building renovation project).

Carbon 4: What role do companies play in setting up projects?

Anne Rostaing: Companies often serve as financial backers, but they are rarely limited to that role. Their presence within the region creates a sense of commitment, so they are often drive the selection of projects to be funded and guide the co-benefits of the projects. Finally, companies can also initiate projects on their own.

Businesses are not the only sources of funding; public institutions and citizens can also contribute according to their financial means.

Carbon 4: How is the carbon price for projects set?

Anne Rostaing: We need to estimate the project's additional costs and the abatement costs (see box below). These are sometimes too high compared to the market price of carbon, which ranges from 38 to 100 € / tCO2e in our projects. Experiments are currently being conducted to assess the project implementation costs and identify the funding organizations to target. That's what we're currently doing on projects in the construction industry.

Carbone 4: So you’re helping to develop carbon sink projects in the building sector—could you tell us a little more about that? How did these projects come about, what do they entail, and how can they help real estate stakeholders achieve their climate goals?

Anne Rostaing: The cooperative’s goal was to work with all stakeholders in the region, which necessarily includes real estate stakeholders. In the construction sector, there are projects that can reduce emissions (energy-efficient renovations, for example) but also generate carbon credits that enable carbon sequestration, and which Certification is based on the methods of the Low Carbon Label (LBC)^[1] which promotes the use of reused and bio-based materials in renovation projects and the use of bio-based materials in new construction.

We are conducting a pilot program involving five projects with ICADE and the CSTB, residential and commercial buildings, in order to test the LBC renovation method, identify which types of projects generate the most carbon benefits, determine the associated mitigation costs, and study other co-benefits.

These real estate projects will provide a portfolio of local projects, but these types of projects are not sufficient to meet carbon sequestration goals. A projectA building of this type stores approximately 20 to 500 metric tons of CO2e at most, which is equivalent to the profit we can generate from our agricultural projects, which are also designed to improve soil quality and provide food. Studying co-benefits is essential to validating the value of projects. Projects are designed according to the following approach: scaling down to the appropriate level, providing support within the value chain, and offering assistance outside the value chain—otherwise, the effort would be insufficient—and always within a territorial approach. For real estate projects, we place particular emphasis on the restoration of natural areas surrounding the building.

Carbon 4: What lessons have you learned from implementing the initiative?

Anne Rostaing: First of all, the cooperative model perfectly reflects what we want to promote: including everyone in the cooperative’s governance—whether private or public actors, organizations, or citizens—so as to empower all of these stakeholders in a region’s transition.

We are entering our fourth year of operation, and I can attest to the significance this empowerment has taken on:

• The citizens involved provide the labor for participatory projects, ensuring that the projects are of interest to local residents and that the costs remain reasonable;
• Local governments provide a framework through their local strategies, establish urban planning regulations, and protect land;
• Committed companies fund projects and collaborate with one another to ensure not only the region’s transition but also their own path toward carbon reduction.

I see an inspiring synergy: the involvement and coordination of the three parties through our cooperative helps encourage transition initiatives and leaves less room for procrastination.

Our approach has changed little since our early days; we respond to requests to help create and finance transition projects.

Carbon 4: What Does the Future Hold for the Cooperative?

Anne Rostaing: Our organization isn't meant to grow. As such, If carbon reduction targets are met, we will no longer have a reason to exist : Projects compatible with a low-carbon world will exist, and these organizations will be self-governing. The challenge in the coming years will be ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives as their numbers grow and mitigation costs potentially rise.

Beyond our own cooperative, The future of carbon cooperatives is taking shape with the creation of a national federation of carbon cooperatives. The initiative is led by a network of local cooperatives like ours, and the goal is to pool as many resources and as much knowledge as possible to reduce project costs, share best practices, and ultimately accelerate the transition.

➡️ Read the interviews with Icade and Seqens, who discuss their respective approaches to the transition and achieving carbon neutrality.