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- Crédit Agricole, a committed patron
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- Sustainable development and environmental considerations: Crédit Agricole S.A.'s commitments
- Cultural philanthropy: a deeply rooted tradition at Crédit Agricole
- Aid to developing countries: a long-term commitment
- Solidarity is central to our mutualist values
- Supporting education
- Encouraging staff involvement
Our carbon offsetting schemes
At Crédit Agricole, we carry out a proactive policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by our activity (heating, IT equipment, air-conditioning, etc.). But always keen to go further, we are also committed to offsetting our residual emissions.
Reducing and offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions
Our aim is to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce the amount of CO2 we emit into the atmosphere in order to combat climate change.
To do so, since 2008 Crédit Agricole has participated in Kyoto Protocol clean development mechanisms by buying carbon certificates.
As a result, since 2008 22,100 tonnes of CO2 have been offset by buying carbon credits that comply with the institutional quality and transparency requirements for carbon offsetting.
What is a carbon certificate?
Each certified emission reduction (CER) unit is equivalent to a tonne of CO2. CERs can be traded and sold and used to partially achieve emission reduction targets.
Supporting projects that promote social, environmental and humanitarian values
We have come up with a unique scheme to offset our carbon emissions in a useful and effective way. Our policy for buying CERs is based on three requirements :
- a long-term perspective: we choose CERs with a long-term perspective that offer sustainable, virtuous solutions suited to the local context,
- economic and social benefits : the projects financed by the CERs must create jobs and generate income for local people,
- environmental benefits : the selected projects must help to preserve and restore the local environment.
Two types of initiative correspond particularly closely to these requirements.
Biomass use in Brazil
We are financing biomass projects in several regions of Brazil. To avoid large-scale greenhouse gas emissions and local deforestation, we are supporting two medium-sized industries that make ceramic materials, especially tiles. A 7-year support programme enables them to systematically use renewable biomass. The renewable biomass is used to heat ceramics ovens instead of local timber from wild forest areas where there is no environmental management.
Reforestation in France
At home, in 2009 Crédit Agricole Nord de France, in partnership with the French National Forestry Service, planted about 6,600 trees on 4 hectares of Marchiennes Forest in northern France. 600 employees and directors came with their families to plant their tree.
Crédit Agricole Nord de France repeated the operation a year later, planting about 12,250 trees on 7 hectares of forest at Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.