Ensto in France Adds 60,000 Workers
Most corporations and governments these days have some focus on climate and circularity. Ensto in France is embracing it at every level.
“In France, there are a whole lot of factors that push us to consider the impact of our activity on the environment,” says Christophe Doury, Ensto Novexia’s Quality and Environment Manager, and a key person in Ensto’s CSR program in France. One motivator is that companies in France that are not stewards of the environment simply cannot win tenders. “For many of our customers we know sustainability will become a major issue in the selection of their suppliers.”
But there are many more factors, Doury says, including Ensto Group’s own corporate social responsibility policy. “Then we have ISO 14001. We have our customers’ CSR policies. We have a national decree in France that requires us to reduce our footprint. And, of course, our own employees want to feel that they’re involved in making products that are environmentally responsible. There are so many different things that motivate us.”
For the planet, for ourselves
“We’re a relatively small company when compared to major French enterprises,” says Doury. “We don’t generate a lot of waste and don’t leave a huge footprint. But one area where we can act is in energy consumption.” With electricity prices increasing everywhere, Doury says actions taken at the factory level not only benefit the planet, but also lower operating expenses.
With two factories in France, Ensto pilots its ideas at the factory in Villefranche-sur-Saône, not far from Lyon. Once an idea proves itself, the plan is to take it to the factory Bagnères de Bigorre, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées Department in Southwestern France.
Visible and less visible changes
The most visible change in Villefranche is the installation of 500 solar panels that take up almost 2,000 square meters of space next to the factory. Doury has an app that allows him to monitor generation and consumption, and he knows that on a particularly sunny day solar energy can cover more than 50 percent of the factory's needs. However, despite what French tourism officials might like you to believe, not every day is sunny in France, and Doury estimates that, on average, solar power will cover 30 percent of the factory and office's electricity needs.
A less-visible change is in lighting at the Villefranche factory. In 2022, they replaced 508 neon luminaires with 250 LEDs. "The technology is superior enough that one LED can replace two neon lights," says Doury. "Our estimate is that from this alone we'll consume 17 percent less electricity every year."
Villefranche has also installed a new automatic heating and cooling control system which they estimate will reduce their consumption of gas by 38 percent.
Ensto’s largest workforce
One sustainable action that visitors may not immediately notice at Villefranche is the addition of 60,000 workers. Worker bees, that is. Marion Jimenez, Marketing Communications Specialist, who proposed the project for Ensto's family day, did not have to retrain as a beekeeper to make it happen.
"I researched it to make sure it was doable and then proposed it to the management team. We have three hives, each with around 20,000 bees, and a professional beekeeper comes once or twice a month." She says the bees make enough honey for every employee to receive a jar (with a personalized label), and there's enough left over for customers to get one, too.
But it was primarily done for family day, she says, where kids are always the focus. Jimenez has two children, ages seven and three. "There are some beehives near my house where I walk with my children, and I see how their eyes light up. It's such a natural, sustainable thing, and it teaches kids about biodiversity."
A vos marques, prêts, pédalez! (On your mark, get set, pedal!)
Another effort Ensto has made is to attempt to reduce the number of employees commuting by car. The company offers a bonus for people who don't use automobiles, or who are willing to carpool to work. And there are, of course, EV chargers for those who commute electrically.
In addition, they are experimenting with ten electric bicycles five at each location. "An employee committee did an analysis of where we live, with the idea of getting people to consider alternatives to automobiles. We contracted with a bike rental company, and we offer three different sizes of bicycles that charge when they're not in use."
Most of the bikes get used at lunchtime. The bikes are a great way to take a picnic in nice weather.
Just getting started
Ensto in France is well ahead of Ensto Group’s goal to reduce electricity consumption by seven percent by 2030, though it is yet to roll out these projects to both its factories.
“We’re only now at the beginning of this energy saving process,” says Christophe Doury. “We’ll measure, analyze and, once we’re certain of a positive impact, we’ll execute on a larger scale.”