Governance and Vision
Cniel is committed to social responsibility and emphasises workplace well-being. While the EGALIM laws have not yet achieved all their objectives they offer an opportunity for the future of the sector.
Cniel social responsibility commitment
Among the areas identified for progress, Cniel has chosen to focus on various projects, including:
- Making new commitments on value distribution by 2025
- Defining its purpose with a diverse group of partners, confirming ISO 26000 as a reference
- Engaging in dialogue with stakeholders
Cniel has 2 stars from AFNOR’s Engaged CSR label
Cniel received 2 of the 3 possible stars from the AFNOR “Engaged CSR” label in 2020, confirming its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). This label evaluates several criteria, such as governance, working conditions, environmental impact, consumer relations, and local integration. Cniel will be audited at the end of 2024 to renew its commitment.
Communication and integration of social responsibility
Cniel has strengthened its governance structures and improved the dissemination of its CSR reports. Corporate social responsibility training sessions have been conducted and are scheduled annually for members and employees.
Additionally, new thematic commissions have been deployed and the CSR dashboard has been improved.
Sustainable Production and Consumption
Cniel has committed to supporting the dairy sector in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2050. Programmes aimed at better valuing grasslands and improving communication with consumers are underway, including the Low Carbon Dairy Farm strategy and the CAP Proteins programme.
Furthermore, to complement these actions, new environmental clauses will be integrated into future tender offers.
Territorial Anchoring and Local Development
Cniel promotes local initiatives, such as the France Terre de Lait Challenge for agricultural high schools and the CLIMALAIT programme to adapt to climate change.
To raise awareness among younger audiences and lead on sustainability issues, Cniel has signed an agreement with the French Agriculture Ministry through which it offers funding for the CAP’2ER® GHG diagnostic tool for agricultural high school farms.
Among projects at regional level are the “mon lait local” (“my local milk”) action and the promotion of agroforestry.
Human Resources and Working Conditions
Cniel has stabilised its workforce and integrated the social responsibility approach into the onboarding process for new arrivals. This will also be integrated into individual employee reviews.
A project is underway to use the AFNOR SPEC-X30-020 standard to strengthen gender equality.
Carbon footprint
Cniel relies on the ADEME method to evaluate its carbon footprint, taking 2018, the year the Cniel carbon footprint was assessed by BL Evolution, as its reference parameter.
This evaluation includes "direct" emissions (Scope 1 within the ISO 14069 context), which typically occur directly on Cniel premises and vehicles, as well as "indirect" emissions (Scopes 2 and 3 within the ISO 14069 context), typically generated outside the premises, including suppliers, service providers, and other partners essential to the activities of Cniel.
In 2018, Cniel's GHG emissions, excluding visitor travel, were estimated at 2681 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The results indicate that inputs constitute more than 90% of the organisation's total greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite the rigor of the methodology, the overall level of uncertainty is estimated at 32%. However, this uncertainty does not affect the hierarchy of emission sources established by the CO2 assessment (Bilan Carbone®). This percentage combines the uncertainty inherent in the Base Carbone® emission factors — which represent average or statistical values— as well as the uncertainty linked to the data used in the calculations.