Laurie BIGNALET (class of 2021)

How are you integrated into your company's commitment to the environment?

In my role, I support companies in all sectors (agri-food, industry, construction, healthcare, services, etc.) in their overall CSR approach, as well as on more specicific issues, such as carrying out a Bilan Carbone® or implementing a sustainability report to meet the requirements of the new CSRD regulations.At O2M, when we advise companies on their policies and actions, it's important to be able to apply the advice we give to ourselves, which helps us to improve over time. I'm lucky enough to work for a caring company on a human scale, where every employee has the opportunity to express his or her views and put forward ideas for maximizing our social impact and reducing our environmental impact, so we're all involved in a collaborative way.

On a personal level, what is your relationship with sustainable development?

Thanks to my studies at EM Normandie, and in particular my Master's degree in Strategy and Sustainable management, I've been able to develop a solid knowledge of sustainable development issues. To be quite honest, before this experience, I didn't necessarily pay much attention to these subjects. During my Master's degree, I became fully aware of the need for action and was given the opportunity to work in this sector. Sustainable development topics are vast and it's hard to know everything about them. However, in the course of my assignments, I've been able to observe the benefits of adopting a CSR approach to provide concrete answers to questions of well-being in the workplace, employee loyalty and collaboration between colleagues. Today, on a personal level, this sector has changed the way I look at my professional activity, and I've come to understand that a small action carried out on our own scale can resonate with other people. CSR remains a question of compromise, and it's important not to adopt a moralistic attitude if we want to move things forward, but rather to listen, encourage and give perspective. I'm also proud to be part of EM Normandie's Alumni for The Planet association, so that we can discuss our day-to-day activities and do our best to help others.but also to do our best to arouse the interest of students and alumni in these themes.

What advice could you give to an EMien who wants to take action in favor of sustainable development?

Develop your curiosity! Sustainable development is a booming topic today, and advances in research and regulations are constantly accelerating this dynamic. I recommend taking part in various training courses, webinars and testimonials (e.g.: responsible purchasing, transport, energy, HR practices...) to develop a 360° perspective and a real capacity for analysis and discernment. Taking part in workshops such as the 2Tons workshop or the Fresque du Climat (and its derivatives) are also a fun way to understand our environmental impact. If you're an EMian, you can easily calculate your individual carbon footprint using the tools provided by Ademe. The results are to be taken with caution, but it's always interesting to know the orders of magnitude and the impact of our activities on our own carbon footprint.