Despite ecosystems being an essential part of life worth hundreds of billions of euros, nature is suffering from human pressures, with more than one million species facing extinction. The Caisse des Dépôts Group is committed to integrating the preservation of biodiversity into its operating activities, practices and financing in order to actively contribute to preventing further losses.
Our biodiversity policy is based on four key principles
PRINCIPLE 1
Measure our biodiversity footprint
By 2024, all Caisse des Dépôts Group entities will be using the tools available to them to measure the biodiversity footprints of their operating activities and investment portfolios. The Group's institutional investors have already published the biodiversity footprint of some of their asset portfolios.
Firm in its belief that economic players need a reliable tool to measure their biodiversity footprint and take these issues into account, Caisse des Dépôts, through its subsidiary CDC Biodiversité, provides companies and financial institutions with a Global Biodiversity Score and a BIA-GBS (in partnership with Carbone 4).
We also carry out analyses of the risks and dependencies of our assets with regard to pressures on biodiversity (in line with TNFD Recommendations).
In concrete terms
Since 2022, Caisse des Dépôts has published the biodiversity footprint of part of its equity portfolios:
- to generate €1,000 in revenue, the activities of the entities held by Asset Management have a (static) impact on terrestrial biodiversity of 268 MSA.sq.m and create a new (dynamic) impact of 26 MSA.sq.m;
- when applied to land take, this is comparable to the use of an existing 268 sq.m car park and its extension by 26 sq.m during the year per €1,000 of revenue generated by the companies in which Asset Management has invested.
PRINCIPLE 2
Reduce our negative impacts
OVEREXPLOITATION OF LIVING ORGANISMS
Aim to source all wood, paper and cardboard from sustainably managed forests and/or recycling channels. Engage in shareholder dialogue with financed companies so that they do the same.
Aim to source all relevant products from responsible fisheries and aquaculture. Engage in shareholder dialogue with financed companies so that they do the same.
Exclusion: activities involving the trade of animals, plants or any natural products that do not comply with CITES.
LAND-USE CHANGE
Land take: our entities have made several commitments to contribute to the French target of achieving net-zero land take by 2050.
Imported deforestation: shareholder dialogue with companies. Exclusion of the most exposed companies.
Sensitive areas: exclusion of activities that have the greatest impact on sensitive areas and engaging in shareholder dialogue
POLLUTION
Chemical pollution: Phasing out then eliminating the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilisers and non-ecological cleaning products.
Dialogue with financed companies: Since the end of 2023, Caisse des Dépôts has excluded companies whose exposure to chemical pesticides represents more than 20% of revenue.
Plastic: shareholder dialogue with high-impact sectors, reducing plastic pollution in our core activities.
Light pollution: targeted efforts for the activities that have the greatest impact.
CLIMATE CHANGE
A policy dedicated to tackling climate change.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Reducing the risk of introducing invasive species to operating activities, particularly by Société Forestière in the forests it manages.
PRINCIPLE 3
Increase our positive impacts on biodiversity
Banque des Territoires committed to devote €3 billion over 2020-2024 to brownfield site rewilding projects; the renovation of water and wastewater networks and the rollout of water-saving solutions; the development of ecological corridors; and waste treatment and recycling.
CDC Biodiversité runs the Nature 2050 programme, which has already supported more than 60 nature-based projects aimed at finding solutions for adapting to climate change, representing total funds of more than €11.6 million.
La Banque Postale-AM and Tocqueville have launched an equity fund dedicated to biodiversity, to which CNP Assurances has contributed €120 million.
In addition, a number of entities are developing innovative solutions in response to the various challenges posed by the preservation of biodiversity.
In concrete terms
Led by CDC Biodiversité, the Nature 2050 programme promotes and finances the rollout of nature-based solutions with quantifiable, long-term results. The programme is driven by a simple commitment:a €5 voluntary contribution to the Nature 2050 programme corresponds to 1 sq.m of nature restored and monitored until 2050.. The projects supported by the programme have a three-fold objective:
- Protecting, managing and restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Mitigating the consequences of climate change
- Increasing the resilience of France’s regions to cope with climate change
Find out how the Caisse des Dépôts Group is committed to biodiversity
Find out more with Nathalie Lhayani,
Head of Sustainable Development Policy
at Caisse des Dépôts.
PRINCIPLE 4
Contribute to research, awareness-raising and training
The Caisse des Dépôts Group will continue to drive biodiversity awareness-raising and research, notably through the “Economy and Biodiversity Mission” entrusted to CDC Biodiversité and financed by Banque des Territoires in an amount of €7.9m over the period 2020-2024; the work of the CDC Research Institute; and the R&D projects carried out by Société Forestière.
Several Group entities offer biodiversity training courses for a variety of audiences.
