Espelia’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Espelia is committed to an environmental and social transition that combines respect for planetary boundaries with a fair and inclusive social model. This commitment involves rethinking both the way we support our clients and our own internal practices.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility
A PARTICIPATORY CSR APPROACH
Espelia has established an ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy through the adoption of a CSR Charter and the creation of a CSR Committee, bringing together around twenty employees. The Committee's objectives are to:
- Develop an annual CSR action plan and oversee its implementation.
- Raise awareness, communicate, and provide training on environmental and social issues.
- Define objectives to reduce our environmental and social impacts.
- Monitor our performance and ensure transparency through the publication of an annual CSR Report.
In addition, Espelia has established:
- A Resources, Climate and Biodiversity (RCB) Club, which serves as a catalyst for the Group's environmental expertise. Acting as both a knowledge hub and a center of technical expertise, it supports our sectoral teams in assisting public authorities while ensuring that our consulting services meet the highest environmental standards.
- An Innovation and Foresight Club, enabling employees to explore strategic topics, anticipate future developments in public policy, experiment with new approaches, and foster methodological innovation, particularly in relation to environmental and social challenges.
A COMPREHENSIVE CSR ACTION PLAN
The continuous improvement of our practices and the implementation of our commitments rely on an annual CSR Action Plan covering eight key areas: business travel, human resources and social policies, waste management, energy consumption, responsible procurement, digital sustainability, our consulting activities for public authorities, and employee awareness and engagement.
CONSULTING SERVICES THAT IMPROVE PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE
Espelia actively contributes to improving the quality of life of communities by supporting public authorities in:
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Enhancing the performance and efficiency of public services.
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Designing sustainable public infrastructure projects and optimizing their financing.
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Strengthening the governance, institutional capacity, and organizational effectiveness of local public authorities.
Espelia Group's commitment to serving the public interest is, in itself, a strong CSR commitment. As a public sector consulting firm, we consider it essential to demonstrate exemplary standards of corporate responsibility and sustainable development in the way we conduct our business and deliver our services.
An employee-driven approach
About twenty employees are driving the discussions and implementation of our CSR approach: they are gathered in our “CSR Lab”. To ensure that all situations are taken into account before implementing changes, all our internal divisions and agencies are represented in this group. A CSR coordinator has also been appointed to lead the work, coordinate actions and liaise with the management team.
In order to ensure that this commitment to environmental and social change is a long-term one, Espelia provides dedicated time for all employees who wish to get involved in the CSR lab.
Our commitments
Espelia's commitments are formalized through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Charter, structured around four strategic pillars that reflect the cross-cutting and complementary nature of our actions. Compliance with these commitments is reviewed annually and published in our CSR annual reports.
Environmental sobriety, adequacy with current social issues, professional ethics, impact of our consultancy activity: Espelia is committed to a more sustainable tomorrow.
1. A LOW-CARBON AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE OPERATING MODEL
- Measure annually our carbon footprint, implement an action plan to reduce the GHG emissions and offset 50% of the total emissions.
- Prioritize environmentally and socially responsible suppliers.
- Minimize waste generation.
- Reduce energy consumption and its associated environmental impacts.
2. ADDRESSING SOCIAL CHALLENGES
- Provide a flexible and high-quality working environment.
- Promote continuous professional development.
- Implement a gender equality policy.
- Promote diversity and inclusion within our teams.
- Ensure transparent and participatory governance.
3. DELIVERING CONSULTING SERVICES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
- Continuously strengthen our understanding of environmental and social challenges.
- Prioritize assignments with strong positive environmental and social impacts.
- Systematically integrate environmental and social considerations across all our consulting activities.
- Minimize the carbon footprint of our international assignments while maintaining close engagement with local stakeholders and field realities.
4. UPHOLDING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
- Safeguard our professional independence.
- Maintain the highest standards of professional integrity.
- Promote long-term partnerships and systematic knowledge transfer throughout our assignments.
- Prevent fraud and corruption.
Environmental review
Our environmental record
The Espelia Group’s 2025 carbon footprint totals 460 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent, or 2.26 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent per employee.
To strengthen the management of its CSR activities, Espelia implemented a new internal tool in 2025 to calculate its carbon footprint using a revised calculation method, still based on ADEME’s carbon database.
Business travel remains the largest source of emissions (253 tCO₂e), followed by internal travel (68 tCO₂e), commuting (53 tCO₂e), and the purchase of goods and services (53 tCO₂e). Digital technology (23 tCO₂e) and energy consumption in buildings (11 tCO₂e) account for a smaller portion of the total emissions. This year’s report includes an initial estimate of emissions related to the use of artificial intelligence tools. This assessment is based on the number of queries made by employees and the best data currently available. In the absence of precise data on the impacts of each query, this estimate involves a degree of uncertainty. Espelia will continue its efforts to improve the calculation method for this category in future fiscal years.
Finally, in line with its climate commitment, Espelia offsets the equivalent of 50% of its emissions by supporting carbon sequestration projects led by Climat Local. https://www.climatlocal.com/entreprises/espelia/
Highlights
50% of our carbon emissions offset each year
Our carbon footprint is calculated annually and published in full transparency. We offset 50% of our residual emissions through certified projects.
100% of our computers are EPEAT Gold certified
All computers purchased by Espelia meet the EPEAT Gold standard, an international benchmark for environmental performance. Their target period of use is set at four years in order to limit equipment renewal.
No flights authorised when a rail alternative exists in under four hours
Our travel policy prohibits air travel for journeys that can be made by train in under four hours, excluding international connections, and promotes the lowest-emission mobility options.
100% of the company’s capital owned by employees
Espelia is a company owned exclusively by its employees. Employees are offered the opportunity to become shareholders after 18 months of seniority, and profits are primarily reinvested in the company’s development.
A gender equality index above 90/100
Espelia consistently scores above 90/100 on the French Gender Equality Index, a statutory indicator measuring workplace equality between women and men. We have also appointed a disability officer to promote inclusion across the group.
All employees trained on key climate challenges
As part of their onboarding, every new employee takes part in a Climate Fresk workshop, an interactive training session designed to build a shared understanding of the climate change. This ensures that all consultants have a common foundation on climate issues.
Espelia supports local authorities, public stakeholders and their partners in the design, management and transformation of local public policies. A consulting firm committed to serving the public interest, Espelia mobilises strategic, legal, financial and operational expertise to help territories build sustainable and resilient solutions.
