Ecological transition: concrete advances for the MAAF campus in Niort

To help step up the pace of transition towards a more sustainable society, we have identified our sources of direct greenhouse gas emissions and set a pathway for cutting these emissions.

The low carbon trajectory provides the basis of the action plan to enable us to reduce our direct emissions by 3% a year between 2022 and 2024, with the aim of achieving a 34% reduction in 2034.

This ambitious programme entails in particular more responsible use of our various sites (central sites, regional sites and MAAF and GMF branch networks) in a way that is more respectful of biodiversity.

Our central site in Niort, the historical home of Covéa Group brand MAAF, is a concrete illustration of this proactive approach.

The Niort campus’s maintenance teams recently obtained the EcoJardin label under the French government’s biodiversity plan, in recognition of its commitment to a generalised approach to ecological management of planted areas.

This commitment has been supported since 2016 by the teams at Covéa Immobilier, our subsidiary in charge of managing operating sites as well as the Group’s investment properties, resulting in a number of advances:

• The move towards “zero pesticides”, i.e. not using synthetic pesticides in order to protect people’s health and biodiversity;
• Enhancing biodiversity by means of careful mowing, diversified planting and selecting local species, and even installing beehives;
• Maximum use of electric equipment to limit air and sound pollution;
• Sensible water management, with the installation of a rainwater collection tank and optimised consumption management.

In addition, the site will generate its own renewable electricity thanks to the installation of 3,000 photovoltaic panels on shade shelters.

These panels will generate 1 million kWh of green energy per year, equal to 10% of the entire campus’s annual consumption, representing an estimated reduction in our direct emissions of five tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.

Electric charging points within shade shelters are also available to all employees, primarily to encourage the development of sustainable mobility.

Environmentally friendly means of transport are another aspect, as the shuttles that operate on the site are now electric. This choice has made it possible to save 25 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year compared with the old combustion engine vehicles.

The Niort site also falls within the scope of the green energy contract taken out at the start of the year with EDF for all of Covéa’s operating sites and investment properties.

Under the contract, a volume of certified renewable energy (hydraulic, wind, solar power, etc.) corresponding to 100% of all of our sites’ electricity consumption is injected into the French power grid.

At Covéa, we strive to create a world that controls its environmental impact.