1) Presentation of ADEME

ADEME (Environment and Energy Management Agency) is a State-funded Industrial and Commercial Research Centre that was founded in 1992 and placed under the supervision of the three ministries in charge of the Environment, Industry and Research. More than 800 people work for ADEME in the three Central Services offices (Angers, Valbonne and Paris) and the local offices in each one of the 26 regions of France. ADEME is closely related to the application of government policies related to the environment and energy.

The main missions of ADEME are to encourage economic agents, local groups and individuals to take into account energy and environmental matters (except water related activities). They are based on three types of competence:
- Technical and scientific expertise to encourage Research and Development into practices and technologies to promote communication, innovation and training.
- Assistance in decision making with regard to setting up projects: advice and recommendations for groups and companies.
- Dissemination of good housekeeping practices.

ADEME Mission Statement

2) Environmental Management

2.1. General Presentation
The basis for environmental policies in many countries is still constituted by a traditional regulatory approach. Now, the Authorities are seeking to promote a new method that encourages more than it penalises, that is to say, closer involvement of economic agents in voluntary approaches. Indeed, the environment is gradually becoming one of the main elements of company management. This is why companies and especially SMEs, which are aware of the importance of the environment in their development strategies (particularly to ensure the longevity of their activities) are becoming more and more involved in this type of voluntary environmental management approach.
Generally speaking, there are two types of approach: approaches centred on production sites and approaches centred on products. In theory this distinction is very clear, but in practical terms even though their development stages are very different, these two approaches have many points in common and they both contribute to the environmental improvement of the activities in question.
Organisation approach: In the dissemination phase, although French companies are somewhat behind with regard to establishing site environmental management, it constitutes an internal company management tool that is founded on continuous improvement. Whether the results of this approach is Eco-Audit or ISO 14001, it is the responsibility of the manufacturers to take immediate action in this area. Moreover, it represents a good tool for professional and local communication.
Product approach: This goes beyond the limitations of the company as it takes into account the stages of the product life cycle. This approach falls into the category of internal and external industrial management. This leads to designing or improving products by integrating a global vision of the environment. This still relatively marginal approach constitutes a complementary and promising method that is capable of conveying the environmental efforts that have been undertaken to the final consumers.

2.2. ADEME and site approaches
Since the early 90s, ADEME has been working with industrial companies in environmental approaches that in 1995 led to the development of a methodological and pedagogical tool called the Environment-Enterprise Plan (EEP). The following year, the ISO 14001 standard on the environment was published. Additionally, a working group called EEP 2000 consisting of companies, research departments, the network of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and ADEME was constituted to develop the tool and to ensure its compliance with the standard.

The Environment-Enterprise Plan (EEP 2000) is:

A methodological tool to help companies to take the environment into account.
while respecting the progressiveness and dynamics of each company.

A pedagogical tool, that covers
 all environmental matters
 all the demands of the ISO 14001 standard.

The involvement of a company in an environmental management approach and the establishment of the EEP above all require a high level of managerial motivation. It must be undertaken in association with an external agent (research department or a professional organisation such as a technical centre) that will explain and validate the approach.

In order to guide companies with respect to their environmental approaches, ADEME has drawn up three technical guides for each stage (prior evaluation, evaluation of the premises, evaluation of the environmental management system). It has also established a financial framework for this type of association (number of days, minimum price per day) and a list of agents.

The EEP is distributed by ADEME and the network of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. It costs 100 euros.

Current distribution level of the EEP: more than 2000 copies.

 

2.3 The different modules of the EEP

The EEP is made up of 4 modules. The main two are “Appraisal” and “ISO 14001”. The "Eco-audit” is a complement and the “improvement of results” corresponds to other ADEME actions in the following areas (waste, energy, air, transport...) or the Water Agency.

The first module, the “Appraisal – first programme” is a self-assessment undertaken by the company with the support of an external agent (research department, technical centre...) that enables a “snapshot” of the company at a given time to be taken.

This involves:
- an appraisal of the environmental situation of the company covering all environmental matters:
- a global approach: background, analysis of the administrative system,
- a thematic approach: energy, water, air, waste, noise, soil and sub-soil, landscape,
- a first programme detailing the improvements to be made, the means to be employed, deadlines...
while respecting the progressiveness and dynamics of each company.

If the company so desires, it can participate in the second stage (module ISO 14001) with the construction of an EMS (Environmental Management System) in order to manage critical points with regard to environmental impact.

 

3) Management Activities in the Midi-Pyrénées.

To conclude, there follows a list of the activities undertaken in the Midi-Pyrénées region with regard to cooperation in management programmes.

The Midi-Pyrénées Regional Environmental Management Programme
Its objectives include the development of a policy to encourage management of the environmental impact of industrial activity in the Midi-Pyrénées region and the undertaking of activities to prepare companies in the Midi-Pyrénées region for ISO 14001 environmental certification in the best conditions.

An Institutional Steering Committee (Regional Council, the State, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Regional Environment Agency (ARPE), the Water Agency, ADEME) was constituted to ensure, within the framework of the State-Region Plan, coherence with regard to financial interventions and technical competences to aid industrial companies that wish to adopt environmental management systems.

A Technical Committee composed of representatives of institutions of the Steering Committee verifies the suitability of the applications and makes proposals to the Steering Committee upon examination of proposed activities.

The organisations involved in this area are ADEME, ARPE, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The regional programme was conceived as complementary modules to support the PEE technical tool and it allows companies to progressively or globally apply a voluntary continuous improvement approach with regard to environmental action within the framework of a lasting development. In the 2000-2004 period, 260 companies were in the “Appraisal/Plan of Action” stage and 97 were in the EMS establishment phase. The objective of the regional programme is to allow 500 companies to take part in the approach. This figure represents 30% of the industrial and food processing companies with more than 20 employees in the region.

Information supplied by Mr Christophe Hévin, ADEME (Midi-Pyrénées Office).

For further information, please consult the following websites: http://www.ademe.fr/ and www.ademe.fr/midi-pyrenees or contact Mr Hévin by email: christophe.hevin@ademe.fr