Meanwhile Boutique is a member of Impact France , the national network of economic actors with social and ecological impact. But what is an Impact company? This is an opportunity to introduce you to this network of mission-driven businesses and to talk to you about the social and solidarity economy (ESS) .
Impact France: the network of companies with social and ecological impact
Impact France (formerly Mouves , the movement of social entrepreneurs ) brings together companies and entrepreneurs who advance the ecological and social transition within their economic activity.
10 years ago, faced with the realization of the climate emergency, a handful of entrepreneurs decided to act to change society's economic model .
They work to ensure that as many economic players as possible in turn become impact companies .
The Impact France movement has more than 1,000 members today and aims to engage 30% of French companies in this model .
The project also has a political dimension since it intends to have a regional project adopted in 2021 to accelerate the ecological transition of companies.
Impact France also remains an information, sharing and training network which intends to increase the number of its members to encourage exchange.
The movement is also a member of the We Are Tomorrow coalition. This brings together all Impact business networks in France as well as NGOs following the same transition objective.
Impact business, what is the goal?
The idea is to make companies actors of societal changes by allowing them to measure their social and environmental impact , to build an economic model more respectful of people and the planet.
By evaluating themselves with the Impact Score, companies identify areas for improvement and act accordingly to find solutions.
“Every day, they prove that economic efficiency can be combined with social justice and ecological transition. »
Concretely, an impact company is a company that bases its activities on 4 pillars:
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Social impact
The company claims a societal role, whether in the exercise of its activity or the treatment of its employees.
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The ecological impact
There is the desire for a real ecological transition with, for example, measures to shorten the relationship with suppliers or to eco-design its products.
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Sharing values
Financial management is fair and transparent, remuneration is based on a proportionate scale...
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Power sharing
Governance is ethical, decision-making is transparent with gender parity in decision-making bodies
Companies with a social and ecological impact are closely linked to the social and solidarity economy.
What is the social and solidarity economy?
Impact companies are also anchoring themselves in the social and solidarity economy sector.
You have probably already heard of it with the term ESS .
It is an economic sector in which companies have a mission of social utility, because they combine environmental and social aspects with their economic activity .
According to the law for a social and solidarity economy of July 31, 2014, a social utility company must meet at least one of these three conditions in its statutes:
- Providing support to people in fragile economic, social or medical situations
- Fight against economic, cultural and health inequalities and exclusions (territorial cohesion, popular education, citizenship)
- Working for sustainable development from an economic, social, participatory, environmental angle… while having a link with the two previous objectives
As you will have understood, the type of business does not matter . To be a player in the social and solidarity economy, it is above all a question of demonstrating that its activity reconciles economic, social and environmental aspects.
If your company works in the social and solidarity economy sector or you wish to make a transition, do not hesitate to join the Impact France network .
For our part, an article will soon be released about our Impact Score and our improvement objectives for this year.
Photo credit :
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