International Workshop for Global Sustainability presented by the Partnership for Global Sustainability The Global Triangle Region of North Carolina Panel session on the Sustainability approach, 23 October 2018 “Space for a Sustainable future” The Sustainability/ CSR approach of ESA and associated reporting Nathalie MEUSY, Expert in Sustainability/ Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy Department, European Space Agency October 2013 ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 1 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use Nathalie.meusy@esa.int
Introduction ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 2 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Introduction Sustainable Development which can be defined as the • challenge aiming at conciliating ecology and social and economic development, is one of the most urgent issues facing society at large . What is at stake is the long-term survival of : * all living organisms (animals, vegetables and human species) and also * our social and economic systems. The current environmental situation worldwide is the • result of different factors: natural resources depletion climate change and to a certain extent: the human behaviour impact. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 3 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Introduction As a major actor in society, any company, any organisation • has an important role to play in order to preserve resources of all kinds , and demonstrates its commitment towards Sustainable Development (translated into Corporate Social Responsibility for an organisation or a company), through its strategy and its day-to-day functioning. It has not to be a burden for staff and managers but an aim to improve the situation at both local and global levels. This is a matter of responsibility towards the citizens and • towards the planet we live on . Space players in general and space agencies in particular are • key to show the pathway to be taken, influence the general public and raise their awareness, inspire them to change mindsets through their core-business activities. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 4 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Introduction Risks not to commit and act towards sustainability To be excluded as an organisation from the world-wide • (and European) agenda on Sustainable Development (including the global environmental issue). To step backward from the best practices already adopted • by Industry, other space agencies and even our States policies on Sustainable Development or Corporate Social responsibility. Last but not least not be in coherence with our core- • mission/core-business : exploration and exploitation of space for peaceful purposes (for ESA) and contribution to a more sustainable society and planet. Space operations must be sustainable. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 5 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Introduction Necessary to align our existing practices on best • standards for our internal operations but also for our projects in our core-business activities with the most innovative or qualitative solutions in the sustainability field. Obvious and essential to cooperate with external • partners on various sustainability issues: Space agencies : NASA, CNES, DLR…(e.g: on • common goals, environmental management systems, green engineering, materials and processes substitution, testing or obsolescence problems) Industry : e.g on traceability and transparency of • information in the supplier chain (substances, processes). Universities and research communities for • updated benchmarks and expert studies and exchanges on specialised topics. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 6 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
PURPOSE OF ESA “ To provide for and promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European states in space research and technology and their space applications.” - Article II of ESA Convention 7 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
SUSTAINABILITY @ESA: A STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS/MANAGEMENT APPROACH ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 8 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
A stakeholder relations approach Among Planet, Profit, People , corresponding to the environmental, economical and social (human) pillars of sustainability; the People part is not the least. As a consequence, stakeholders’ relations/management are fundamental in the successful implementation of Sustainability/CSR. Sustainability and CSR: why do they represent key policies and strategic issues for a company and an organisation? Þ Responsibility and accountability towards shareholders or stakeholders , Þ Increased importance of the legal framework in the sustainability field to which organisations, their managers and staff have to comply with. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 9 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Þ Respond to customers or citizens requirements and expectations, a question of image towards public at large Þ Lastly, sustainability materialises through both a global reflection and local actions in particular with communities . Due attention must be paid to the local environment and its population when an activity is performed on territories (also for legal reasons). Behind all this: there are people, human beings and their strategies, behaviours, actions. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 10 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
As a space agency it is essential to establish the right dialogue with our stakeholders, by chosing the right format and content. Because sustainability is definitely a topic to be shared. Let’s see how ESA connects with its stakeholders and first of all who are they. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 11 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
ESA’s stakeholders ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 12 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Relations Towards external stakeholders: The decision-makers, the citizens, the tax payers Space programmes and applications: Support public policies • Help in reaching any of the challenges of the U.N • Sustainable Development Goals by providing tools and data • Contribute to a more sustainable society and to a more • secure and healthy planet Lastly, by the creation of socio-economical values, space • can also help to boost a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 13 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Towards partners and suppliers Space actors share the same types of concerns, challenges and opportunities. Exchanges of best practices are key for partnering and cooperating: - In the materials and processes domain (use of hazardous substances), Constraints mainly concern environmental regulations: current and future ones and our ability to react to their requirements and find adequate responses. The REACH ( R egistration, E valuation, A uthorisation and Restriction of Ch emical substances) Regulation illustrates this risk. - In the building and infrastructure area (energy savings and other environmental aspects), - In the risk mitigation domain, in the supply-chain and responsible procurement fields, etc . ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 14 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
The public at large Reporting on sustainability, a key policy element: For transparency purposes • To measure the evolution in commitments and • associated resulting actions (e.g: the 20/20/20 EU target) To show how the business is run • To benchmark with partners. • To disclose extra-financial data: environment and • energy, HR and H&S, governance informations. Interesting to note that there is a trend in emerging • countries: customers ask for more transparency and dedicated actions in the sustainability field. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 15 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
Towards internal stakeholders As from 2007, in a stepped approach, ESA has committed to be exemplary as a space agency and as an organisation and had the ambition ‘to be a model Agency for clean, responsible and sustainable space activities’. The first stakeholders involved and committed were and still are the ESA 22 Member-State Delegations . But this also implied a change in the way staff saw and run their profession. This was a real change in mindsets. Regarding core- business activities it implied a cleaner and greener way to do things (i.e through ESA CleanSpace initiative which comprised the core business activities) and regarding support activities it also implied behaviours more responsible towards the Environment but also the Economical and the Human, Health and Safety aspects. ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 16 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
This was the reason why in 2010 ESA Member States deliberately chose to implement a comprehensive Sustainable Development policy based on the ‘holistic’ approach which comprised respective actions in outer space and on the ground with four main areas: =>Environment =>Social (human ressources, health and safety) =>Economic =>Governance This global framework policy was followed in 2011 by a policy only focused on Environment called « Sustainability of ESA sites » ESA Presentation | DD/MM/YYYY | Slide 17 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For Official Use
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