At Groupama, CSR step by step

At a time when the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is on everyone’s lips, Groupama, a benchmark player in the mutual insurance sector, was looking to reinforce its commitment to sustainability, and to demonstrate this through a label. The aim was not only to structure its initiatives in this area, but also to create a rigorous framework for assessing its maturity and identifying areas for progress, as sustainability director François Coste explains: ” We wanted to have a complete diagnostic of our maturity on the subject, adapted to our mutualist model, and to be ready for an official assessment. “

François Coste, Groupama Sustainability Director

AFNOR Compétences has responded to this need with a turnkey offer: the IMPACT method. IMPACT stands for “Impliquer, Mesurer, Projeter, Agir, Communiquer, Transformer”, and is a support method based not on classroom training, but on support provided by a consultant, embedded in the customer’s teams. Dorothea Dupond was the consultant on this assignment, covering three of Groupama’s entities. She explains: ” We began by proposing an inventory of practices based on the Engagé RSE label, inspired by the voluntary ISO 26000 standard, followed by customized support to build up a solid documentary base and prepare the team for the interviews to be conducted as part of the assessment audit.”

The IMPACT CSR method, for progress on the subject

It is this assessment, carried out by a professional who may not be the same one who provided the support, that leads to the awarding or non-awarding of the label.. « Nous avons mis l’accent sur la compréhension du référentiel, l’appropriation par les équipes et l’analyse de la maturité des pratiques “continues Dorothea Dupond. This is the heart of the IMPACT method! From the outset, we work to raise awareness among as many people as possible in the company, right up to senior management level. The aim is to get everyone on board, from the initial snapshot to the action plan. Another aspect of the method is to identify supports and obstacles, so as to avoid thinking out of the box and aiming too high or, on the contrary, too low. At the end of the process, IMPACT’s “T” is fundamental: the aim is to make the approach a lasting one, to anchor it in the company’s DNA and values, as opposed to a “one-shot” approach where the soufflé would blow over as soon as the evaluator or – worse still – the IMPACT consultant left.

“Groupama’s teams were able not only to appropriate the criteria of the reference framework, but also to adapt these criteria to their reality as a mutual insurer-investor. This made our support all the more relevant and effective. “reports Dorothea Dupond.

The first three entities to receive the label

As a result, the Group’s efforts are beginning to bear fruit: following the visit of an assessor commissioned by AFNOR Certification, the first of the 15 Group entities to undergo CSR assessment have been awarded the Engagé RSE label , at “confirmed” level (level 3 on a 4-level scale). These pioneering entities are Groupama Assurances Mutuelles, Groupama GAN Vie and Groupama Centre-Manche. For the other entities, the assessments will run until July 2025, whether they are central or regional. ” This support work has enabled us to better understand where we stand in terms of sustainability, and to capitalize on this experience for the future,” emphasizes François Coste. Thanks to the methodology proposed, the first two entities, Groupama Assurances Mutuelles and Groupama GAN Vie, were able to prepare calmly before the assessor’s visit, by consolidating exhaustive documentation and clarifying their priorities. ” The serenity brought about by this support was a determining factor in tackling the interviews under the right conditions “, adds the sustainability manager. In so doing, Groupama joins a growing number of major accounts that have been awarded the Engagé RSE label, the most solid label for good corporate social responsibility practices.