The Betic branch signs an agreement to integrate the environmental transition into companies

The social partners in the technical design offices, consulting engineering firms, and consulting companies sector signed an agreement on July 9, 2026, concerning the environmental transition of businesses. An amendment to the collective bargaining agreement supplements this text, which the Cinov Federation presented as a framework for engineering, consulting, and digital companies.

The agreement covers several dimensions of the transition: managing the environmental footprint, skills development, digital sobriety, professional mobility, climate risk prevention, and customer support. For design offices and building engineering companies, it also emphasizes their responsibility to specify the design of energy-efficient buildings and resilient infrastructure.

An implementation adapted to the size of companies

The text favors a phased implementation, taking into account staffing levels, activity, and available resources. Very small businesses and SMEs, which are largely represented in the Betic sector, primarily benefit from recommendations and support tools.

Companies with fewer than 10 employees are encouraged to identify three to five priority environmental actions and to hold at least one annual meeting with their teams. For organizations with 10 to 49 employees, the agreement recommends, in particular, a participatory assessment, a simplified dashboard, and an action plan updated annually.

The provisions become more structured as the workforce increases. In companies with 50 or more employees, climate risks must be integrated into the prevention measures outlined in the annual occupational risk prevention and working conditions improvement program. Companies with at least 300 employees must, for their part, address environmental issues in negotiations on employment and career path management.

Training employees on new environmental challenges

The agreement encourages companies to identify the skills that will need to evolve as a result of the ecological transition. This approach can be supported by the frameworks and studies of the sector's skills forecasting observatory, OPIIEC.

A first level of awareness focuses on climate, energy and biodiversity issues, but also on digital sobriety, the circular economy and regulatory obligations applicable to businesses.

Training must be accessible through the skills operator Atlas and various industry-specific schemes. The text also provides for the possibility of having prior learning recognized through the "Ambassador for Ecological Transition in Business" certification or digital micro-certifications.

Climate risks to be included in the DUERP

Recent heat waves have brought the impact of climate change on working conditions and business continuity back into focus. The agreement requires companies to integrate these risks into their single document for assessing occupational risks (DUERP).

The assessment must notably cover intense heat, air quality, exposure to pollen and ultraviolet radiation, certain biological risks as well as disruptions likely to affect travel, digital infrastructure or energy supply.

During periods of intense heat, companies can consider adjusting work schedules, increasing breaks, implementing teleworking where possible, providing access to fresh water, or creating cooled sheltered areas. For employees working on industrial sites or construction sites, the analysis must take into account the specific conditions of their outdoor assignments.

Companies are also encouraged to study their vulnerability to flooding, supply disruptions and extreme weather events, and then to plan business continuity measures that are proportionate to their organization.

The preferred train for journeys of less than three hours

Mobility policy is another important aspect of the plan. The text recommends prioritizing train travel when a rail journey of three hours or less is available, except in cases of specific constraints related to organization, safety, or service continuity.

It also encourages the use of videoconferencing for avoidable travel, as well as cycling, carpooling, public transport, and the sustainable mobility pass. However, the measures adopted must take into account local realities, particularly in areas poorly served by public transport.

Digital sobriety is also a factor.

For digital companies, the agreement recommends extending the lifespan of computers and phones, making greater use of repair and refurbishment, and limiting redundant equipment or infrastructure.

It also encourages companies to raise employee awareness of the environmental impact of messaging, data storage, and generative artificial intelligence. Digital services produced by the sector can incorporate an eco-design approach, particularly by drawing on the General Eco-design Framework for Digital Services.

The agreement also mentions the use of more frugal artificial intelligence and the measurement of the footprint of services or models developed when technical means allow.

An agreement scheduled to last until the end of 2030

The text concerns companies covered by the national collective agreement for technical design offices, consulting engineering firms and consulting companies, identified by the IDCC code 1486.

It is concluded for four years, from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2030, but will only take effect on the first day of the month following the publication of its extension order in the Official Journal. It does not set any overall quantified emissions reduction target for the sector.

An ecological transition barometer is to be developed in 2027 and then updated annually. An interim assessment is planned for 2029 to evaluate the implementation of the agreement and consider its potential revision.

“The recent heatwaves remind us that climate change is now a very real challenge for businesses. Adapting our organizations is essential. But our responsibility goes further. Consulting firms design the solutions that will enable regions, businesses, and citizens to better cope with these new climate realities. By signing this agreement, our sector is choosing to anticipate, invest in skills, and strengthen its capacity for innovation. The ecological transition is a tremendous opportunity to create value, develop new expertise, and solidify our companies’ position at the heart of the major transformations in our economy,” says Magali Cottave, President of the Cinov Federation.