So the title of his new CSR report, "From Earth to the Sun", is no accident. While remaining anchored in the traditions linked to terracotta, TERREAL took a major turning point with a strong development of solar energy to affirm its commitment in the energy transition and the fight against global warming. With this CSR report rich in infographics, TERREAL explains the relevance of its achievements and its objectives, its successes but also certain difficulties, in a context of environmental, economic, industrial and socio-cultural transformations.
CSR is more than a concept for the constantly changing housing sector: it constitutes a powerful performance lever that TERREAL has been able to seize to write its future and guarantee the sustainability of its activities. To achieve its objectives, the Group has indeed defined a strong CSR strategy, structured around 4 main commitments:
- act for the environment;
- support locally;
- develop responsible working conditions and relationships;
- support sustainable innovation.
By targeting a very short-term horizon and devoting immediate investments to it, TERREAL is working to build, promote and generalize a collaborative and operational approach by 2021.
To do this, it relies on a dedicated organization, including steering committees, working groups and advisers for each of the objectives set. TERREAL also produced in 2019 a Code of Conduct which is now applied to the entire Group and has been disseminated to all of its stakeholders.
On the road to low carbon!
Leading a concrete approach to sustainable development is a strategic pillar of TERREAL which seeks on a daily basis to avoid, reduce and compensate for the impacts of its activities through various initiatives, including the application of a low carbon roadmap.
Aware of its role in the conservation of resources and biodiversity, TERREAL undertakes savings actions in order to limit its removal of clay and sand. The company is mobilizing to design career projects with the least impact possible, to revitalize environments and enrich biodiversity during and after exploitation. His careers are also the subject of complementary initiatives aiming to deepen his knowledge of biodiversity and to lead, if necessary, compensation actions.
The culture of patronage written into TERREAL's DNA
The presence of TERREAL on a regional scale implies a relationship of trust and a constant dialogue with all local players: employees, customers, end users, associations, local authorities and institutions.
TERREAL implements actions for training and job creation in rural areas, support for cultural and social initiatives, as well as the preservation of heritage, for example in 2019 the emblematic sponsorship operation of the castle of La Salvetat- Saint-Gilles or the annual TERREAL Terroir Competition.
Castle of La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles
Guaranteeing the health and safety of all employees: an absolute priority
Committed to transmitting and sharing common values, TERREAL places people at the heart of its concerns. Its employees are indeed its first asset and TERREAL acts daily to guarantee them an adapted and healthy working environment.
Thus, working at heights, working on machines and pedestrian-vehicle traffic have been the subject of numerous initiatives to reduce these potentially serious risks.
In 2019, TERREAL even launched its Inter-factory Security Challenge. It thus enables its employees to be involved in their safety and to identify all dangerous situations in order to deal with them immediately and avoid accidents. Prevention has reached an additional milestone with 4 times as many field trips identified, 83% of which have already been processed.
An innovation at the service of its customers and in the development of sustainable housing with solar
Today, buildings represent around 40% of total energy consumption in France and almost 20% of CO2 emissions. Faced with this observation, TERREAL's mission is to contribute to the development of a healthy and sustainable habitat. Maintaining lasting, transparent and ethical relationships with all of its stakeholders, listening to and supporting its customers allows it to keep moving forward and anticipating society's expectations and changes. Already at the heart of TERREAL's innovation strategy, the objective for 2021 is for 100% of its products to be covered by an eco-design approach.
TERREAL's responsible innovation is based on 3 main axes:
- help increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon impact of homes,
- to preserve the identity and heritage character of our regions,
- give customers the opportunity to work safely and preserve their health.
Launched in January 2020, the TERREAL “Tomorrow, All Solar” program is fully in line with this innovation strategy. With this program, the Group is more in line with major building changes to build the habitat of the future through intelligent solar roofing solutions, enable hyperlocalized production of green energy and supports its historic customers in the energy shift.