3 - Introduction to engagement
Introduction to step 3: definitions, governance, requirements and deliverables.
The Bilan Carbone® vision is not solely focused on carbon accounting and the definition of a transition plan. It is an approach in which the engagement phases are fundamental and ambitious. In order to facilitate the move to action, the Bilan Carbone® approach requires engagement around the Bilan Carbone® project and the transition plan that will be deployed.
Engagement continues uninterrupted throughout the entire Bilan Carbone® approach. The timing of each engagement phase is provided here as a guide: what matters is that the right messages are delivered to the right audiences.
To achieve engagement, the Bilan Carbone® approach involves several phases: popularising the issues to raise awareness, empowering stakeholders, co-constructing actions, then presenting and communicating results. These different engagement phases must be adapted to the different maturity levels, steps, stakeholders and organisational profiles:
Step 3.1.1: At the launch and scoping of the Bilan Carbone®
Step 3.1.2: At the launch of data collection
Step 3.1.3: Upon completion of the GHG emission profile
Step 3.1.4: For the construction of the transition plan
Step 3.1.5: In summary of the approach
🌐 English version of this image.
Glossary relating to the Engagement steps
All terms relating to the engagement steps are explained in the glossary. They are recalled below:
Engagement action: this is the combination of an engagement phase (awareness, empowerment, co-construction, or presentation), at a given step, targeting one or more audiences, with a more or less specific adaptation of messages according to the organisational profile.
Overview of the different engagement phases:
Awareness and popularisation 🧠: The main objective of awareness and popularisation of the issues is to understand in order to act: reinforcing understanding of essential information around energy-climate issues, and bringing people together around the approach to ensure better integration of the transition plan.
Objective: Create the necessary foundation for a good understanding of the issues, acceptance of change and future actions to be undertaken, and enable the organisation to identify the risks and opportunities associated with ecological transition.
Indicator: Level of knowledge and understanding of the issues.
Empowerment 🙋: The main objective of empowerment is to give everyone a role in the approach. Stakeholders must become aware that every degree counts, that every action counts, and therefore that every employee counts in the implementation of these actions. The organisation must become aware that this is a matter of sustainability. New responsibilities will emerge from the approach and will add value to existing positions by taking into account an essential component linked to the durability of the activity.
Objective: Involve and empower each stakeholder to get moving and take action.
Indicator: Level of participation in the approach and level of transition to action.
Co-construction 💭: The main objective of co-construction is to value initiatives, sharing, and consultation. Co-construction is central, and is therefore closely linked to the other types of engagement: stakeholders being consulted must have a sufficient level of information about the approach, which requires prior effective 🧠 awareness and popularisation, as well as transparent 📢 presentation and communication. Co-construction gives a voice, enables participation, which allows for 🙋 empowerment. It enables identification of the carbon reduction avenues that the organisation and its stakeholders can consider, drawing on their knowledge (of processes, products, the organisation).
Objective: Test the choice of actions against real possibilities and possible alternatives, to arrive at a transition plan perceived as a shared project between the organisation and its stakeholders.
Indicator: Level of participation in the co-construction of the transition plan.
Presentation and communication 📢: The main objective of presentations and communications is to enable the appropriation of results and actions by the various stakeholders concerned. Making the link between global issues, local issues, the organisation's impacts, the role of stakeholders in these impacts, the resulting actions, and the role of stakeholders in the success of these actions.
Objective: Make this approach an initiative that goes beyond the project team sphere to reach other relevant stakeholders (primarily internal employees) involved in the implementation of actions, in a logic of cross-functionality, integration, reputation and exemplarity.
Indicator: Level of knowledge and understanding of results (impacts and actions)
Overview of the different adaptations:
Steps of the approach 🗓️: Engagement continues uninterrupted throughout the entire Bilan Carbone® approach and adapts to the different steps:
At launch and scoping (step 1): awareness and popularisation
For the identification of emission sources and data to collect (step 2): empowerment of information & data holders
For GHG emissions accounting (step 4): intermediate presentation
For reflections on the transition plan (step 5): co-construction of actions
For the finalisation of the approach (step 6): empowerment, presentation and communication
Targets and stakeholders 👥: The stakeholders surrounding the organisation can be distributed as follows. They will be engaged at distinct phases of the engagement process.
Project team, internal champions
Management
Other internal collaborators (employees, staff, volunteers)
External upstream stakeholders (suppliers)
External downstream stakeholders (clients)
Other external stakeholders (financial and technical partners, local actors, professional federations, or other partners on strategic topics for the organisation such as education, innovation, development).
Organisational profile 📊: The different organisational profiles must be taken into account to adapt the messages delivered. They can be broken down by sector & trades, or at minimum between:
Profile or sector "lower emitter or decarbonising"
Profile or sector "very high emitter"
Profile or sector "at risk"
This classification remains subjective, but it can be based on the reference framework proposed in the appendix. Being part of a lower emitter sector does not mean that the organisation is actually a low emitter. This classification must be analysed in light of the organisation's actual activity. For Initial and Standard maturity levels, messages are generally universal. The adaptation of the message becomes increasingly specific and ambitious as the organisation gains in maturity. A specific focus is necessary from the Advanced level onwards, as presented in the following sections and in the appendix.
Governance relating to the Engagement steps
The governance of the Engagement step is part of the overall governance of the Bilan Carbone® approach presented previously. It is the Coordinator who steers the different engagement phases.
Facilitators or speakers can be external or internal depending on the skills sought. To scale up the engagement phases, it is advisable to train a team of internal facilitators. The involvement of certain teams or departments will be essential to the proper conduct of the engagement steps, in particular management and communications.
Requirements relating to the Engagement steps
As a reminder, here is the summary of requirements and recommendations, for each maturity level. Engagement content must take into account the organisation's maturity level. They are explained in detail in the following sub-sections.
Engagement:
H: Engagement targets
H1: Engagement targets at least the organisation's internal stakeholders, i.e. the project team, employees and management.
I: Engagement messages
I1: The following engagement phases: awareness and popularisation, empowerment, presentation and communication, occur at least once in the approach.
J: Engagement steps
J1: At least one engagement action takes place at the launch of the approach, at the intermediate presentation and at the summary of the approach.
Engagement
H: Engagement targets
H2: Engagement targets internal stakeholders (project team, employees and management). It is extended to at least one of the external stakeholders (clients or suppliers), according to their impact in the Bilan Carbone®.
I: Engagement messages
I2: Each engagement phase (awareness and popularisation, empowerment, co-construction, presentation and communication) occurs at least once in the approach, with adaptation work depending on the steps and targets.
J: Engagement steps
J2: At least one engagement action takes place at each step of the Bilan Carbone® approach: launch of the approach, launch of data collection, intermediate presentation, construction of the transition plan and summary of the approach.
Engagement:
H: Engagement targets
H3: Engagement targets internal stakeholders (project team, employees and management). It also targets at least one upstream external stakeholder (suppliers) and at least one downstream external stakeholder (clients), according to their impact in the Bilan Carbone®.
I: Engagement messages
I3: Each engagement phase (awareness and popularisation, empowerment, co-construction, presentation and communication) occurs at least once in the approach, with adaptation work depending on the steps, targets, and organisational profile.
J: Engagement steps
J3: At least one engagement action takes place at each step of the Bilan Carbone® approach: launch of the approach, launch of data collection, intermediate presentation, construction of the transition plan and summary of the approach.
Deliverables relating to the Engagement steps
The information and deliverables obtained at the end of step 3, and associated with the above requirements, are to be reported at the end of the approach:
For example: one row per engagement action. Additional information is useful (format, date, participation, etc.):
Action no. 1.
Date - Format - Participation
Action no. 2 Date - Format - Participation
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Do you have a question? Consult the FAQ. The method is a living document and may therefore evolve (clarifications, additions): find the change history here.
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