«How can I get my business actively involved in the ecological transition?» This is the question many social and solidarity economy (SSE) leaders are asking themselves within their organizations, in Martinique, the French overseas territories, and mainland France. It’s just a small step from thought to action, and UDES is offering a new booklet that serves as an assessment of its tool: VALOR’ESS, a tool designed to enable concrete action toward the ecological transition and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Two Custom-Made Tools
To support organizations in their ecological transition, UDES offers a tool designed for businesses in the social and solidarity economy: VALOR’ESS. It was developed in collaboration with experts and employers in the social and solidarity economy and enables the measurement of several key criteria across various areas of application: social impact, energy, and carbon emissions. Specifically, it involves «highlighting your purpose,» «measuring your social impact,» and «measuring your carbon footprint,» explains UDES to leaders of SSE organizations.
In addition to VALOR’ESS, UDES has committed to making the BC+ tool available free of charge to social and solidarity economy organizations in 2026. The Tilt movement and the Association for Low-Carbon Transition are partners in this initiative. «This carbon footprint assessment tool, recognized by the government, enables organizations to obtain a certified assessment of their greenhouse gas emissions,» explains the UDES. The two tools are complementary: VALOR’ESS provides an initial, indicative assessment of an organization, while BC+ requires more data to ’produce a certified carbon footprint assessment.«.
The Approach
Being part of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) ecosystem isn’t just a burden compared to other businesses; it should also be an asset that allows us to stand out and support one another. This is the message the UDES conveys in its booklet published in late February.
The figures are clear, according to the 2024 Engagement Barometer: 59% of organizations have implemented an initiative to support the ecological transition and measure the carbon footprint of their operations, and 79% have implemented an average of 3.5 initiatives focused on employee quality of life. Finally, 76% of the organizations surveyed have implemented a measure or have considered the issue of corporate democracy.
This approach and these tools are therefore designed to support social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations, both in mainland France and in the overseas territories; all of them can benefit from these tools to advance their ecological and energy transition efforts. Assessment is the first step before taking concrete action.
Martinique 2050
