Carbon footprint
The total quantity of greenhouse gas emissions directly and indirectly associated with an activity, organisation, product or service, generally expressed in CO₂e.
Carbon intensity
The amount of greenhouse gas emissions relative to a unit of activity, production, revenue or another relevant reference indicator.
Carbon neutrality
A situation in which greenhouse gas emissions within a defined scope are balanced by equivalent removals or absorptions; when used at company level, the term should be applied cautiously and with a clearly defined scope.
Carbon offsetting
An approach involving financing projects outside a company’s direct operational boundary that avoid, reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions in order to compensate for some or all residual emissions. It does not replace direct emissions reductions at source.
Circular economy
A model aimed at keeping the value of products, equipment, materials and resources in use for as long as possible through durability, maintenance, repair, reuse and recycling.
Climate change
A long-term change in climate patterns, now primarily driven by the rise in human-induced greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Climate change adaptation
Measures designed to reduce an activity’s vulnerability to current or future climate change impacts, such as extreme heat, drought, flooding or supply-chain disruption.
Climate change impacts
The consequences of climate change for human activities and ecosystems, such as heatwaves, droughts, flooding, pressure on resources or supply-chain disruption.
Climate neutrality
A state in which the net impact of human activities on the climate is zero. At European Union level, this objective is set for 2050.
CO₂e – carbon dioxide equivalent
A common unit used to express the climate impact of different greenhouse gases by converting them into an equivalent quantity of carbon dioxide.
Continuous improvement
A management principle based on measuring results, identifying gaps, implementing corrective or improvement actions, and regularly reassessing practices.
Copper-beryllium alloy (CuBe)
A metallic alloy composed mainly of copper with a small proportion of beryllium, used in certain technical areas of moulds for its thermal and mechanical properties; at end of life, it requires proper identification and routing to an appropriate specialist stream.
CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility
A structured approach through which a company voluntarily integrates environmental, social, ethical and governance issues into its activities, decisions and relationships with stakeholders.
CSR indicator
A quantitative or qualitative metric used to track an objective or measure progress against an environmental, social, ethical or governance commitment.
CSR performance
The level of results achieved by an organisation in implementing and monitoring its environmental, social, ethical and governance commitments.
CSR versus sustainability
CSR refers to the management approach and actions implemented by a company; sustainability refers to the broader long-term objective of balancing economic performance, environmental protection and social progress. CSR is therefore one of the ways in which a company can contribute to sustainability.