Actual recycling
The actual recycling of a material at end of life after collection, identification, sorting, preparation and treatment in an appropriate recycling stream.
Base Empreinte®
ADEME’s reference database containing, among other data, emission factors used to quantify environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions.
Baseline year
The year selected as the starting point for measuring and comparing the evolution of an indicator over time, for example greenhouse gas emissions.
Bilan Carbone®
A greenhouse gas accounting methodology used to estimate an organisation’s direct and indirect emissions and identify its main emission sources.
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.
Decarbonisation
The progressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with an activity, product, process or value chain.
Decarbonisation pathway
A time-bound emissions reduction pathway generally linked to a baseline year, interim targets and defined action levers.
Direct emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or directly controlled by the company, generally classified under Scope 1.
Ecological transition
The transformation of economic, industrial and social models to reduce environmental pressures, preserve resources and strengthen resilience to environmental change.
EcoVadis
A platform for assessing corporate CSR performance. Its assessment notably covers four themes: environment, labour & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. It assigns a score and may award a medal depending on the result.
Emission factor
A coefficient used to convert activity data, such as kWh consumed or kilometres travelled, into an estimated quantity of greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy efficiency
The ability to deliver the same level of service or production while using less energy, particularly through improvements in equipment, processes or operational control.
Energy performance
A measurable result relating to the use and consumption of energy by a building, piece of equipment, process or organisation.
Environmental impact
A positive or negative effect of an activity, product or decision on the environment, for example on climate, resources, water, air, soil or biodiversity.
ESG
Acronym for Environmental, Social and Governance criteria used to assess how an organisation addresses sustainability issues.
French National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC)
France’s roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It sets policy directions and carbon budgets to support the French economy’s transition towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
Glossary based on the “Our Impact: Evidence & Indicators” section and expanded with the technical concepts required for its proper understanding.
Greenhouse gas emissions inventory
A quantitative assessment of the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated by an organisation over a defined scope and period.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs)
Gases in the atmosphere that retain part of the Earth’s heat radiation and contribute to global warming; examples include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Human rights
Fundamental rights recognised for every person, including dignity, non-discrimination, freedom of association, prohibition of forced labour and child labour, and working conditions that protect health and safety.
Indirect emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions linked to the company’s activities but originating from sources it does not own or directly control, including purchased energy, procurement, transport or subcontracting.
Linear economy
A model based on extracting, manufacturing, using and discarding, as opposed to circular loops involving reuse, repair and recycling.
Low-carbon transition
The progressive transformation of activities, technologies and organisational models in order to achieve substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Material recovery
The set of operations used to recover value from an end-of-life material, particularly through preparation, recycling or reintroduction into a new production cycle.
Material sufficiency
An approach aimed at limiting raw-material consumption by optimising quantities used, extending equipment life and promoting reuse or recycling.