1-  Can you tell us a little about your job and Carbon Maps’ activities?

Carbon Maps is developing an “environmental accounting” platform dedicated to food products and consumer goods in general. In simple terms, we account for the environmental impacts (carbon, water, etc.) of all the products of our customers: manufacturers, distributors and food service providers. At Carbon Maps, I’m Scientific Director, which means I’m in charge of the methods, reference data and algorithms used in our calculations. It’s an exciting role, but a heavy responsibility.

2-  Did you take part in the CNE’s open meeting on March 5? Can you give us a few highlights from your speech on packaging and carbon?

The aim of my speech was to raise awareness of the emergence of this “new” environmental accounting, which is very similar to financial accounting except that we count impacts instead of euros. Essentially, my message was that all companies now need to take a serious interest in this subject, just as they do in traditional accounting, because controlling environmental costs will rapidly become a factor of differentiation and profitability for companies.

3-  Generally speaking, what advice would you give to the CNE and its members on how to steer actions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the product-packaging combination (particularly with regard to greenhouse gases)?

I would already advise them to work with us 😊 But more concretely, if they really want to work on reducing GHG (Greenhouse Gas) impacts, I would advise them to take the subject “from the top”, i.e. to make it a General Management issue: to be effective, impact reduction must indeed be managed at a “global” level. To be effective, impact reduction needs to be managed at a “global” level, involving CSR, purchasing, R&D and marketing teams to design and promote “low-carbon” products.