The ACFCI and Aviva and its general agents, have announced their partnership to promote the environmental management efforts named “1.2.3 Environment” and “EnVol - Voluntary Undertaking of the business for the environment”.
The Assembly of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ACFCI) and Aviva, the sixth largest insurer in the world, and its general agents, have announced their partnership to promote the environmental management efforts named “1.2.3 Environment” and “EnVol - Voluntary Undertaking of the business for the environment” among small and medium businesses and industries. This partnership is fully set within the objectives established by the laws that put into effect the summit of the environment.
The objectives of this partnership are as follows:
- To support the largest possible number of small and medium businesses and industries in the control of their environmental impacts, and also reduce the risks of adverse effects on the environment,
- To allow them to progressively integrate good environmental practices,
- And simultaneously develop their competitive edge.
“1.2.3 Environment” is an effort initiated by the ACFCI in 2006 which allows businesses to move step by step towards the ISO 14001 certification1 and/or EMAS recording.
“EnVol - Voluntary Undertaking of the business for the environment” is a new effort, complementary to 1.2.3 Environment, particularly suited to small businesses. It aims to allow companies with fewer than 50 employees, which respect the first level of undertaking of 1.2.3 Environment, to obtain an “EnVol” rating without having to go as far as the ISO 14001 certification or EMAS recording.
This agreement, signed by the ACFCI and Aviva, is based on the pooling of their networks and skills in order to assist business owners in their environmental efforts:
- The Chambers of Commerce and Industry offer assistance at both national and local level, which allows small and medium businesses to undertake commitments in their “1.2.3 Environment” and EnVol” efforts: technical support of the environmental consultant of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, provision of tools (statutory monitoring etc), financial support, organisation of information meetings and exchanges (environmental clubs), setting up of trainings and collective assistance operations etc.
- Aviva offers full insurance protection to small and medium businesses on the subject of third party liability and environmental responsibility. Within this framework of the partnership, Aviva is offering any “1.23. Environment” certified business or any business that holds the “EnVol” rating, a 5% reduction on the premium of the Corporate Multi-risk, Corporate third party liability, Mercury or Industrial Multi-risk insurance contracts.
1.2.3 Environment
In 2006, AFNOR published an environmental management reference in stages, allowing companies to progressively put in place the requirements of the standard ISO 14001. The 1.2.3 Environment effort offers businesses three levels of performance:
- Level 1: prior statement of the premises and light EMS based on the major stakes of the company
- Level 2: exhaustive environmental analysis and light EMS
- Level 3: EMS formalised according to the standard ISO 14001 with the possibility of completing according to the EMAS regulation.
Now that it is up to scratch, this progressive effort is of a nature such as to make the ISO 14001 accessible to the largest possible number of businesses in France. Thus, since its launch, more than 650 establishments have already signed up to this instrument, and more than 500 of them have received a 1.2.3 Environmental or ISO 14001 certification as of today.
EnVol - Voluntary Undertaking of the Business for the Environment
“EnVol - Voluntary Undertaking of the business for the environment” is a rating attributed by the ACFCI, in partnership with the ADEME and the Permanent Assembly of Chambers of Trades and Cottage Industry (APCMA), to small and medium businesses - very small businesses of fewer than 50 employees which comply with the first level of the AFNOR reference developed for 1.2.3 Environment.
The EnVol rating allows these businesses to achieve recognition of an environmental effort particularly suited to their size. This instrument has been experimented on from 2009 to 2011 among 150 companies, and is to be deployed on a long-term basis in January 2012.
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Press contacts:
ACFCI
Jan-Erik Starlander
Telephone: +33 (0)1 40 69 39 05
Email: je.starlander@acfci.cci.fr
Aviva
Karim Mokrane
Telephone: +33 (0)1 76 62 76 85
Email: karim_mokrane@aviva.fr
Notes to editors:
1 The international standard ISO 14001 prescribes the requirements related to an environmental management system (EMS). It involves the company in an undertaking to reduce nuisances and enhance continuous improvement, and it provides an attached guide for its application. It introduces internal and external communication requirements to the interested parties, for the prevention of emergency situations and the capacity to react to them.
About the ACFCI
The ACFCI represents all of the local and regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry. It provides a national plan and the leadership missions of coordination and representation of the Regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCIR) and the territorial Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCIT). It leads and coordinates their informative, consultancy and training actions which they carry out among the industrial, commercial and services companies, in order to encourage their durable development.
www.cci.fr
www.cci.fr/developpement-durable
About Aviva
Aviva is the sixth largest insurer in the world with more than 44.5 million clients spread over Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific zone. The major sectors of the Aviva group are life insurance and long-term savings, assets management and damage insurance, with a total turnover of €55.4 billion and €468 billion of assets under management on 31 December 2010. With more than 180 years of experience in France, Aviva is among the top 10 insurance market operators. Aviva France offers a complete range of products to three million clients, individuals, and small and medium businesses.