Can you share with us your journey towards a new business model, which reconciles social and environmental impact with economic profit?
In 2009, reconciling the economy with societal and environmental issues was simply an entrepreneur’s vision. This is what gradually gave life and substance to the Camif relaunch project: we proved that it was possible to imagine an alternative model to that of mass distribution by prioritizing local, quality and sustainability. Thanks to meetings with researchers and the Citizen Capital impact fund, we did a long work of introspection to define the positive contribution that we wanted to express through our brand. It was necessary to put a reason for being back at the heart of the project after the 2008 crisis, with already, in the background, the conviction that the companies that are most useful to society would also become the most successful.
For two and a half years, we questioned all the stakeholders of the project – our customers, suppliers, partners, employees, and even our shareholders – on the meaning of Camif’s existence. What is its purpose? How can it be useful? This work of introspection allowed us to define and include our mission in our statutes, by giving it a voluntary and binding framework for our shareholders, which strengthened the commitment around the project. Subsequently, this vision became an incredible lever for innovation to invent a model with economic, social and environmental value.
This mission-driven company project that we defended with Camif then became a model recognized by law in 2019. Having a structuring framework perpetuates the commitment.
What are the legal contours of the mission-driven company?
The mission framework requires the company to formulate its positive contribution and to modify its governance. These requirements also allow for a real creative tension between the short term, which is more financial, and the medium to long term, which is more societal and environmental.
There is the obligation to be accountable, with the mission report issued every two years by an independent body. It is a fairly robust framework that leads the manager to clarify his vision of the positive impact he seeks to have on society.
Camif’s positive contribution is responsible consumption and the circular economy. With dedicated governance, the mission continues even if the manager or shareholders change. The mission is written into the statutes, it is a skill of the company, it is part of its strategic plan, it is its brand image, it gives credibility to the economic model. We must be accountable, there is an audit, it is solid. Having such a framework does not necessarily mean that we are a better company than another, but it can be a very useful transformation accelerator if we take it on sincerely.
Can business change the world from within?
We are the first generation to have become aware of the link between our lifestyles, travel, production, consumption, and what we observe in terms of climate change, biodiversity, etc. And we are also the last generation to be able to act. However, States cannot do everything, nor can citizens. We must act together.
The new model of success must be written by businesses because they are the ones who will transform the world. Our businesses are anchored in the territories and linked to their entire value chain. They therefore have an incredible power of transformation and an agility that no State could have.
But is it really possible to act collectively until we abandon competition for a model of cooperation?
I think that we should no longer accept that our companies are subject to competition from companies that do not respect our standards. Acting together requires a rigorous legal framework. I would like to see more demands from Europe, less naivety and above all more fairness for better regulation of market access. I also had the opportunity to speak on this subject in the European Parliament and I will continue to call for a European directive: we must build a European framework for contributory capitalism.
That being said, the vision that we have in Europe of the political role of business is already deeply out of step with the Chinese and American capitalist models
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