On June 6, 2024, at the Ministry of Health and Solidarity in Paris, Institut Orygeen and Everwood organized the fourth edition of Neutrality, the National Conference on Contribution to Carbon Neutrality.

After the third edition, which brought together some 30 speakers, CSR directors or managers from committed companies such as Groupama, LVMH, LIDL, Cristal Union and the BEL group, Institut Orygeen and Everwood wished to extend the open dialogue and follow up on the structuring exchanges of the first three years.

Everwood was eager to organize an event on a national scale, given the growing interest among companies in the green transition. Neutrality is a platform for contribution project leaders and companies wishing to adopt a low-carbon approach. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, the conference aims to facilitate exchanges on the challenges, solutions and carbon contribution projects in France, and to stimulate action.

Neutrality offers visibility to professionals in the forestry and agricultural sectors, and highlights effective solutions for which carbon sequestration is just one of many co-benefits (biodiversity, water quality, etc.), in order to improve the environmental impact of businesses.

The fourth edition brought together 31 speakers, including executives and CSR managers from companies such as Moët Hennessy, Ecoact, InVivo, Reforest’Action, Bouygues Construction and Keolis. Alongside these private-sector leaders, a number of experts and representatives from major institutions such as ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Énergie) also participated. Their involvement provided an opportunity to address crucial issues relating to environmental policies and sustainable development initiatives.

Key industry players such as FNSEA, INRAE, CNPF, FRANSYLVA, Forestry France and C3D were also in attendance. The event was organized around six roundtables, three keynotes, a debate and a “regard croisé”.

Four key moments are worth noting:

• The CNPF – Centre national de la propriété forestière, Reforest’Action, France Bois Forêt and Canopée – Forêts vivantes launched an emergency appeal to adapt the needs of the agricultural and forestry sectors to climate change. Olivier Picard spoke of the need to adjust carbon sinks in the face of climate change, despite the 17 million hectares of French forests capable of absorbing 15% of the country’s emissions.
• France Carbone Forêt, a new brand launched by FRANSYLVA Fédération Forestiers Privés de France and CNPF Centre national de la propriété forestière, was announced for the first time at Neurality. The aim of this entity is to generalize the offer of carbon sequestration by forests and to intensify this natural capacity.
• Maï de La Rochefordière reminded the audience of the launch of the ‘Orange Nature’ fund, with a capacity of 50 million euros, introduced by Orange in 2021 and designed to finance carbon sequestration projects.
• Benjamin Lévêque announced the publication of a before-and-after of funded contribution projects (low-carbon label in France, renewable energy projects, cookstoves outside France) prior to the start of the 2024 Olympic Games.