Thirsty for sober energy?

Anne LAFONT TBS Education 1988

Rédactrice en chef des cahiers de la Tribu

fondatrice de l'agence de communication Légendes

Pour nos entreprises et leurs marques, la sobriété est un nouvel enjeu. Qu’elle soit une préoccupation conjoncturelle aigüe ou une réflexion à intégrer à une stratégie sur le temps long, elle se pose à toutes nos organisations.

Nous avons choisi de questionner des Alumni sur leur vision de cette problématique difficile. Nous les remercions chaleureusement d’avoir pris le risque de s’exprimer sur ce sujet pas si consensuel qu’il le parait et de nous raconter comment leurs  entreprises s’attaquent à cet impératif à priori contre-intuitif dans une économie à la recherche de croissance. Pourrons-nous vraiment surmonter l’urgence impérieuse de sobriété et transformer cette nécessité en opportunité ?  

In a short period of time, our economies are seeing an accumulation of many crises that call into question our methods of functioning and practices. The health crisis in 2020 not only put a large part of the planet's activity on hold behind the walls of our lockdowns, but also stunned our society, forcing it to see itself differently. The Covid 19 pandemic also led to supply crises and highlighted the weaknesses and dependencies of our economic models. 

A year later, just as the West seems to be coming out of the worst of the health crisis, the war in Ukraine once again caused a violent shock in our societies. This conflict has had global consequences, particularly creating strong tensions around energy and food supplies that are becoming clear "weapons of war".

The inflationary consequences and the risks of food shortages are profoundly changing global economic conditions. 

Inflation is in Europe, Russia, North America, the Middle East... The threat of famine is growing in Africa. For the first time in decades, there are fears of winter’s arrival in Europe. 

Our economic model based on abundant and cheap energy is heavily impacted by the energy crisis. 

This is when the words energy sobriety are articulated and publicized. How can we be sober in an economy that devours more and more energy?

Simultaneously, the climate crisis is becoming a clear and noticeable reality for everyone, as fires and drought devastated the summer of 2022. The media coverage of the publication of the IPCC reports further reinforces this awareness. This climate crisis also directly challenges our economic models fueled by high energy consumption that generates CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. Here again, the word sobriety becomes essential.

The questions asked to companies regarding these calls for sobriety are numerous.  The search for solutions is one of the first questions. How can we consume less energy, how can we become sober in companies when our economies are "fueled" by oil, gas, and coal? How to respond to these geopolitical, ecological and economic necessities? 

We can first question the energy providers who must succeed in supplying enough energy in a situation of armed conflict that is creating a form of shortage. This is the first challenge. In this inflationary context, controlling prices to avoid recession is also partly their responsibility.  

Beyond this situation, they must also take up the (paradoxical?) challenge of reducing their customers' consumption in a sustainable manner, With new energy sources, new technologies, new practices, new supply sources?

For all companies, this is likely to mean finding new value.

We can also look to companies whose survival will largely depend on their ability to consume less energy and have people consume less energy. And therefore, emit less CO2. The aeronautical companies and their clients, construction companies, car manufacturers. For some, it means working on new engines, for others on new processes and new supplies.  For all of them, it is likely about finding new value. 

In general, we can extend the questioning of sobriety to all companies, not only by examining their manufacturing methods but also their organization. Here, the very short term, getting through the winter, meets the long term: transforming the company to make it environmentally virtuous. Can this objective be the sole mission of CSR? Or should CSR become the core of companies’ strategy?

Finally, when we have exhausted the means of producing more soberly, we can look at the means of consuming more soberly.

We can then question the ability of new technologies to make our economies more sober. New fuels, new engines, new modes of production, low in energy but also in raw materials and natural resources. Can technology and progress save our society’s model? 

Finally, when we have exhausted the means of producing more soberly, we can question the means of consuming more soberly. Can the need for sobriety aim to reduce consumption? How can we reconcile the legitimate desire for growth of companies that are constantly looking for activities that allow them to invest, innovate, and pay their employees and shareholders well, with a sobriety objective? Is it possible for a brand to seek to reduce the consumption of its products and services? Is a growth project compatible with a sobriety objective? 

The agri-food industry, fashion, but also tourism, digital, and all sectors of mass consumption are concerned. It is the value system of companies that will be shaken up. 

Are there other ways of understanding sobriety? To respond, companies have already invented a new added value: one that takes into account and values the environmental impacts of our consumption. How can this be achieved without regulation on one hand or green washing on the other?

Consuming less but consuming better would be a solution to avoid losing value. The question remains as to what this could be.

Consuming sustainable advertising, sober events, products without long transportation, products made from recycling or repair? Can everything that appears superfluous - but who will decide? - be sober?

As you can see, we had many, too many questions to ask. With this dossier of testimonies from our Alumni, far from being exhaustive, we nevertheless hear a little of what, even silently, is happening in our companies.

Enjoy the read !

AND WHAT DOES CHATGPT THINK? 

We put the question to him. Here's what ChatGPT had to say about sobriety and business. In a nutshell, he's all for it.

« Corporate sobriety is an increasingly important concept in the business world. Sobriety means being aware of the resources available to us and using them sparingly and efficiently. Adopting a more sober attitude is a vital way for companies to reduce their costs and ensure greater profitability. Sobriety implies better management of resources, more efficient processes and more virtuous practices. Sobriety is therefore a means of improving business performance and efficiency. Indeed, if companies are more sober, they consume less and can therefore reduce their costs and increase their profit margins.

Corporate sobriety can also have a positive impact on the environment. If companies adopt more frugal practices, they can reduce their carbon footprint and lessen their impact on the environment. It can also have a positive effect on a company's reputation, as consumers are increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.

Finally, corporate sobriety can also benefit employees. If companies are more frugal, they can devote more resources to their employees, offering them benefits and opportunities that go beyond their salary.

In short, if companies are to succeed in the long term, they need to adopt a more sober attitude. It is important for companies to realise that they cannot simply consume without limits. They must take the necessary steps to ensure that they use their resources efficiently and responsibly in order to reduce costs, improve performance and build a more sustainable future. »