From impact to proof: a new CSR policy for NaTran until 2030

Faced with the systemic risks caused by the effects of human activities on our environment, science shows that limiting their negative impacts is no longer enough. All stakeholders must work together to contribute to a return to “planetary limits”, the only condition for maintaining the planet’s habitability in the long term.  This “regenerative” approach, based on solid scientific knowledge, is becoming the new horizon for CSR.

For an industrial company such as NaTran, such a challenge implies a profound transformation: of our business model, of our professions and of our practices. It is in line with our ambition to become the benchmark operator in Europe for transporting the molecules of the energy transition, such as renewable and low-carbon gases, hydrogen and CO₂. This transformation can only succeed if we work together with our customers, regions and industries, while preserving the planet and the living world.

We are still guided by the raison d’être we adopted and enshrined in our articles of association in 2020: “Together, we can make a secure, affordable and climate-neutral energy future possible”.

• CSR policy is now an integral part of our corporate strategy. It enables us to identify the impacts, risks and opportunities of our activities for society and the environment, in direct relation to our NaTran2030 business project. Unveiled on 30 January 2025, it is the driving force behind its implementation, and some of its major objectives are included in our new CSR strategy: devoting more than 50% of our annual investments to the energy transition, multiplying by 5 the share of renewable gases in our networks, developing more than 1,000 km of hydrogen and CO₂ networks in Europe, and reducing our carbon footprint by 40%...
• In line with the promise of our new brand, which embodies energy transition and respect for nature, our CSR policy is intended to demonstrate the sincerity of our transformation, through commitments on which the company will be held to account.
• Lastly, because we wanted it to be in line with the new European regulations (European CSRD Directive and Green Deal) and global benchmarks (SDGs), as expected by our stakeholders. The European Sustainability Reporting Directive (SRD) strengthens our reporting obligations. It calls on us to increase the transparency of our information and our efforts in the area of sustainability. Using the double materiality analysis, the reference method at the heart of the directive, 130 impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs) of our business were observed, measured and prioritised.

NaTran’s new CSR policy for the period 2025-2030 is a lever for transformation designed around 4 areas of our raison d’être:

• Area A: fulfil our mission as an energy logistics provider efficiently and responsibly;
• Area B: design and operate an infrastructure that respects planetary limits;
• Area C: work together for the energy transition of local ecosystems;
• Area D: commit with our employees and suppliers/service providers.

Thirteen commitments follow, associated with 22 objectives based on key performance monitoring KPIs*. With a view to integration, most of them are also those of our Natran2030 business project.

These major CSR objectives include, for example, by 2030:

• -70% reduction in methane emissions compared to 2019;
• 100% of our 35 major sites have a concerted ecological management plan;
• At least 95% of our waste is recycled;
• 100% of our product families are eco-designed and/or eco-maintained (prescribed);
• 100% of our purchasing and investment decisions incorporate environmental and social criteria;
• 100% of our employees with jobs identified as “particularly exposed” are trained in ethics;
• Percentage of women on permanent contracts: at least 28%...

>>> Complete table of commitments and objectives for monitoring our new CSR policy (PDF)

*KPI : Key Performance Indicators

True to the spirit of co-responsibility that NaTran cultivates, our CSR policy mobilises people internally. A hundred or so “eco-leaders” are now involved in educating employees, and a commitment manager has been identified for each of the commitments made, in addition to the organisation set up to meet the traditional CSR challenges (safety, ethics, social policies, etc.).

Christophe Delfeld, Head of CSR and stakeholder management at NaTran:
“The CSRD directive encourages us to think in the long term and regarding our entire value chain. Analysis of our challenges using the double materiality matrix reveals that achieving our CSR objectives depends on our ability to cooperate with our stakeholders, both upstream and downstream of our activities. In particular, it highlights the importance of environmental issues in our own operations as well as in our new sectors, with, for example, the dependence on biomass for biomethane. We have entered into a process of proof and verification of the sincerity and conformity of our declarations. Our CSR policy will be regularly audited by the statutory auditors.”

Julien Duclos, CSR Delegate in NaTran’s Finance, CSR and Purchasing Department: 
“All of us at NaTran must now ask ourselves: Is my project resilient? Does it have an impact? If so, which ones? How can these impacts be avoided, reduced and - ultimately - offset?  There is also a major collective challenge for us to contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy we transport. It will be the role of the company project’s commitment or objective managers to check that these KPIs are properly prepared and monitored”.

50
The number of stakeholders - shareholders, directors, customers, suppliers, industry representatives, national and local authorities, etc. - involved in developing our CSR policy!