Ecological transition

Develop your eco-design

Eco-design is “the systematic integration of environmental aspects into product design and development (goods and services, systems) with the aim of reducing negative environmental impacts throughout their life cycle while providing equivalent or superior service. This approach from the outset of a design process aims to find the best balance between environmental, social, technical, and economic requirements in product design and development.” Standard NF X 30-264 Environmental Management – Assistance for the implementation of an eco-design approach, 2013.

Each year

• 120 + meetings in businesses
• approximately 40 projects supported

Eco-design in 2023

• 145 visits/video conferences with businesses and project backers
• 60 businesses benefited from eco-innovative project financing and/or in-depth technical monitoring, 19 of which received public funding
• 1 series of workshops
• 20 workshops, webinars, round tables, evening debates.

Discover the mission

Transform your economic model

Transforming one’s economic model is transforming practices to anchor a new sustainable and responsible economic model. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” This quote attributed to Albert Einstein encourages us to change our professional practices to change our economic model. It involves taking a new look at production methods, contracting, relationships between individuals, and with the local ecosystem.

Why should you care?

• Redefine your company’s strategy in the face of development model deadlocks (market saturation, increased competition, shrinking margins, being stuck in a value chain, funding difficulties, etc.);
• Undertake policies for sustainable development or expand an already ongoing circular economy approach;
• Respond to new consumption patterns;
• Engage employees, give meaning back to their work, develop an ability to handle the tensions affecting work.

In Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, committed leaders and support actors have established a support unit (ACTES: – Support Unit for Cooperation in the Transition to a Service Economy). AER BFC is your preferred contact to join this regional cooperation dynamic to implement and operationalize these principles within regional economic ecosystems.

New business models in 2023

A series of workshops focusing on sustainable and responsible business models was organised. The programme combined information phases with moments of reflection rooted in the concrete realities of the participating companies. The active involvement of the participants enabled them to propose a new approach to designing their company’s business model. The course was structured around three themed workshops, each followed by a feedback session a week later. The sessions covered the following topics:

• Defining a sustainable and responsible business model, with a focus on workplace health, employee engagement, skills support, and consideration of environmental impacts.
• The limits encountered in current economic models, with a focus on the differences between service provision and the service relationship, in particular co-production with beneficiaries.
• Debriefing and future prospects, underlining the importance of collective work and innovative working methods to reassess business models.

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Showcase your renewable heat

The Agency supports businesses in their waste heat recovery and renewable energies projects on high-potential sites. 4500 Gwh is the potential heat recovery estimated in the region by ADEME (2017 study).

Each year

• about fifty meetings with companies
• more than 15 projects supported

Heat recovery in 2023

• 50 company visits, including 16 classified as ICPE (Classified Installations for Environmental Protection);
• 6 requests for decision-making assistance;
• 2 technical visits to decarbonization technology installations;
• 24 newly supported companies and 67 companies still under support (follow-up);
• 1 morning conference on REX (experience feedback);
• Many new studies have been initiated this year in our companies in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The very first feedback indicates a potential for 2 GWh / year reduction.

Discover the mission

The ecological and economic transition network of Burgundy-Franche-Comté brings together different complementary actors on the issues of ecological transition. Led by ADEME and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, its objective is to enable professionals to find the right contact person so that they can be guided and supported in their environment-related projects. The Ecological Transition team of the AER BFC actively participates in the RT2E network.