the regional banks, in partnership with
lease finance subsidiary Unifergie, have
offered photovoltaic project financing
intended for farmers, small businesses,
public authorities and companies;
» financing renewable energies: Unifergie
finances environmentally friendly
projects (nearly a quarter of France’s
wind farms are financed by Crédit Agricole).
Subsidiary Crédit Agricole Private
Equity also launched the first institutional
venture capital fund (FCPR) in
2006, dedicated entirely to renewable
energy with assets of €109m.
Local solidarity
Remaining loyal to its values, the Crédit
Agricole Group has adopted a solidaritybased
approach that applies all over the
world. To address the growing difficulties
facing certain categories of people, the regional
banks have adopted ways of helping
clients going through a difficult time.
One example of this is the “Points passerelle”,
which provide areas for listening
and mediation, where employees and/or
elected representatives receive, direct and
support the clients concerned. This system,
initiated in 1979 by Caisse Régionale du
Nord-Est, has now been adopted by 20 regional
banks. For many years, the regional
banks have also stepped up their efforts
in France in collaboration with organisations
to encourage business start-ups or
acquisitions, such as ADIE and PFIL. The
main role of the PFIL platforms is to help
business start-ups by providing financial
support by means of a “prêt d’honneur”,
an interest-free loan without a guarantee,
and by giving personalised support,
particularly in terms of technical matters.
The regional banks’ collaboration with the
PFIL platforms has therefore allowed for
the creation or acquisition of over 30,000
companies in three years.
Crédit Agricole also expresses its
solidarity outside France via the Crédit
Agricole Solidarité et Développement association
and the Fondation Solidarité
Mutualiste, which provide financial support
each year for group projects in France
and abroad. In addition, the Grameen
Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation,
created in 2008, is dedicated to combating
poverty in developing countries by means
of microfinance and social business.
Agriculture
Crédit Agricole supports environmentallyfriendly
agricultural practices:
» since 2003, with the Farre association,
to promote ecological practices used by
Since 2008, Crédit Agricole SA
has offset its yearly carbon dioxide
emissions in the Paris region by
supporting biomass projects in Brazil
farmers and launch campaigns to raise
awareness about biological diversity;
» since 2005, in organic farming by
working with the FNAB in devising
technical and economic guidelines.
Crédit Agricole has also formed a partnership
with Agence Bio since 2008 to
analyse the various farming practices,
help them to develop and encourage
the most innovative companies in the
sector. In 2009, Crédit Agricole and
Agence Bio will organise the “Les
Trophées de l’Excellence Bio” competition,
with the intention of rewarding
exemplary companies involved in production
or transformation;
» since 2006, with the LPO to develop
an experimental programme with 150
farmers to restore biodiversity in rural
areas. In 2009, Crédit Agricole will
support the birds protection league in
compiling a register of common birds
in France, alongside the French Natural
History Museum;
» Crédit Agricole also provides financial
support for the Trophées de
l’Agriculture Durable, organised in
partnership with the French Ministry
for Agriculture and Fishing. This national
competition rewards exemplary
agricultural practices that are both productive
and environmentally-friendly,
and the people who bring them to life.
Crédit Agricole is also committed to food
issues via various means of intervention on
an international level:
» in terms of banking services by acquiring
significant stakes in banks financing
agricultural development in certain
countries – in particular Armenia with
ACBA Banque – and by financing economic
and rural development projects
via associations and foundations.
» since 1983, the Crédit Agricole Solidarité
et Développement association
has supported initiatives with the main
aim of enhancing the technical and
economic advice given to farmers and
allowing for the growth of local craftsmanship
by providing technical, logistical
and financial support.
» in 2006, Crédit Agricole was involved
63
World Finance | Nov - Dec 2009
in the launch of the FARM foundation,
in order to promote farming in
developing countries. In 2008, FARM
launched pilot projects to provide support
for food-producing farming activities
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
» in 2008, Grameen Trust and Crédit Agricole
S.A. launched a project to create
a microfinance foundation with assets
of €50m, with the aim of combating
poverty around the world by providing
financial and technical support for microfinance
institutions in developing or
emerging countries. Particular emphasis
has been placed on institutions with
an agricultural and rural focus. The
Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance
Foundation approved its first projects
in late 2008, notably in Cambodia,
Kosovo and Africa (Tanzania, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Egypt and Mali).
Through investment in its funds:
» Partagis: CAAM launched this mutual
fund alongside Action Contre la
Faim (ACF) in 1994, which raised over
€200,000 for the association in 2008.
» Danone communities: this “social entrepreneurship”
fund represents a new
form of investment, supporting local
companies with a social purpose,
mainly in emerging countries.
CAAM AFD Avenirs durables: this mutual
fund to provide joint financing for the
general public has been developed in partnership
with the AFD. Its aim is to offer a
product reconciling cautious financial investment
with supporting development. It
will be distributed by the Crédit Agricole
networks in 2009.
These three funds are managed by IDEAM,
CAAM’s specialist responsible investment
subsidiary.
The group’s CSR efforts have been
well received by its various stakeholders
and Crédit Agricole SA is now included in
the top three extra-financial indices: ASPI
Eurozone (2004), FTSE4 Good (2005) and
DJSI (2008).
Michel Clavé is Head of Sustainable
Development & Agriculture and Food
Manufacturing Crédit Agricole SA
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.