The transfer of ecological practices between home and work: a social phenomenon!

80% of French people are green activists at work … but 50% feel they are not supported by their organization.

The opinion survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for ADEME and A4MT, is the first to quantify the phenomenon of “transferers,” a concept coined by sociologists Gaëtan Brisepierre and Anne Desrues in 2018 to refer to those employees who mobilize to “transfer” or spread their pro-environmental practices from home to the office (or vice versa).

86% of French employees surveyed say they import their green practices from home to the office.

As a priority:

• Waste reduction (less paper, plastic, more sorting)
• Energy savings (light, heating)
• The environmental impact of digital technology (use of screens, computers, emails, transfer of documents, images, etc.)

However, the degree of transfer remains very different for each individual, depending on several individual or organization-related factors.

While 46% have already tried to convince colleagues to adopt these practices, more than one out of two transferees say they have not received any support in implementing these practices.

However, the disclosure and support of transfers depend largely on the company. The size of the organization, the sector of activity and the company’s commitment to an environmental policy are all factors that influence transfers and their intensity. Beyond the hierarchy, the mobilization of managers and key functions in the company on environmental and social issues, likely to listen to and support the ideas and needs of employees, remains too weak.

In the wake of ADEME’s action, certain pioneer organizations, including Mon Atelier Ecofrugal, Atelier Bleu – CPIE Côte Provençale[1], Riposte Verte, the Bureaux à Énergie Positive[2] initiative, the Printemps écologique eco-syndicate, the FEVE network and Energic, are accelerating the development of transfers and thus facilitating the environmental transition and well-being at work.

The revelation of the transferers testifies to a vast ecological awareness. But if the existence of transferers is excellent news, are they the precursors of a more global shift in society? Are they really the sign of an individual and collective shift that will trasnform our production and consumption practices?

So far, their transformative potential remains largely unexploited. Will we be able to follow in the footsteps of the transferers and go much further, individually and collectively, to bring our desires into line with the resources at our disposal? To be continued…