Published 9/18/18
Published 9/18/18
Reading Min.

European Mobility Week takes place from September 16 to 22 every year and aims to encourage all citizens and public bodies to choose more sustainable transportation methods and make our towns and cities more pleasant places to live.

2018 European Mobility Week: Mix and Move

The theme for this year’s European Mobility Week is multimodality and the "Mix and Move" slogan encourages us to explore the many different options available for getting from A to B, using new mobility technology.

Sustainable mobility is a reality for today’s world and the challenge for tomorrow for Natixis
Natixis together with Groupe BPCE published a business travel plan for the greater Paris region in February 2018, involving more than 20 group companies across 26 office buildings that welcome 18,000 staff in the greater Paris area!
It includes the following main initiatives:

  • development of infrastructure to encourage cycle use, 
  • installation of charging stations for electric vehicles, 
  • implementation of remote working, 
  • car-sharing program site ECOpartage.

 

What is a business travel plan?

The business travel plan helps companies take a comprehensive approach to staff’s transportation as it seeks to provide effective alternatives to pollutant individual car use for commuting and travelling between offices. 

The 2018 French energy transition for green growth act made business travel plans compulsory for all companies with more than 100 staff in a single office building located in cities that are included in the atmosphere protection plan (Plan de Protection de l’Atmosphère).

Some first successes for Natixis’ business travel plan

Natixis is already beginning to hit some of the travel plan’s targets just six months after implementation:

  • Encouraging cycling

Natixis now offers more than 500 indoor cycle park spaces, across 17 office buildings in the greater Paris area, or 150 additional spots since 2017.

52 new outside bike racks will be installed this year outside the 47 Quai building (Paris 13th arrondissement).

  • Promoting the use of electric vehicles 

New vehicle parking spaces with charging stations have been installed and there are now 77 spaces, or an increase of 31 since 2017.

We have also been developing our green strategy on company cars, and now have 50 hybrid/electric models, or 8% of vehicles.

  • Encouraging car-sharing 

The ECOpartage car-sharing site is being launched for all staff at Groupe BPCE, Natixis and their subsidiaries. The site was designed by the IT-CE team and puts staff in touch with other colleagues who want to car-share.

  •  Promoting remote working 

Remote working is gradually being implemented at Natixis and at end-July 3,858 staff were able to work remotely.
The new agreement signed in June provides for additional remote working days as well as home-working for staff who can connect remotely to their workstations in the event of high pollution and the ensuing usual car travel restrictions.

  • Offering more training 

More than 130 sales staff from the Specialized Financial Services department (SFS) will receive training on road risks and eco-friendly driving this year.

International offices are involved too

  •  Germany

Staff in Frankfurt are given a subsidy to use public transport, bike parking areas and charging stations for electric vehicles.

  • UK

Staff in our London office can get a loan to buy a bike at a reduced rate via Natixis’ partnership with the Cycle to work platform.
Natixis UK has also set up a walking map to encourage staff to walk to their destinations.

  • Italy

Staff in Milan are given a subscription to the city bike program, while Natixis also promotes using the train to get around in Rome.

  • Kazakhstan

Solar panels have been installed on the roof of our Almaty office carpark, with the solar power generated used to power the ventilation network and carpark lighting system. The solar panels also generate green electricity, which cuts back CO2 emissions by 24% and brings the electricity bill down almost 50% (long-term projections).

Companies in the Quartier des deux Rives* area are also getting involved

Other companies in the 12th and 13th arrondissements in Paris, such as Caisse des Dépôts et de Consignation, the French Interior Ministry and the Paris town council, are putting on events that are open to the public to promote sustainable mobility, including bike engraving to deter theft and road safety workshops.

 

*Quartier des deux Rives: working group managed by the Paris town council and including several companies in the 12th and 13th arrondissements of Paris, including Natixis, as they set up initiatives to share resources and create an ecological area.