Background information

On 17 October 2023, the employers' organisation LEEM and the CFDT, FO, Unsa and CFTC trade unions signed a collective agreement on the ecological transition and sustainable mobility in the pharmaceutical industry, the first industry-wide agreement on this subject in France. With a view to meet the sector's decarbonisation commitments, companies must carry out a carbon assessment of their activities within 12 months, and then implement an action plan. Companies with more than 300 employees will have to set up an environmental committee responsible for 'studying the environmental impact of the company's strategic decisions or its environmental strategy'.

Content of measure

Having committed to a 50% reduction in direct CO2 emissions and a 25% reduction in indirect emissions, LEEM has proposed a collective agreement on ecological transition and sustainable mobility to the sector's social partners.

Under the terms of this agreement, the sector undertakes, in particular, to set up:

• An environmental commission, or any other commission or working group, in companies with more than 300 employees. This committee will be responsible for studying the environmental impact of the company's strategic decisions or its environmental strategy.
• At the same time, companies in the sector will have to examine the issue of ecological transition as part of all company negotiations.
• A carbon audit within 12 months: companies in the sector are encouraged to carry out a situational analysis enabling them to assess the actions already taken within their organisation. The signatory parties wish to make it compulsory for companies to carry out a carbon assessment of their activities within 12 months of signing the agreement.

The agreement stipulates that LEEM will provide companies with a number of tools to help them implement ecological transition initiatives. Companies in the sector undertake to implement at least two best practice measures before the end of 2024. These measures may relate to executive remuneration, catering, responsible purchasing or transport, with the introduction of a mobility map if measures are taken on this last point.

Use of measure

The agreement applies to 93,816 employees on permanent contract and 9,411 employees in short-term contract working the pharmaceutical industry.

Contents

• Other topics

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment Workers in non-standard forms of employment	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Social partners jointly	Companies Employers organisation

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

The employers' organisation LEEM has signed the agreement with four trade unions (CFDT, Force Ouvrière, UNSA and CFTC) which represented 62.94% of the votes in the last professional elections, enabling the agreement to be validated.

Views and reactions

No information.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 22 August 2021: Loi n° 2021-1104 du 22 août 2021 portant lutte contre le dérèglement climatique et renforcement de la résilience face à ses effets (www.legifrance.gouv.fr)
• 17 October 2023: Accord collectif sur la transition écologique et la mobilité durable dans l’industrie pharmaceutique (www.irshare.eu)
• 06 November 2023: LEEM (2023), Le secteur pharmaceutique confirme son engagement pour la transition industrielle en signant le 1er accord de branche (www.leem.org)