For fifteen years and the creation of the Planet service in 2008, the coverage of issues relating to the environment, the overexploitation of resources and the climate emergency has considerably expanded in Le Monde. But that cannot be enough when it appears that the awareness by part of public opinion of the dangers threatening the planet and biodiversity is struggling to translate into concrete measures by the international community that are commensurate with the issues and threats.
The time is no longer for awareness but for commitment, and this applies both to individuals and to communities… and therefore for the media like Le Monde. There is no question for our newspaper of transforming itself into a militant medium – that would go against our conception of journalism, which consists in offering our readers the elements of information so that they can forge their own informed opinion – but to affirm a certain number of principles which should guide our treatment of all current affairs from the point of view of their consequences on the environment and the climate, but also the behavior of journalists in their professional setting.
Le Monde has therefore decided to adopt a Climate Charter
Develop writing expertise
“Le Monde considers that the gravity of the current ecological crisis calls for urgent responses as well as a change in our modes of production and consumption, indicates in the preamble this text, which can be consulted on Lemonde.fr. (…) The protection of the environment is one of the fundamental values ??defended by Le Monde. »
“Le Monde contributes through its editorial coverage and through its corporate social commitments to this objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and damage caused to the environment, by trying to best reconcile its mission to inform the more people, on this subject as on others, and the ecological imperative,” he continues.
The articles of this charter insist on the need for a transversal treatment of ecological, environmental and climatic issues, which irrigate the whole of society and all the sections of the newspaper. It is obviously out of the question to confine them to the Planet section, quite the contrary. Another crucial point is the commitment to develop editorial expertise and its ability to uncover greenwashing strategies and analyze the real climate and environmental impacts of public policies and corporate strategies.
“Le Monde informs its readers about the impact of their consumption choices and sets itself the objective of gradually reducing the place given to the products and leisure activities that are most harmful to the environment”, further specifies this charter, which sets the newspaper ” as the objective of gradually reducing the share of advertisements of products and activities exclusively based on the use of fossil fuels”.
The professional practice concerned
In the field of professional practice, the journalists of Le Monde undertake to avoid, “as far as possible”, taking the plane to go on a report over distances compatible with travel by train and to favor the network of newspaper correspondents abroad to avoid unnecessary travel and greenhouse gas emissions. Le Monde also undertakes “to continue its approach to reducing the environmental impact of all its media” and to inform its readers of the carbon footprint of its activities. An assessment of Le Monde Group’s greenhouse gas emissions is currently in progress. Its results will be published by the end of 2023.
A first carbon assessment, carried out in 2019 for all Le Monde Group titles, showed that printed newspapers and magazines accounted for 68% of the 41,374 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted by the group’s activity, the two most emitting items. being very largely printing (60%) and distribution (37%). Digital sites represented 24% of the total, which takes into account both servers storing content and emissions caused by the digital uses of readers. The balance was mainly related to employee travel and office equipment.
Environmental issues began to be covered in Le Monde in the 1970s, with articles by Marc-Ambroise Rendu, who can be considered the founder of the daily Environment section. Roger Cans, Sylvia Zappi, Benoît Hopquin and Hervé Kempf will succeed him. In 2005, on the occasion of the launch of a new daily formula, the Sciences department
The Planet service, with its expanded scope and its pages deliberately placed at the beginning of the journal – initially – to highlight the importance and cross-functionality of the subjects dealt with, took over in 2008. With the Sciences section, which is integrated , it now has about twenty journalists and has multiplied long-term investigations and collaborations with other editorial departments.
In 2020, the Video service plays the scouts by developing a tool to calculate the carbon footprint of each report and by setting a certain number of sobriety rules. The carbon footprint of each report is systematically indicated in the end credits. As for the Travel section, a reflection has been initiated, which leads to a proactive policy of highlighting destinations accessible by train or soft mobility, to the obvious detriment of destinations only accessible by plane.
An HEQ building
Also in 2020, Le Monde and the group’s other titles are moving into their new Paris headquarters on avenue Pierre-Mendès-France. A building designed to meet the needs of a media company and certified High Environmental Quality (HQE) commercial building in operation at the “excellent” level. The building also obtains the Effinergie label and meets the criteria of the Energy-Climate Plan of the City of Paris.
The building has solar panels on the roof, which provide about 10% of the building’s electricity consumption, and rainwater recovery tarpaulins that supply the toilets. The lighting in the office spaces is modulated according to their occupancy, the heating put on standby during the weekend. Waste sorting is in place, vegetarian dishes are systematically offered in the company restaurant by the new service provider, cutlery and plastic cups are banned and have recently been replaced by a deposit system.
The number of parking spaces for cars was divided by six at the time of the move, while more than 250 parking spaces for bicycles are available to employees under the arch of the building and in a dedicated room.
In terms of manufacturing and distribution, the daily is now printed on paper made from 95% recycled fibers and with inks only of vegetable origin. In 2022, subscribers to the print edition saw the film under which they received their daily newspaper replaced by a simple label, the magazine being sent for its part in paper packaging.
The same year, the human resources department of Le Monde Group set up a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) unit responsible for promoting better consideration of social and environmental factors in the management of the company. In 2023, this CSR division notably launched an awareness and training plan dedicated to understanding climate issues. Le Monde employees are thus strongly encouraged, among other things, to participate in climate fresco workshops deployed with facilitators trained within the company.
