Integrating the environmental dimension into an organisation: the practices of Monaco’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council

The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) is made up of 36 members representing key stakeholders from Monegasque society. It brings together people of various nationalities and from different sectors, all of whom are involved in the country’s economy. Its goal is to act as a consultative forum, in partnership with the Government, to provide recommendations and generate innovative ideas on social, financial, commercial, industrial and environmental issues with the potential to improve life in the Principality.

While the term ‘Environmental’ was not part of the Council’s name until 2019, the environment has been an integral part of its DNA since it was founded.

The Council signed the National Energy Transition Pact in June 2018, and the energy transition is now at the centre of the recommendations that the ESEC provides to the Government. Recent examples of this include the shift, by sovereign ordinance, to electronic pay slips, enabling the Principality to save more than 600,000 sheets of paper every year.

Furthermore, additional actions have been taken internally to enable the Council to set an example to all stakeholders in the country:

● The creation of a team dedicated solely to considering environmental issues.

● A shift in modes of transport towards soft mobility: within the country, there is a focus on walking or the use of public transport.

● Redesigned waste management: waste sorting, composting system, reduced printing, replacement of single-use plastic with sustainable alternatives (water filter jug instead of disposable bottles).

● A change in energy (and energy-intensive) habits, through daily and cumulative actions: widespread use of LED lighting, reduced use of air conditioning and heating, and routinely turning off appliances.

A major player in Monaco’s economy, the CESE is also at the forefront of environmental trends. Its practical, effective and easily applicable actions are all sources of inspiration which we can copy, fully or in part, in our own daily lives.

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