The third edition of SNCF's Ecomobility Grand Prix, organised every two years, was held on Tuesday evening. Around fifty applications were submitted, with 44 ultimately being validated. The main evaluation criteria for the applications were based on modes of transport for business travel, commuting, vehicle fleets, and actions to communicate and raise employee awareness of ecomobility issues. The initiative obviously allows SNCF to highlight itself, with the train being " The most decarbonised mode of transport after walking and cycling ”, recalls Carole Tabourot, TGV-Intercités' CSR Director.
The biennial rhythm of these Grands Prix is deemed particularly suitable, as it allows companies to have the necessary time to innovate in the field of ecomobility and to progress through the dissemination of best practices among employees. Companies have made significant progress since the first edition and have trained their employees, who are much more sensitive to these issues. she acknowledges.
In addition to the new audience award, six prizes were therefore presented by the jury, which included Alain Krakovitch, then director of TGV-Intercités, Valérie Boned, president of Entreprises du Voyage, Artur Auboeuf, co-founder of the eco-entrepreneurial startup Team for the Planet, and Michel Dieleman, president of the French Travel Management Association (AFTM). Decarbonisation must be a priority for companies. The AFTM supports these projects. », assures the latter who notes, however, that « Bad habits have returned in societies after a virtuous post-COVID period. ".
Fairjungle, 1st prize business travel agency
The 1st Travel Agency Prize unanimously recognised the actions undertaken by Fairjungle which presents itself as a specialist in the digital and eco-responsible transformation of the business travel booking and management market in France and Europe. The agency is therefore working to decarbonise business travel, with 45% of its clients’ journeys already being made by train.
The jury appreciated the various tools such as the FairCarbon quota and especially the EcoScore (from A to F) which helps employees make the right choice of travel mode through the use of its BtoB green search engine. This type of tool should be replicated in many companies. », estimated Michel Dieleman when presenting the award. The train is the preferred mode of transport, with the agency having notably concluded an agreement with Trainline to offer the maximum number of rail companies in Europe. Furthermore, it applies the same policy of sobriety internally for its own travel: hybrid working, train preferred, planes prohibited… The other three candidates in this category were Railtrip.travel, Swile Travel and Reed & Mackay.
GreenFlex and API Restauration awarded for businesses
Having gathered the most applications, the award for companies with fewer than 2,000 employees was given to GreenFlex, a consultancy specialising in ecological transition which supports businesses in decarbonising their professional travel. Measures are thus promoted, such as the use of trains, including night trains, a ban on air travel for journeys under 4 hours, an allowance of €2,000 to purchase an electric bicycle for commuting, the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles on company premises, and the use of carpooling and electric car-sharing.
Internally, the firm relocated its offices to be closer to train stations (Saint-Lazare and Paris-Nord for the Paris headquarters). Bike workshops to ensure safe cycling and the distribution of rain gear were also carried out. In the service sector companies we advise, half of their carbon footprint is linked to transport. Between 2022 and 2025, we managed to reduce CO₂ emissions by 25%2Future gains will undoubtedly be smaller as they will be harder to come by. ", highlighted the GreenFlex representative on stage.
API Restauration, meanwhile, picked up the award in the category for companies with over 2,000 employees. This family-run group, which specialises in responsible contract catering in the region, actually employs around 11,000 people. In its submission, API highlighted the use of video conferencing for meetings, the choice of train for travel, the phasing out of diesel, and the creation of a fleet of around a hundred electric vehicles, which involved installing charging points at its branches across France. These charging points are all the more important as API is also switching to electric for its refrigerated trucks that deliver meals from its kitchens to schools, hospitals, care homes, and the like.
Actors reject air travel
For other awards, the Travel Agency Favourite Award went to Railtrip.travel. Its policy is particularly bold since "no fly" is the order of the day, with the agency only offering train journeys in Europe. The CO2 saved compared to air travel is systematically displayed to confirm the correctness of their choice.
The ‘Coup de Cœur Entreprise’ award was presented to the law firm Centaure Avocats and to the École Centrale de Nantes. The former has made sustainable mobility the central theme of its CSR policy. In particular, the firm has a 70% all-electric fleet and favours travelling by train for journeys of up to… 6 hours! An original ‘Go/No Go’ tool has been developed in-house to assess the necessity of each journey. École Centrale de Nantes, for its part, awards grants to students who travel by train for international placements. At a local level, it encourages the use of cycling, car-sharing and remote working…
Finally, the audience present in the hall voted for the "Coup de cœur" award for MACS Consulting. This award recognizes the Lyon-based consulting firm specialising in supply chain and industrial performance for providing folding bicycles to extend train journeys to the place of assignment. A date has already been set for 2028 and the fourth edition of these Grands Prix de l’Ecomobilité.
