Lyon Metropolis. Kingspan Light + Air: When Biodiversity Comes to Business

A dozen sheep, a chicken coop, a frog pond, a vegetable patch, beehives... Welcome to Kingspan Light + Air! Not an Anglo-Saxon farm, but a manufacturer specializing in natural lighting, ventilation, and smoke extraction solutions for buildings.

A company whose CSR policy regarding biodiversity is exemplary in its scope. Located in the heart of an industrial zone in eastern Lyon, just two wheels from the A46, the areas surrounding the buildings are teeming with a unique life in this environment. This is the result of a proactive management policy that goes well beyond CSR initiatives often considered as a means of good conscience and other greening.

So, to build an enclosure or dig a pond, employees take a little time from their working hours. More than ten thousand euros are also dedicated to this CSR aspect each year. An investment in biodiversity with various benefits.

"We have the space to do it, and the Irish group we belong to also sets us environmental objectives. It's a commitment and a lot of work... So, of course, not everyone is involved, but it creates a bond, it unites people. You have to see people come and see the sheep," explains David Brémond, head of communications and marketing for a company that relies on the expertise of local associations like Naturama and Atelier des saisons to carry out these initiatives.

These are all small gestures for a biodiversity that is suffering greatly, but whose usefulness remains clear to specialists. "All these tablets are welcome. They help reconnect people with nature," says Paul-Yvan de Saint-Léger of the Atelier des Saisons .

A speech supported by Valérie Le Bourg, regional director of the French Office for Biodiversity and present at the Ici on agit exhibition .

“It is crucial that all stakeholders mobilize for biodiversity, including businesses. Through their activities and influence, they can create a positive dynamic among their employees, partners, or customers. These actions help raise awareness internally and can also have a real impact on local biodiversity – the return of pollinators , floral diversity, associated fauna, etc. To go further and go beyond symbolic or one-off approaches, there are mechanisms in place. The “Companies Committed to Nature” program, led by the French Office for Biodiversity, offers a framework for structuring commitments, at the very heart of business strategy.”