Entreprises pour l’Environnement

Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EPE), also known as the Association française des Entreprises pour l’Environnement, is a French business association that brings together around sixty large French and international companies from all sectors. Its purpose is to work collectively on their transformation in the face of the challenges of an integrated ecological transition. The association describes its raison d’être as “one planet and a prosperous world,” summarising its members’ ambition to lead their own ecological transition and that of society, and to build — together and with their stakeholders — economic development that is compatible with the planet’s limits and socially accepted, even desired. EPE operates as a dialogue and expertise space rather than a commercial enterprise. It accelerates collective reflection with and for its members on ecological transition issues. According to its own figures, it counts more than 60 member companies, runs 12 working groups (groupes de travail), involved 1,700 participants in those working groups in 2025, and has shared more than 500 good practices since 2020. The association is financed entirely by its members and is represented at the Conseil économique, social et environnemental (CESE), France’s third constitutional assembly, by its Déléguée générale, Cécile Denormandie, under the associations for the protection of nature and the environment. EPE is the French partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global network of more than 250 leading companies that regard sustainable development as a key factor of competitiveness. Its work spans themes such as biodiversity, land use, climate adaptation and the role of cities and housing in responding to climate and environmental shocks. It publishes newsletters, podcasts and event contributions, and participates in international forums — for example, work carried out with member companies in its Biodiversity Commission on soils and land-use change was presented at the COP17 Land Forum session in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and EPE contributed to a working group of the Cercle de Giverny whose proposals were unveiled at the 6th World Giverny Forum. As an association, EPE is not a listed company and has no shareholders in the conventional sense; it is funded by its members and governed by its own governance bodies, with a dedicated team and a set of partners. Its role is to help large companies move from commitments to concrete action on the environment, providing a shared platform for expertise, peer exchange and public representation of business positions on ecological transition.

Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EPE) is a French association of large companies dedicated to environmental and ecological transition issues. It is also referred to as the Association française des Entreprises pour l’Environnement. The association brings together around sixty large French and international companies from all sectors, with the aim of working collectively on their transformation in the face of the challenges of an integrated ecological transition. EPE defines its raison d’être as “one planet and a prosperous world.” This phrase summarises the willingness of its members to lead their own ecological transition and that of society, and to build — together and with their stakeholders — economic development that is compatible with the planet’s limits and socially accepted, even desired. The association positions itself as a genuine space for dialogue and expertise, accelerating collective reflection with and for its members on the issues of an integrated ecological transition. Over time, EPE has developed a working method based on member companies, working groups and shared practices. According to the association’s own presentation, it counts more than 60 members, 12 working groups (groupes de travail), 1,700 participants in those working groups in 2025, and more than 500 good practices shared since 2020. Its activities include thematic commissions — such as a Biodiversity Commission — as well as events, publications, newsletters and podcasts. One example is the Act4Nature International podcast, which gives a voice to companies, scientists, NGOs and committed networks to explore the link between economic activity and biodiversity and to move from commitments to concrete action in favour of living things. EPE is financed entirely by its members. It is represented at the Conseil économique, social et environnemental (CESE) — France’s third constitutional assembly, after the National Assembly and the Senate, made up of 175 members representing professional and associative organisations across 21 groups, tasked with advising the Government and Parliament in the elaboration of economic, social and environmental laws and public policies. EPE is represented there by its Déléguée générale, Cécile Denormandie, under the associations for the protection of nature and the environment. Internationally, EPE is the French partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global network of more than 250 leading companies that consider sustainable development a key factor of competitiveness. Through this partnership and its own activities, EPE connects French member companies to international business sustainability networks. EPE’s public activity includes participation in international forums and contributions to collective initiatives. In August 2026, work carried out with EPE member companies in the Biodiversity Commission — highlighting the growing importance of soils and land-use change in corporate strategies — was presented by Catherine Chevauché, Nature Director at Veolia, during the B4Land Forum session “Land as an Asset Class” at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. As a partner of the Cercle de Giverny, EPE also contributed to the working group “How to adapt cities and housing to climate and environmental shocks?”, whose proposals were unveiled at the 6th World Giverny Forum on 4 September 2026. The association also publishes a newsletter, such as issue #80 for April–June 2026. As an association rather than a commercial company, EPE does not sell products in the conventional sense. Its “offerings” are collective work, expertise, working groups, good-practice sharing, public representation and partnerships that help large companies advance their ecological transition.

• Start of the period during which EPE has shared more than 500 good practices (as of the association’s own reporting).

• 1,700 participants took part in EPE’s 12 working groups.

• EPE Biodiversity Commission work on soils and land-use change presented at the COP17 Land Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

• Proposals of the Cercle de Giverny working group on adapting cities and housing to climate and environmental shocks, to which EPE contributed, unveiled at the 6th World Giverny Forum.

A member-funded French business association and dialogue/expertise platform for large companies advancing an integrated ecological transition; the French partner of the WBCSD.

• Working groups (Groupes de travail)

  12 thematic working groups in which 1,700 participants took part in 2025.

• Biodiversity Commission

  Commission whose work with member companies highlighted the growing importance of soils and land-use change in corporate strategies.

• Act4Nature International podcast

  Podcast giving a voice to companies, scientists, NGOs and committed networks on the link between economic activity and biodiversity.

• Newsletter

  Regular newsletter, e.g. issue #80 for April–June 2026.

1. 1Page d'accueil - Entreprises pour l'Environnementepe-asso.org
2. 2A propos - Entreprises pour l'Environnementepe-asso.org
3. 3Entreprises pour l’Environnementwikidata.org