Everyone can enjoy the benefits of completing their Bilan Carbone® assessment and, if necessary, take advantage of financial assistance to cover the costs!

The Bilan Carbone© method is the one used in France to prepare its BEGES, comply with standards, and remain competitive

The 2021 Finance Act extends the requirement to submit a BEGES (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report) to companies with more than 50 employees that receive funds from the European Recovery Plan.

This requirement, which until now had applied primarily to companies with more than 500 employees, aims to provide a strong impetus for corporate decarbonization—under penalty of sanctions—in order to reduce total national GHG emissions in accordance with the government’s National Low-Carbon Strategy.

Expanding the scope of the initiative to include more companies thus becomes a powerful complementary tool in the French government’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030. Looking further ahead, the stated goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

Developed by ADEME beginning in 2004, Bilan Carbone© is an internationally recognized methodology that enables the precise quantification of GHG emissions associated with the operations of a given company or organization.

Based on this quantitative assessment, these companies now have the tools to better manage their carbon footprint and implement their own low-carbon strategy.

A key challenge in embarking on this sustainable path is identifying potential cost savings that are both achievable and essential to maintaining one’s Carbon Competitiveness®.

This is becoming increasingly essential every day in light of growing customer demand for “low-carbon” products and services, due to

✅ the accelerating rise in the price of carbon (10-fold increase over 10 years),

✅ The proliferation of carbon taxation mechanisms—I4CE has identified 68 to date

✅ the same standards that their own customers expect.

It is, in fact, a collective realization of the urgent need to reduce one’s “Carbon Tax Base®.”

These new standards, along with the requirements to calculate carbon footprints, come at a cost: to help raise awareness of the benefits they offer, a wide range of financial assistance programs are available to help businesses cover these costs.

National grants to fund your Bilan Carbone® assessment

📈 A stepping stone to the Bilan Carbone® certification for SMEs

The Recovery Plan presented in September 2020 allocates nearly one-third of its 100 billion to the implementation of government grants to help organizations drive an ecological transition.

Through a program called Tremplin, ADEME provides funding, among other things, for comprehensive carbon assessments of French SMEs, covering Scopes 1, 2, and 3, which address companies’ direct and indirect emissions.

This assistance complies with the law, since the assessment of the latest scope became mandatory in July 2022.

Since February 2021, the “Tremplin” government grant for the ecological transition has helped reimburse up to 80% of the cost of a BEGES, up to a limit of €5,000.

📝 Real-world SME case study

If you are an SME, a Carbon Footprint Assessment priced at €5,000 would cost you only €1,000—a savings of €4,000 thanks to public funding provided by ADEME.
➡️ The cost of the Carbon Footprint® Assessment, made negligible by public funding, thus offers numerous advantages.

Assessing a company’s dependence on fossil fuels—particularly oil—helps guide its strategy for reducing costs.

From a strategic perspective, it also helps strengthen a company’s Carbon Competitiveness®, which in turn enhances its image by adopting a low-carbon trajectory and thereby builds loyalty among consumers and employees. 💪

It should be noted that the Tremplin grant for ecological transition does not merely facilitate the completion of the Bilan Carbone®.

This assistance also covers most initiatives aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the company’s buildings, promoting the eco-design of products and services, decarbonizing vehicle fleets and heating or cooling systems, and even facilitates the process of obtaining certifications.

🚀 In practical terms, the Tremplin grant helps organizations carry out renovations to achieve the national goal of “having a building stock that meets the BBC Rénovation standard or an equivalent standard by 2050.” During these renovation projects, the BBC Rénovation label sets low-energy consumption targets to be met.

ADEME also helps fund the installation of LED lighting. In addition, following a life-cycle assessment, a product may qualify for the European Ecolabel, which is 80% subsidized up to €12,000. Finally, for a company’s vehicle fleet, the Tremplin subsidy can help replace internal-combustion vehicles with electric vehicles.

Thus, climate challenges—achieving carbon neutrality by 2050— energy challenges —halving energy consumption by 2050—and social challenges —combating precarious living conditions—can be met.

Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility criteria for the Tremplin public grant are fairly broad, and the application process is straightforward.

The ADEME grant is available to a wide range of businesses, specifically all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—that is, companies with fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue of less than 50 million euros for at least two consecutive years.

⚠️ Be aware of certain conditions, however:

➡️ Certain services are reimbursed only to industrial companies;

➡️ To qualify for the Tremplin grant—and specifically the portion related to environmental signage—it is strongly recommended that you conduct a greenhouse gas emissions assessment beforehand.

➡️ It is not possible to combine ADEME assistance with any other assistance for services subsidized by ADEME;

➡️ Only uncommitted expenses are included: quotes (unsigned!) will be requested for certain services. ‍

‍The goal of this funding program is to drive the most impactful changes possible. Visit the ADEME website to learn how to submit your application and take advantage of the Tremplin grant.

🔍Décarbon’Action Assessment for the Carbon Footprint© of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Mid-Sized Companies

Launched by ADEME and BpiFrance in collaboration with the Association Bilan Carbone, the Diag Décarbon’Action program is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies.

In accordance with the law, Diag Décarbon’Action enables companies not only to fund a comprehensive carbon assessment covering all three scopes, but also offers guidance on the initial steps of implementing an action plan to reduce their carbon footprint; the program also supports companies in communicating their commitment to their employees, customers, and partners.

In terms of numbers, Diag Décarbon’Action works with public and private organizations for periods ranging from 12 days to 8 months to drive a sustainable ecological transition.

How much does it cost?

Is my business eligible?

Get funding for your GHG assessment through the Diag’Décarbon’Action program. One of our Decarbo’Solution® carbon engineers will guide you through the entire process.

✅ Your company has fewer than 500 employees

✅ You have not conducted a GHG assessment in the past 5 years

✅ You are up to date on your tax and social security payments, and your business is not in financial difficulty

✅ You haveat least 1 year of professional experience

Getting help is good, but getting the right support is even better!

The funding programs established by ADEME since February 2021 therefore represent an opportunity for French companies to take action and embark on their sustainable ecological transition. ‍

This government assistance will not only enable businesses to conduct a carbon audit at a cost of between €4,000 and €6,000 (depending on the size of the business), but will also allow them to publicize their environmental commitment and their investments in the green transition.

🤔 But how do you choose the right partner to help you calculate your Bilan Carbone®?

👍 Decarbo’Solution® is the leading smart platform—100% online—that supports you in developing your decarbonization strategy: from preparing carbon footprint assessments® to implementing action plans to reduce GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions.

Decarbo’Solution® engineers are certified by BPI France and ADEME to assist you 

Decarbo’Solution® is certified as an engineering firm

For more than ten years, Decarbo’Solution® has been supporting entrepreneurs in their CSR initiatives related to environmental transition, from the annual preparation of their BEGES reports to their first steps toward eco-design.

Decarbo’Solution®’s online platform for calculating a complete, certified Bilan Carbone® (usingthe Bilan Carbone® method, the GHG Protocol, etc.) offers the most competitive pricing on the market and provides the most comprehensive set of tools needed to identify, measure, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions independently.

👍 Keep in mind that these two processes—calculating the Bilan Carbone® and implementing an emissions reduction action plan—can be funded through the Tremplin and Diag Décarbon’Action grants.

To help you through the process of applying for a Diag Décarbon’Action grant: Contact us!

The Decarbo’Solution® carbon experts supported them in their Diag Décarbon’Action initiative