“Thanks to GCI, I’m able to include greenhouse gas emissions assessments in my service offerings.”
🎤 Interview with Barbara Thocquenne, an independent CSR consultant, founder of BThConseil, and a GCI-certified expert since 2020.
Could you tell us about your business?
I have been an independent CSR consultant since late 2019. I offer consulting, training, and CSR services, such as implementing CSR initiatives, providing support for certification, conducting mock audits, assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and drafting CSR reports.
How did you find out about GCI?
I launched my business in late 2019, and I took advantage of the lockdown to learn new skills. At the time, GHG emissions reporting wasn’t yet widespread or mandatory, but it served as an interesting indicator that complemented our CSR efforts. I discovered GCI through an internet search.
What made you decide to apply as an expert?
I found the process of becoming an expert to be very straightforward. Mr. Mangeard, the founder, was very approachable, and I really liked his approach to making greenhouse gas assessments more accessible. Finally, there was the option to do it via video conference (which was necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic). I seized the opportunity to expand my consulting services.
How does GCI help you in your line of work?
In its early days, the Bilan Carbone® was merely a simple indicator. Today, it is routinely requested and is an integral part of a CSR initiative.
Competitors are offering to conduct an assessment for between 8,000 and 12,000 euros.
Thanks to GCI, I’m able to include it in my service offerings, which allows for several things:
- The client sees the Report as a gift: I prefer this option to a discount on my fees, which might give the impression that implementing a CSR initiative can be done on the cheap!
- As a result, clients often opt for the comprehensive solution rather than simply conducting a GHG emissions assessment, which helps guide them through a genuine process of profound and comprehensive transition.
- The customer remains loyal to the GCI platform for the same reasons I do: its reasonable cost, its user-friendly design, and its responsive support…
The Bilan Carbone® is essential but not sufficient for a comprehensive CSR transition, and being able to include it in my offering makes it a powerful tool for encouraging clients to see their social responsibility efforts through to the end— efforts that examine many other environmental and social impacts.
What does GCI offer that other platforms don't?
The platform has many key strengths:
The low costs I mentioned earlier make the platform accessible. Nothing is forced on you; you can choose à la carte options, everything is clearly explained, you can easily see what you’re buying, and you buy only what you need.
Support is very responsive when it comes to technical questions, and the guidance provided during training is also greatly appreciated.
Above all, as a user, you’re in full control. You can configure your data entry template (scope and emission factors) without having to go through support, without having to pay again, without wasting time, and without any middlemen. A company is a living, breathing entity: subsidiaries are opened or closed, businesses are bought or sold—which inevitably impacts the scope to be considered when calculating the carbon footprint each year. Not to mention that more and more companies are calculating the carbon footprint of their products: emission factors are becoming more precise. Having control over these fundamental parameters and being able to work independently of the platform is very useful. This isn’t possible on all platforms.
Finally, I appreciate the monthly expert meetings, which keep me up to date on the latest news about the platform.
Do you have any examples for comparison?
I work with another platform for an international group, which uses that other tool to calculate the Bilan Carbone® for its IT department.
The IT department was very committed and quickly implemented reduction measures, but these weren’t really reflected in the N+1 calculations: the emission factors from the Base Empreinte® database—most of which are used by this platform—are few in number and highly uncertain for IT equipment. So, for the assets, I looked up these factors directly with the suppliers.
The scope also changes regularly: subsidiaries are opened and closed.
So I had to review all the calculation settings (the template) to highlight the efforts made and fine-tune the low-carbon trajectory. This was impossible without going through support, which, of course, bills the client for its services…
I wasted time. My client needed the numbers quickly, so I ran the Bilan Carbone® analysis in an Excel file…
With GCI, I could have modified everything on my own, for free, and gotten the numbers in time.
Do you have any examples of how your customers use the platform?
One of my clients, My Event Agency, is an event planning agency. They now systematically calculate the Cfor the events they organize. It’s a major strength for them—and a key differentiator—to be able to provide this assessment to their clients and offer them recommendations for reducingtheir carbon footprint .