Guide to Eco-Friendly Practices

Every action counts when it comes to saving energy, right? That's why Enerfip offers you this guide to eco-friendly actions! Listing simple actions, ideas for reducing your carbon footprint, good habits, and new habits to adopt at home, with family, or at work, it offers you great opportunities for a greener tomorrow. Together, let's create a better future for current and future generations.

At home

To reduce your environmental impact, it is essential to adopt eco-friendly actions. To begin, let's take a look around your house to see what new habits you can adopt to promote the energy transition!

#1 Reduce your energy consumption

A/ Turn off standby devices

According to Ademe (the French Energy Transition Agency), each French household has around a hundred electrical and electronic devices. To reduce your bills, Enerfip suggests you adopt a simple action: turn off your devices on standby.

You may not know it, but turning off the standby mode of your electrical devices can save you up to 15% of your electricity bill (excluding heating and hot water), or more than €100 per year!

🤔 The habit to get into
Use power strips with switches to plug in multiple devices and turn them off at the same time. This simple action can save you up to 10% of electricity per year!

B/ Heat to THE right temperature

Saving energy also involves heating. It is, in fact, one of the most energy-intensive items in the home, especially in winter. It is therefore essential to adjust your home thermostat to ensure you control your energy consumption.

The ideal temperature is 19-20 degrees.

🤔 Tips to know
Installing rugs on the floor, thick curtains on the windows, and a fabric draught excluder at the foot of your front door limits the feeling of cold in your home, especially if your home is poorly insulated.

Moreover, it adds charm to your apartment, making it cozy and warm!

C/ Use your household appliances wisely

It's so easy to press a button, like the one on the washing machine or the dishwasher, out of laziness or without thinking. However, these two appliances consume water and electricity, which is why you must make sure they are full. A half load in a washing machine, even if it saves you water, uses just as much electricity!

Wash, but count!
🌿 Each French household performs 200 wash cycles on average per year.
🌿 If you fill the drum more efficiently, you can save 30 cycles.
🌿 A tumble dryer consumes approximately 200 kWh per year. Limit its use.
🌿 Using the Eco program to wash your clothes allows you to save 15% of electricity. The 30°C program, on the other hand, saves you more than 50% of electricity.

D/ Reduce your hot water consumption

Enerfip recommends programming the temperature of your water heater between 55°C and 60°C. Why? Because it's enough to limit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and it also limits the electricity consumption needed to heat the water. All advantages!

To limit your water consumption, you can also install flow reducers on your faucets or a water-saving shower head. This tip, both practical and aesthetic, is not to be overlooked, because it allows you to save up to 75% of water!

E/ Use LEDs

💡 Prefer LED bulbs (€3 to €5): that's a saving of €30 per year for 10 bulbs.

Who has never been told off by a loved one asking them to turn off the light with the famous phrase: “This isn't Versailles!”? Even if now, when you leave a room, you automatically turn it off, did you know that there are other techniques to limit your electricity consumption?

Enerfip recommends that you choose light colors to decorate your interior so that they reflect light better. We also recommend using LED bulbs as much as possible. Why? Because, in addition to creating different atmospheres in your home, they consume little electricity and last a long time (up to 40,000 hours). This makes up for their purchase price!

Our advice
🟢 In the living room and bedrooms, opt for warm whites (2,700 to 3,500 kelvins).
🟢 In the kitchen or bathroom, choose a more dynamic light (3,500 to 4,500 kelvins).

#2 Think about small everyday actions to be impeccable

A/ Sort out your closets

According to the Ademe study, "Fashion upside down", by 2050, the textile sector will emit 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions if current consumer trends continue.

Knowing that each French person buys around 10 kilograms of textiles and shoes per year, it is sometimes necessary to sort out your closets, right?

Emptying your closet doesn't necessarily mean giving up, but rather reorganizing. This is, in fact, a time for you to see things more clearly and understand what you really need. Of course, during this sorting, don't throw anything in the trash! The items you get rid of will find a new home if you drop them off at charities or recycling centers.

🤔 Did you know?
In Europe, every year, we get rid of more than 4 million tons of textiles!

B/ Repair and recycle

Are you familiar with the 3R strategy? No?This acronym stands for “Reuse, Re-employment, and Repair.”

On a daily basis, you can apply this principle to your entire home: damaged furniture, broken household appliances, clothes with holes... In addition to giving objects a second life, you develop your DIY skills. And what a satisfaction it is to make or repair something with your own hands, isn't it?

Questions to ask yourself before buying
❓ Do I REALLY need this item?
❓ What are my alternatives to purchasing?
❓ How can I buy more responsibly?
❓ How do I get rid of an item?

C/ Take your expired medications back to the pharmacist

Just like the dressing room, the medicine cabinet is often a pile of medications stored as best they can, with or without a box, expired or not... In short, it's often a mess, and at each visit to the doctor, new ones are prescribed. That's why sorting is essential!

However, once you've sorted them, don't throw your old medications in the trash! To ensure they are recycled, take them back to the pharmacy. Tablets, capsules, syrups, ampoules, aerosols, ointments, creams... Everything is incinerated to produce energy in the form of steam and electricity.

D/ Stick a "stop-pub" sign on your mailbox

Fewer leaflets in your mailbox, it's possible! By posting a "stop-pub" sign on your mailbox, you're doing your bit for the planet. Since 2004, this eco-friendly action, supported by the Ministry of Ecology, has been helping to make significant savings across the country. In fact, every year, a French household receives an average of 40 kilograms of leaflets! If you don't read them, these advertisements flood your mailbox and end up in the trash.

Key figures
🌳 15.1 million trees were cut down to make leaflets in France in 2019
🌳 62% of paper was recycled in France in 2021
🌳 48,362,000 trees have been saved thanks to the “stop-pub” initiative since 2004.

E/ Sort your waste

Reading this point, you might think it's obvious and doesn't need to be repeated. Quite the contrary!Even though it's undoubtedly one of the most deeply rooted ecological actions in our daily lives, it's nonetheless crucial for environmental preservation.

Sorting your waste allows you to direct it to the appropriate stream, as part of a circular economy approach. By separating recyclable materials like paper, plastic, glass, and metal, you help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and save natural resources.

🤔 Did you know?
According to a study carried out by Citeo, in 2022, each French person sorted an average of 72 kg of household packaging and paper, or 57 kg of packaging and 15 kg of paper.

In the garden

Have you ever heard of ecological gardening? It's an innovative approach that goes far beyond the simple aesthetic beauty of a garden. It's a way of gardening that places the protection of biodiversity and ecological balance at the center of the process. By adopting this practice, and many others besides, you are helping to protect the environment and promote the health of local ecosystems.

#1 Make your compost

Since January 1, 2024, in line with the so-called "AGEC" law (relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy) of February 10, 2020, individuals must have a practical solution for sorting their biowaste at source.

Combining ecology and economy, making your own compost has only advantages! Indeed, in addition to clearing the clutter in your trash cans, compost is an excellent natural fertilizer.

So what should you compost? Ademe recommends using:

• your kitchen waste (peelings, coffee grounds, cheese rinds, etc.);
• your garden waste (grass cuttings, dead leaves, faded flowers, etc.);
• your household waste (paper towels, wood ash, shavings, for example);
• certain other organic waste (meat, hard plants, eggshells, etc.) should be composted in moderation.

Now that you know what to put in your compost, here are the steps to follow to make it:

1. mix your waste (carbon and nitrogen waste);
2. Grind them if necessary;
3. Stir everything thoroughly to aerate your compost;
4. Monitor the moisture content of your compost.

If you have followed this process, you should have beautiful compost within 4 to 12 months depending on the method used and the volume treated.

#2 Collect rainwater to water your plants

💦 45% of the rainwater we use does not need to be potable.

Synonymous with life, representing only 3% of all water reserves available on earth, water is a precious resource. So, it is unthinkable to waste it! To do this, Enerfip recommends that you collect rainwater in a water collector to water your garden, your vegetable patch, your ornamental plants, etc.

Of course, collecting rainwater doesn't have a single purpose in itself: you can also use it for things other than the garden, such as:

• washing your car (190 liters of water);
• running your washing machine (17 liters/m²);
• running your toilet (120 liters of water).

To give you an idea...
🚰 Watering your garden of less than 50m² requires 150 to 500 liters of water.
🚰 Watering your vegetable patch of less than 100m² requires 500 to 1500 liters of water.
🚰 Watering your garden and washing your car require 1500 to 3000 liters of water.
🚰 Watering your garden, washing your car and filling a pond require 3000 to 5000 liters of water.

On the plate

Sprinkling a pinch of ecology on your plate is possible! Enerfip presents some tips and tricks to add a touch of green to your meals, but also to your cooking and consumption habits.

#1 Cook 0 waste

Zero waste, a true way of life, also has its place in your kitchen. By adopting this approach, you can cook and clean in a more environmentally friendly way, while maintaining pleasure and efficiency.

If you are interested in this topic, we invite you to participate in SERD (European Week for Waste Reduction). This event, which takes place every year, aims to raise awareness that reducing waste is not an individual issue, but a collective one.

Recipe books to devour
🍪 I cook eco-friendly (or almost)! by Louise Browaeys, Hélène Schernberg and Guillaume Czerw
🍪 My plate takes care of the planet by Agathe MichelGood on the plate, good for the planet by Ninon Gouronnec
🍪 The adventure begins on the plate: 50 recipes from a foodie by Alix Noblat
🍪 The healthy plate by Alexandra Dalu and Thierry Marx

#2 Buy more responsible

Even though consuming more responsibly doesn't stop at the plate, Enerfip offers some advice on purchasing food products.

To adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, you can already opt for local and seasonal products, either in the supermarket or directly from the producer. If you don't have time to do your shopping, did you know that there are alternatives such as seasonal or anti-waste baskets? Subscribing to this type of subscription can help you consume more sustainably.

We also recommend that you choose unprocessed and organic products. To guarantee the quality of a product, you can find eco-responsible labels on packaging. They guide you on the origin of the products, the way they are grown or manufactured... In short, they meet all your requirements!

#3 Adopt a responsible diet

Eating better, for you and for the planet, is easy! Yes, yes, we promise! Still don't believe us? Let us present the menu for your future flexitarian diet.

On your plate, you can limit your meat and fish consumption to 3 days without animal protein, for example. To replace them, you can opt for legumes or cereals. Of course, we advise you to limit processed products as much as possible and to cook your own meals. New habits to adopt!

In transport

Road transport is the leading source of CO2 emissions, at 33%. This figure makes it the main cause of global warming. To support the ecological transition, it is possible to review your travel habits. Enerfip introduces you to some more environmentally friendly ways.

#1 Choose carpooling

By 2027, the national daily carpooling plan aims to achieve 3 million journeys. That's what? 4.5 million tons of CO2 saved!

Carpooling has many advantages, both economically and environmentally. By sharing journeys with other people, you reduce transportation costs such as gas, tolls, and parking. But that's not all! Carpooling also helps reduce road traffic, greenhouse gas emissions, and urban congestion. It also encourages social interaction!

Carpooling platforms to discover

🚗 BlaBlaCarDaily
🚗 Covoit’Ici
🚗 La Roue Verte
🚗 Pass Pass Covoiturage
🚗 Klaxit

#2 Favor soft mobility

Changing your habits isn't necessarily easy. And yet, everyone has an important role to play by deconstructing their perspective on how they travel.

In cities, nearly half of car journeys are less than 3 km. For journeys of this type, which consume a lot of fuel and, therefore, produce significant emissions, favor non-motorized travel. On foot, by skateboard, scooter, or bike, life will be sweeter!

#3 Prefer the train to the plane for long trips

Whether for personal or professional trips, for short trips (less than 800 kilometers), it is advisable to take the train rather than the plane. While not necessarily longer, train journeys offer many advantages to their users. Indeed, travelers only have to arrive a few minutes in advance at the station, unlike airports. The train also serves city centers directly, which is not insignificant for reaching your rental.

✈️ Did you know?
A plane consumes 6 times more energy than a train. For example, a round-trip flight from Paris to Zurich emits 300 kg of CO2 per person, compared to only 48 kg for the train.

At work

Why not bring your daily eco-friendly habits to your offices? Even if you don't notice it as much as at home, your workplace brings together many sources of waste and energy consumption. IT, heating, air conditioning, travel... All these aspects of your professional life leave an

environmental footprint. To reduce the production of waste, pollutants, and greenhouse gases, Enerfip gives you some food for thought!

#1 Teleworking

According to the ADEME study, "Teleworking, (im)mobility and lifestyle," teleworking reduces the volume of travel by 69% compared to a day spent at the workplace.

Staying at home all day and working? You didn't think about it before the Covid-19 pandemic, and yet teleworking is now part of the habits of many French people. Its main advantage is that it limits car travel. This is a boon for the preservation of the planet, because it also means reducing fuel and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The "rebound effect" linked to an increase in energy consumption in employees' homes does not exceed 3.5% to 7%.

⚠️ Be careful!
On the other hand, teleworking leads to an increase in equipment between home and offices. Furthermore, there has been a slight increase in energy consumption in employees' homes of between 3.5% and 7%.

#2 Improve your impact on sending emails and files

You need to rethink how you use your emails. You've probably already heard this advice, but it's essential to put it into practice in your daily life. Why? Because the pollution linked to your email storage space or sending them is significant. According to Ademe, sending an email with an attachment of 1 MB emits approximately 20 g of CO2.

Our advice

📧 Copy only the people concerned on your emails to limit the multiplication of emails.
📧 Avoid attaching large documents in your emails.
📧 To forward them, favor sharing links via collaborative tools like Slack or Notion.

#3 Scan rather than photocopy or print

Among the eco-friendly actions you can adopt in the office, scanning documents is a solution to reduce waste. Did you know that 25% of documents are thrown away just 5 minutes after being printed?Stop wasting paper!

In the same vein, you can configure your printer to limit your printing.

#4 Bring your own reusable tableware

Even if you've already seen some tips for incorporating eco-friendly gestures into your meal, don't neglect the container either, especially at work where temptations can be numerous. When going out, it's easier to order, even if we know that cooking yourself is more economical and environmentally friendly. So, when you opt for a takeout meal, remember to bring your own tableware to limit cardboard or plastic packaging.

As a family

Young and old, there's no age limit to committing to the planet! From a young age, you can educate your children about respecting the environment. How? By practicing ecology as a family. What does that mean? By showing them the right reflexes to adopt so that they can incorporate them into their daily lives for later.

#1 Follow blogs about ecology

Exploring online blogs related to ecology with your children is an excellent way to inform them and encourage them to become more involved in an environmental approach. Through educational content, your children will discover a multitude of practical advice, simple tips, and innovative solutions to reduce their ecological footprint on a daily basis, while having fun. Enough to strengthen your entire household's commitment to a more sustainable future!

Blogs to consult urgently
👀 L’Empreinte, the entire Enerfip philosophy in a blog
👀 It starts with me
👀 Youmatter
👀 I recycle

#2 Raise awareness among those around you and share your ecological values

What better way to pass on good habits than to share them with those around you? Discussing environmental issues, sharing practical advice, or organizing ecological activities are effective ways to encourage positive change in society. Because it is together that we will have a real impact and can make a difference in protecting the planet!

#3 Consider MOOCs and podcasts to educate yourself

Want to learn more about ecology and good practices to adopt? Want to know how to implement concrete actions in your daily life? Look no further: we have found THE best solutions for you!

You can listen to podcasts or participate in MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Thanks to these different learning materials, you acquire new skills, integrate tools into your learning routine, broaden your horizons... In short, nothing but benefits! Listening to ecology specialists share their knowledge allows you to broaden your own. Afterwards, you can pass on your new knowledge to your loved ones, your children, your colleagues, your friends...

Podcasts to listen to on repeat

🎤 Greenletter Club, ecology analyzed by Maxime Thuillez
🎤 Sciences et Écologie by France Inter
🎤 Y’a plus de saisons by Swann Périssé and Binge Audio
🎤 Demain et Durable – Comprendre l’écologie by Antoine Grego
🎤 Basilic – L’écologie à petits pas by Jeane Clesse

Invest responsibly

Establishment of new habits is not necessarily easy, and yet, every small daily action is essential for the future of the planet. Among the actions that can change tomorrow, sustainable investment is not to be neglected! By making the impact of your investments positive and virtuous, you are participating in the decarbonization of savings products. This is what Enerfip aspires to. With us, you invest in the energy transition, directly in renewable energy production, energy efficiency, or sustainable mobility projects. Our efficient, diversified, and short-circuit offerings with projects and project leaders actively contribute to the promotion of a decarbonized societal model and promise attractive financial returns.

If you are interested in our crowdfunding platform dedicated to the energy transition, make an appointment with the Investor Relations department without further delay!