Climate change is a leading risk factor for the banking and insurance sector. Through a number of initiatives, the ACPR assesses these sectors’ exposure to the risks associated with climate change and supports them in their efforts to address these risks.
The ACPR organises exercises called stress tests that aim to strengthen the ability of the banking and insurance sectors to anticipate the impacts of climate change on their business in the short, medium and long term. The ACPR raises awareness among the undertakings under its supervisory remit to enable them to refine their climate risk management strategy.
L’AThe ACPR ensures that customers are protected, including against “greenwashing”.
For instance, the ACPR has analysed advertising content used in life insurance. In these advertisements, the Authority identified a number of “greenwashing” practices that failed to provide customers with clear, accurate or non-misleading information. In 2022, the ACPR published a recommendation regarding the promotion of extra-financial features in life insurance advertising communications, in order to improve transparency and ensure that the information disclosed offers a balanced view of the product.
The ACPR is involved in work on climate change issues at European and international level, including with the Financial Stability Board, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, the G7 and the G20, etc.
The ACPR and the Banque de France are also founding members of the Network of central banks and supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). We are members of the Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF), which focuses more specifically on insurance-related matters.
The ACPR leads numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which are part of the Banque de France's CSR Strategy to achieve our goals, by implementing concrete actions towards:
We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint by curbing our greenhouse gas emissions. We have taken various measures to achieve this goal:
Advocating for a sustainable use of digital technologies is at the heart of the ACPR's CSR actions. For instance, all members of ACPR staff have access to a personalised dashboard displaying their digital use metrics, which enables them to reduce their digital footprint. Regular messages are sent to remind employees to switch off their IT equipment, and printers are set to “power-saving” mode.
Our head office has been certified compliant with the High Quality Environmental Standard (HQE, Haute Qualité Environnementale). We are continuing our efforts to reduce our building’s energy use, after achieving a 4.4% decrease between 2019 and 2023.
In addition, we have equipped our building with a composter to recycle biowaste, and installed charging stations for electric bikes and electric scooters.
In order to promote the use of sustainable commuting habits, ACPR agents are offered a “Sustainable Transport Package” that includes the use of electric bikes and carpooling.
We are also committed to staying below a “carbon budget” target when it comes to business travel. Between 2019 and 2023, we have reduced our GHG emissions by 47%. This was achieved by establishing rail travel as the preferred alternative to air travel. In 2023, rail travel was used for 95% of business trips for which travel time was less than 4:30 hours.
The ACPR offers awareness-raising training programmes to its staff, including two online training courses on climate issues and carbon neutrality.
New hires attend educational workshops such as the “Fresque du Climat” (the Climate Fresk).
We are committed to gender equality. The share of women holding management positions is increasing.
In 2023, women made up 49% of ACPR agents:
Women made up of senior executives
Women made up 43% of management positions
We recognise that the hiring process is a key lever for achieving a discrimination-free environment, which is why our recruiters receive training on diversity issues.
The ACPR is hiring more people with disabilities, following a new Disability Inclusion Agreement negotiated with trade unions and applicable from 2024 to 2026. We also take part in disability awareness campaigns, for example through the Banque de France's “80% of disabilities are invisible” campaign.
The ACPR also invests in staff training: 95% of its employees have attended at least one training course in 2023. The Authority is actively supporting youth employment as well, through the hiring of interns and work-study trainees.
The ACPR encourages its teams to co-develop team agreements to strengthen cohesion when working remotely. These agreements, numbering close to 60 in total, aim to improve working arrangements as well as the way new hires are onboarded.
ACPR agents volunteer in a wide range of charitable events, such as the World Cleanup Day and toy drives for the Restos du Coeur charity, in keeping with the Banque de France's patronage initiatives. The ACPR also participates in charity races, such as the Foulées de l’assurance (a charity run organised by the insurance industry), an initiative promoting cardiovascular disease prevention.
Updated on the 27th of March 2025