Sustainability: CSR wins the favours of the IAM

"Four years ago, when we talked about sustainability... nobody understood us. Today, the leaders of major distribution groups know they have to take an interest in ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues. And that's true all over the world”, explains Antoine Soulier, co-founder and CEO of Inteliam, which assesses and supports global retailers in improving their performance. This awareness has been accelerated by the entry into force of the European CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), which sets standards and obligations for non-financial reporting. “This regulation addresses the need for transparency and accountability, with the ultimate aim of getting companies to take ownership of the approach.” Adopted by automotive manufacturers and distributors alike, the approach is now spreading to their entire ecosystem.

Although the process originated in Europe, it is also being taken up outside the European Union. Australia, for example, is about to roll out a CSRD-inspired approach.  This regulatory obligation has helped to accelerate the movement, “with European players taking the lead, as we have seen from the 200 companies on four continents audited by Inteliam. However, we are also sensing a growing awareness of the need to go sustainable in other parts of the world."

Nevertheless, while measuring their environmental footprint (and carbon footprint in particular) is a noble accomplishment, companies must then translate their painstakingly collected ESG report data… into action! “This is all the more fundamental as all partners will eventually demand transparency on carbon footprints." And for distributors, the first area for improvement is logistics. Thus, Parts Holding Europe, one of the Top 4 European distributors, officially embraced sustainability in 2024 by recruiting a specialist on the subject and launching a plan to decarbonize its logistics sites, focusing on energy savings and efficiency (heating, lighting, insulation and fleet). “As a good corporate citizen, we implement concrete, pragmatic plans. They have the advantage of coinciding with technological developments, the company's economic interests and environmental protection”, explains Jeremy de Brabant, Group Managing Director. He adds that Poland's Inter Cars (one of Europe’s top 3), Scandinavia's Meko and even LKQ “have made this commitment a key differentiator.”

To go even further, ITG Nexus Automotive has placed sustainability at the heart of its strategy, notably with the launch of its “Climate Day”, consisting of setting up joint workgroups between members and suppliers to bring out concrete solutions and sustainable best practices. The same goal is being pursued on a broader scale with the FAAS (Forum on Automotive Aftermarket Sustainability), launched in 2023 by Clepa and Figiefa, which already has 200 members (OEMs, automakers, ITGs, distribution groups, etc.). "And if we add the rise of circular economy parts, and portfolios beginning to integrate ‘green’ products and services, we can see a growing number of virtuous approaches in terms of environmental protection. This is good news... but there's still a long way to go yet,” says Antoine Soulier.