With over 11 years of experience in the energy sector, Laura Ducamp has developed a diverse range of sustainability skills, focusing on social impact. Currently, she coordinates our ESG scope of services in France, specializing in ESG performance and ratings, sustainability strategies, renewable energy technologies, environmental, social and human rights auditing, environmental and social international standards, and sustainable procurement. 

Laura’s experience covers a wide range of projects and programs at different scales and geographies, including Papua New Guinea, China, India and Mexico. Throughout her career, she has been involved in international projects, on environmental, social and economic development aspects.  

What inspired you to join the industry? 

I have always been deeply convinced of the need to adapt our societies to better preserve our environment and have always wanted to work towards this goal. Having always worked in large, well-structured companies in the field of sustainability (Total, EDF Renewables and EDF Group), I have observed the growing prominence of ESG issues and requirements for many years. The increasing complexity of this regulatory framework, coupled with the proliferation of stakeholders and ESG approaches, poses a real challenge for all companies, regardless of their size.  

I have experience working with sustainability teams at major energy companies. Joining ArchTam was a natural step for me, aligning with my desire to engage more closely with business issues in an international environment, to support both global and local companies in their sustainable transition, as well as continuing to develop sustainable practices internally. The advantage of consultancy work is that we acquire a tremendous amount of knowledge each day, the tasks are always varied, and we are able to stay thoroughly informed about societal developments. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?  

As a sustainability expert, it is hugely satisfying to see the current shift in corporate reporting to integrate environmental and societal impacts of their operations. Helping organizations on this journey is very rewarding.  

Supporting clients in decarbonizing their projects and assets — from field audits to net zero roadmaps, including energy consumption calculations and practical recommendations — is the most fulfilling work for me as it contributes in a very pragmatic and measured way to the necessary climate transition. To cite just one example, for one client we recommended an innovative energy-saving method, involving the application of a bio-based white paint on their building’s roof. This reduced the cooling needs and made it possible to install bifacial photovoltaic panels, significantly increasing solar energy production through sunlight reflection on the white surface. This solution also offered the advantage of causing less wear on air conditioning systems installed on the roofs, thanks to lower air exchange temperatures, and extended the lifespan of the roof coating by ten years compared to traditional solutions. 

I’ve also recently led an ESG monitoring project as part of a client’s data center development initiative. At the very beginning of the project, and with a multidisciplinary team, it was highly informative and constructive to analyze the key challenges of this rapidly growing sector. We were able to provide practical environmental and societal analysis, and recommendations that guided the client in their decision-making before the conceptual stages of the project progressed, and where most of the impacts can be mitigated. For example, we recommended recovering the fatal heat that otherwise is dispersed in its environment, combating electricity waste (Power Usage Effectiveness), supply from renewable energies, and even provided a guideline to lead stakeholder engagement. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

A significant part of our activities is related to the environmental, building and construction sectors. Together, these sectors contribute to nearly 40 percent of global CO2 emissions and represent one of the priority sectors for necessary decarbonization. It is therefore crucial for our employees to be aware of the climate issues and to collectively explore concrete ways to reduce our impact. My team and I have been involved in raising awareness through the Climate Fresk NGO, which was established in France and runs climate related education workshops. 

This powerful network now has a global community of 1.6 million ‘Freskers’ raising awareness on the challenges of climate transition. Educating and empowering people to act, both at professional and personal levels, is key. Across ArchTam’s France and Benelux teams, we aim to train more than 200 employees in two to three years, alongside our annual training on Sustainable Legacies, our global ESG strategy. 

Share a piece of career advice. 

With determination, nothing is impossible (especially in the field of sustainability). It may take time, but when one is convinced of the value of an action, both for the environment and for our clients, interests often align. The key is to explain it clearly for it to come to fruition, and the art lies as much in the substance as in the form! We are currently at the tipping point where the notion of ESG is considered alongside the financial aspects of a company’s performance. To provide our clients with the best possible support, it’s now necessary to discuss ESG performance on all types of projects, and to incorporate these concepts at all levels. For example, we were able to strongly encourage certain clients to engage in a voluntary consultation process or to conduct a decarbonisation study on a building’s structure, which had not initially been considered. Our clients were very satisfied as these actions proved successful, reducing the project’s reputational risks and even significantly lowering its cost. 

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There are increasing expectations from stakeholders on companies and organisations moving towards net zero. It is no longer enough to just set a science-based target — companies need to demonstrate how they can decarbonise their operations with a climate transition plan.  

Demand for robust and credible climate transition plans has increased as more organisations make public net zero commitments, highlighting the push towards transparent, achievable planning in the business ambition for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

Evidence-based climate transition plans are important because they give organisations the opportunity to enhance and demonstrate cost-effective transition planning to stakeholders, including investors, and their value chains.

They should also be viewed as an opportunity to add value and resilience to business planning and strategy by driving the internal shift towards low-carbon solutions.

In other words, robust, evidence-based climate transition plans guard against greenwashing claims and safeguard companies against falling short of net zero commitments.

Policy requirements are evolving across the globe

In the UK, climate transition plan (or net zero transition plan) requirements are currently in place for listed companies and large regulated asset owners and asset managers who must disclose this information as part of their disclosures aligned with the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards (SDS), which is expected in July 2024, will require companies to disclose transition plans on a mandatory basis although it isn’t yet clear to whom this will apply. 

More broadly, for EU-based companies, there are requirements around transition plans, for example as part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). These reporting requirements follow the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Climate transition plans are also required in Brazil, Japan and New Zealand under various legislative tools, and under consideration or development in North America, India, Australasia and South Africa. 

A major milestone for climate transition planning

In the UK, the Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) has just published its final framework for mandatory climate transition plans for UK-listed companies. This is a major milestone as the framework is widely regarded as a gold standard for private sector climate transition plans.

The framework provides recommendations on what a company should include when disclosing its transition plan, including key foundations, implementation and engagement strategies, metrics and targets and governance related to climate transition planning. 

Crucially, while the guidance is targeted at companies based in the UK, the recommendations can be adopted by companies who operate in other countries.

The three guiding principles of the TPT framework are ambition, action and accountability, and build on the transition planning foundations set by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and existing and emerging guidance on climate-related risk disclosures provided by the TCFD and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).  

The TPT will publish its final implementation guidance — including sector-specific recommendations — in the coming months.

Five practical considerations for those at the start of their climate transition planning journey

Based on our ESG Advisory work for global and UK-based clients, here are five high-level but practical considerations for those creating climate transition plans.

1. A credible climate transition plan that prioritises emissions abatement looks across the value chain as well as your immediate organisation’s emissions. This takes time to create so start as soon as possible.
   
2. While transition planning is relatively new, it is likely that your organisation will already have a foundation from which to start, as current levels of climate or carbon reporting will support transition planning and aligned disclosure.
   
3. That said, the best climate transition plans have a strong evidence base. We often work with companies that have the high-level expertise but lack the internal capacity to gather detailed data. We are able to step in and help them overcome that barrier.
   
4. Don’t view climate transition plans as a box-ticking exercise. A robust net zero transition plan should align to your wider business strategy, planning and governance, ultimately allowing you to make better decisions for your business as you manage climate risks.
   
5. Remember that your initial climate transition plan does not have to be perfect. It just needs to be honest, transparent and effective.

Read about our work with South Western Railway, the first train operating company in the UK to publish a decarbonisation roadmap, setting an example for the wider rail industry to follow.

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