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BEECITY unites employees on the matter of biodiversity

4. Environment

Biodiversity and sustainable resource management

Context

Founded in Leers in 2013, BeeCity is specialized in the installation of beehives leased to companies in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Beehives and bees contribute to biodiversity, and their installation within a company brings the teams together with a unifying project. BeeCity provides adequate solutions to support the companies in their approach to environmental management.

Objectives

  • Raise awareness on the bio-diversity and environmental issues
  • Introduce the 3 elements of sustainable development in the actions of BeeCity

APPROACH

 BeeCity’s approach focuses on Sustainable Development and actively researches consistency in the realization of its projects.

• Its approach follows the stages described below:

Before installing the beehives: pre-installation study on site (safety, location, bee-friendly environment), and administrative procedures (insurance, declaration of beehives and health monitoring).

Installation of beehives on site: installation of three hives of bees selected for their gentleness by the renting company, and nomination of a “beekeeping referent” to ensure contact with BeeCity; organization of a conference on how to raise awareness among employees to bee-related issues (pollination); comparing similarities between the way beehives are organized, and companies.

Monitoring of beehives and thematic workshops: 10 monitoring visits are performed for hives maintenance and monitoring of the bee colonies; for each hive visit, company employees have to participate and BeeCity is in charge of the facilitation of workshops about honey and bees. Multiple thematic visits are proposed from spring until wintering (discovery of three types of bees, their environment and functions; organization of a colony and that of a company…)

Honey harvest: in the companies, with the active participation of employees. Their children are also invited to the harvesting. The honey maturing, bottling and personalized labelling are performed at the BeeCity honey farm.

• A consistent approach:

- Beehives are made at the ESAT* Lys-lez-Lannoy with French PEFC** wood; 

- Net zero carbon footprint: 1 beehive installed = 1 tree planted in Nord-Pas-de-Calais;

- Local suppliers;

- Communication booklets are labelled Imprim’vert*** / have the Imprim'Vert label.

• Other on-going projects:

- Environmental monitoring using bees: Analysis of the quality of the environment (air, water and ground)

- Proposing companies to let flowers lie fallow in some areas, put birdhouses or insect hotels, replant bee-friendly hedges…

*ESAT (Etablissement et Service d’Aide par le Travail): Establishment for supported employment

** PEFC is a forest certification system (Forest management environmental label)

*** Imprim’vert is a label certifying that the printing has been done in an eco-friendly approach

 

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

  •  20 partners, which means 60 beehives installed, and 4 million pollinating bees
  • Customers: 2000 persons reached on matters enunciated previously, honey production under the name of the company, creation of a connection and well-being, valuing of the corporate image

Benefits

  • Over 2000 persons reached
  • 60 trees replanted in the region
  • 4 employees at the ESAT trained in the manufacturing of beehives
Workforce
2 salariés (2013)
Turnover
50 000 € en 2013 (sur 8 mois d’activité)
Country
France

BEECITY

2, rue du Maréchal Leclerc
59115 Leers

www.beecity.fr

Contact

Sylvain BREUVART Dirigeant This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mise à jour le 13/11/2017

Creative Commons Attribution This work by Réseau Alliances – World Forum Lille is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.