Climate and sustainable energy, people’s wellbeing, care for the environment and creating value for society are the four core pillars to TotalEnergies’ sustainable development ambition.
As a multi-energy company that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and electricity with more than 100,000 employees worldwide, TotalEnergies believes the greatest impact can be made through partnerships and collaboration.
Locally in South Africa, TotalEnergies adds citizenship initiatives to their array of activities in order to make socioeconomic and societal contributions, with a primary focus on young people, particularly the most vulnerable. These initiatives are borne by TotalEnergies Foundation and contribute to the community engagement of the company, whose employees can devote up to three days of their working time per year to citizenship initiatives.
A commitment to improve road safety
In partnership with various stakeholders, road safety is one priority CSI area. Road accidents are the cause of nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries globally every year – making it the leading cause of death in children and young people worldwide.
Receiving road safety education at a young age is globally recognised as one of the most effective ways of providing youngsters with road safety knowledge. Launched in South Africa a year ago by the Michelin Foundation and TotalEnergies Foundation, the global road safety education platform, VIA, together with partners such as Road Safety Partnership South Africa, Red Cross, Unitrans, Department of Education and Department of Transport, has been rolled out at 50 schools, reaching more than 20,000 learners.
Linked to the road safety priority area is the 2023 Helmet 4 Life initiative, which saw Patrick Pouyanné, board chairman and TotalEnergies CEO at TotalEnergies, commit to donating 100,000 helmets.
This campaign is driven through the United Nations and aims to make quality helmets available to drivers of motorised two-wheelers and actively raise awareness among drivers. Locally, TotalEnergies South Africa donated 2,500 helmets to motorbike drivers in Gauteng.
An appreciation of heritage and wildlife
Under the pillar of climate, coastal areas and oceans, TotalEnergies and South African National Parks have a partnership that dates back 65 years. From SANParks Week, which saw more than 72,000 visitors access the Kruger National Park in 2022, to programmes for children in the perimeter of the park to expose them to careers in wildlife and conservation, these initiatives drive awareness of our country’s natural heritage and pass on awareness and appreciation of our environment.
Clean energy is going to change the world
TotalEnergies’ primary objective is to reach net zero emissions by 2050. As such, clean energy is an urgent and critical focus. Aligned to both the pillars of inclusion and education and caring for the environment, targeting young people to learn more about protecting the planet has seen a valuable partnership develop with LEAP Science and Maths Schools. Established more than 20 years ago, LEAP provides free education to students from high-need communities, with mathematics, physical science and English as mandatory subjects.
The Access to Energy: Solar Activation that took place at the six LEAP Science and Maths Schools across Limpopo, Gauteng and the Western Cape, provided 2,000 learners and staff with an A4, sized solar panel with lights. Furthermore, TotalEnergies has sponsored workshops in three LEAP schools, where participants were taught how to build their own solar cell-phone charger. The learners were not only taught how to solder and build their own circuit board, but how to better manage electricity with green energy, enabling them to be less reliant on the grid.
Sustainable CSI and the triple bottom line
Involving staff is integral to the work of TotalEnergies Foundation. “Everywhere where we have activations, we involve staff, whether it’s distributing helmets, implementing road safety, planting trees or packing library books,” says Talitha Sachane, Corporate Affairs and CSI Manager at TotalEnergies South Africa.
According to Sachane, delivering through collaboration is the most effective way to have the biggest and broadest impact and to do so by establishing partnerships with organisations whose purpose and vision are aligned.
“CSI needs to be integrated into the company strategy and be core to where the company is going for it to be sustainable. CSI can no longer be a standalone concept, it needs to fit into the company’s financial, social and environmental performance.”
