How Groupe TF1 consolidated sustainability data from across its value chain with Sweep

Background

Groupe TF1 is a French media holding company. It is made up of multiple television channels, film and television production and distribution companies, and advertising agencies. It also has a large online presence and has diversified into publishing, music and show production, licensing and event communication.

Challenge

Groupe TF1 has long held ambitious carbon reduction targets, but had been managing every bit of its carbon data in various Excel spreadsheets. This involved sending lots of emails to gather the necessary data and was very prone to human error. The sheer number of people involved in the process of gathering data with different units of measurement, different roles, different scopes and even different integrations was becoming a big problem.

Because of these challenges, Groupe TF1 was not able to calculate the carbon footprint at all the levels of the organisation that it wished: subsidiaries, activities, commercial units, etc. 

The organization’s core reason for wanting to calculate a granular carbon footprint was to be able to identify the most efficient ways of implementing its emissions reduction strategy. Incomplete data was therefore limiting the company’s ability to put its plans into action. 

It’s important to note that matters were made more complex for Groupe TF1 by the context of the media industry which has less developed methodology when it comes to tracking and acting on carbon and ESG. 

As a sustainability pioneer within the media, Groupe TF1 was faced with unprecedented challenges, and had to put in place its own governance strategy in order to respond adequately. 

Groupe TF1’s sustainability team therefore needed a software partner which would not only  enable them to track, disclose and act upon their carbon data in real time, while also providing the reporting frameworks and guidance to help them create meaningful, actionable results.

Solution

Sweep emerged as the solution to Groupe TF1’s problem, offering a centralised platform for tracking, disclosing and acting on carbon data. By transitioning from spreadsheets to Sweep, Groupe TF1 has achieved enhanced data accuracy and integration, mitigating errors stemming from inconsistent formats and disparate data sources.

One of the most notable outcomes has been Groupe TF1’s ability to conduct granular analysis not just at a group level but on a subsidiary and even a business unit level. At a glance, Groupe TF1 could see where most of its emissions were coming from, and prioritise them accordingly for emissions reduction action.

The implementation of Sweep has helped Groupe TF1 to greatly improve the efficiency with which it can calculate its carbon footprint. Previously, Groupe TF1 spent several months gathering data. Since switching to Sweep, the team has reduced the time spent on this task timeline considerably.  Now, Groupe TF1’s teams have much more time to focus on their decarbonisation efforts and strategic sustainability initiatives, enabling the entire company to align with its long-term goals. 

With Sweep, Groupe TF1 can now analyse precise and tangible data, in order to identify avenues for concrete progress, in line with its SBTi-based targets (Science Based Target Initiative).

The platform offers modelling and simulation functions which allow Groupe TF1 to test hypotheses using real data, with the aim of strengthening its sustainability strategy. At the same time, the organization can now track its progress towards its annual targets in real time, and quantify their impact. 

The Groupe TF1 sustainability team highlights Sweep’s dashboards as a key feature, saying they offer a powerful visualisation and useful oversight for senior leaders while also giving sustainability teams the ability to explore scenarios for emissions reduction strategies. In this way, the platform has become a useful daily tool for the operational teams. 

Although they initially deployed Sweep simply for data collection and calculation, Groupe TF1 have found that the platform’s visualisation capabilities have been an added bonus, enabling the sustainability team to move beyond collection and into powerful climate action.