Ergosanté is a manufacturer of ergonomic seats and exoskeletons in Anduze, and is a leading company in its sector, but also in its commitment to the ecological, energy and climate transition.
The Cévennes-based company, which has 120 employees, half of whom are based in Anduze, is involved in a cross-disciplinary approach, a commitment supported by its partners such as Bpifrance, the Public Investment Bank. The company's sales manager Arnaud Declomesnil tells us more about the concrete actions undertaken by Ergosanté.
Objectif Gard : Your company is involved in ergonomic solutions. The link with the climate, the ecological and energy transition is not necessarily obvious at first sight. How important are these issues for Ergosanté ?
Arnaud Declomesnil: It is quite central, especially in the last year and a half. The link may not be obvious, but to make our products, we have components. We can choose them next door, or far away. We had already started in 2018 a shift to short circuits, we wanted local, or at least European partners. Good for us, because there were supply disruptions that enabled us to complete this change more quickly and we managed to transform our entire production unit with locally sourced products. For our exoskeletons, the composite fibre is made in Alès and the fabric is cut out here, for example. There are also details: when we buy cars, we make sure that they are manufactured nearby, and when we choose adhesives, they are solvent-free. We also offer products with recycled materials as an option.
So these are very concrete actions.
Exactly, with another aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR, editor's note) in mind, by creating local employment. Today we have a production unit for seats whose wood comes from Occitania, assembled in Anduze. So, even if a boat gets stuck in the Suez Canal, we don't care! An anecdote: before, we used to buy our headrest mechanisms abroad, and with the history of the Suez Canal we had a break. We realised that we could work with an ironmonger 90 metres from our home, and to replace a plastic ball joint, we called in a carpenter to make it in wood. We became independent in the production of headrests, and for exactly the same cost. It also allowed us to hire an extra person. In addition, we are in the process of obtaining the EnVol label on the environmental side.
So these actions are a CSR tool for Ergosanté?
These are things that we have wanted to do for a long time, and it just so happens that CSR is becoming fashionable. We are therefore moving into the labelling phase, for us it is just a matter of filling in a paper to say what we have been doing for a long time. For example, we have a project for a new building to double our production, and on this occasion the whole company will be self-consuming and energy positive. This is planned for the end of the year, with Bpifrance as a partner. In addition, we have just started a new activity, Ecosiège, in August. The concept is to recover used seats, dismantle them and recondition them with our employees from the adapted company. The idea is to close the loop.
Is there staff support for these solutions?
There is no constraint for the staff, it is even a plus internally. The idea is that employees will take up the idea and that these solutions will become a reflex.
Does the fact that the company is located at the foot of the Cevennes, in Anduze, play a role in its commitment?
It is perhaps easier to think about nature when it is right in front of you than when you are in a high-rise building in La Défense. Afterwards, the difficulty is that we are often perceived as small companies from the farthest reaches of the Cévennes, whereas on exoskeletons, we are one of the 25 most successful companies in the world. But by being closer to nature, we are undoubtedly more concerned.
See the article on Objectifgard.com