Sustainable development

CPE Lyon undertakes...

Annual sustainable development week

CPE Lyon has been participating in the sustainable development week for several years. This event is organised by the French ministry of ecology, energy, sustainable development and local development and the French environment and energy agency (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie - ADEME).

CPE Lyon organises a special event in the school each year.

In student education

The “new chemistry”, “tomorrow’s electronics” must in particular fulfil consumers’ high expectations in relation to:

  • high tech and extreme materials.
  • biotechnology, micro and nanotechnology
  • the environment, scientific ethics: designing and manufacturing new products to respond to present needs while respecting future needs, designing clean industrial methods of synthesis from sustainable raw materials, increasingly precisely analysing and striking a balance in relation to waste from the consumer society and creating the tools to reduce it…

In the Chemistry - Process Engineering speciality, students in year 5 may major in the environment:”Chemistry and processes applied to the environment”, or a Research Master in “Industrial and urban environmental sciences”.

20% of CPE Lyon’s young chemistry – process engineering graduates were working in eco-industry, environment and energy related fields.

Source : annual CPE Lyon job survey.

In its internal operation:

To be an eco-consumer by applying respect for the environment to its purchasing policy.

CPE Lyon already uses many recycled and eco-labelled products:

  • Cleaning products: 100% biodegradable, plant based and efficient, certified by the ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Énergie – French environment and energy agency), with the European eco-label (eco-label: official label recognising the ecological quality of products with a two fold guarantee: the quality of the product in use and its limited impact on the environment).
  • Paper: labelled and recycled. “Ange Bleu”, a German label that aims to promote environmentally friendly products.
  • Print cartridges etc.

To be ecologically responsible by using mostly industrial water and not drinking quality water, by limiting electricity consumption with the use of economic lighting.

A quality and security strategy has been put in place for products in the CPE Lyon chemical store, with security data forms for all products

To establish selective sorting for all its rubbish 

A waste sorting system was put in place in 2008. It provides for reprocessing through certified channels.

CPE Lyon, it’s:

  • 2,578,000 sheets of A4 paper, i.e. 12.9 tonnes of recycled paper
  • 97,000 m3 of industrial non drinking water
  • 70 kg of used batteries recycled
  • 4,056 cans salvaged, i.e. 61 kg of recycled metal
  • 1 tonne of electrical and electronic waste

In running its research laboratories

Whether in chemistry or electronics, the environment is at the heart of the researchers’ work: impact on the environment is assessed as soon as the products or molecules are designed.

In the field of electronics it can for example be seen through the expanding miniaturisation of components (which reduces waste and saves materials), recycling used components; in the field of chemistry molecules must be effective but also clean. The two dimensions are closely linked.

This requirement is an integral part of the terms of reference.

CPE Lyon is involved in the globally orientated Lyon chemicals and the environment competitiveness cluster (www.axelera.org).

The Lyon Rhône-Alpes Chemicals - Environment cluster is the result of local players in industry, education and research in the fields of chemicals and the environment joining together around a common vision:

"Moving from a chemicals industry that treats its effects to a cutting-edge chemicals industry integrating the management of its relationship with the environment from the start of the chain".