ETDE develops a groundbreaking strategy in support of the disabled
ETDE has signed a three-year agreement with employee representative bodies relating to the recruitment, integration and retention of disabled employees. ETDE is the first company in its sector to embark on this kind of initiative. In particular, the agreement is aimed at recruiting 60 new disabled employees by 2008, in addition to the 130 disabled people already employed by the company. Sales worth €100,000 per year will also be placed with the sheltered sector, and solutions will be proposed for the redeployment and retention of all employees who have been involved in an accident at work.

ETDE holds recruitment drive in disadvantaged areas
In partnership with Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, ETDE has held a “job discovery” event in Clichy sous Bois and Montfermeil, north of Paris. The aim of this initiative was to meet motivated young people from disadvantaged areas to introduce them to jobs in the construction and energy sectors. Almost 100 young people, preselected by local partner organisations, took part in the one-day event. Twelve were recruited by the Group as a result. Events of this kind are held regularly by the company. ETDE plans to hire 1,200 new employees in 2007, up from 1,000 in 2006.

Spring clean at ETDE
On 23 March 2007, 12,000 employees, from the Chairman and CEO to site workers, in offices and on sites, across France as well as internationally, took part in ETDE’s Great Spring Clean. In a positive frenzy of cleaning, tidying, clearing out, throwing away and archiving, more than 250 tonnes of waste (including office supplies, furniture, site tools, etc.) were thrown out, sorted, recovered or donated to local community charities. In addition, personnel safety equipment was checked, and vehicles and site machinery were cleaned. The Great Spring Clean operation combined a major environmental and charity event with a novel approach to improving the workplace for all employees.

ETDE joins the fight against AIDS
ETDE has a number of subsidiaries in Africa, notably in Gabon, Congo, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In these countries, ETDE deploys a raft of highly sophisticated social policies to help improve the health of its employees. To contribute to the fight against AIDS, for example, ETDE’s subsidiaries have set up medical centres to care for employees and their families. The centres offer training, audiovisual information materials, discussion sessions organised by employees during breaks, and above all voluntary early screening, as well as contraceptives distributed with payslips. Last year, 10% of employees in Ivory Coast were HIV positive.

ETDE operates first eco-boom truck
ETDE has helped develop a “100% green” boom truck for its street light installation work. The truck is designed to allow selective waste sorting, while reducing pollution and other harmful effects, and improving the safety of employees. Removable waste skips on the truck’s platform are used for sorting recovered lamps and waste such as cable scrap during street lighting maintenance rounds. Instead of the normal petrol-powered generator, the green truck has also been equipped with a voltage converter for supplying power from the vehicle’s battery to hand-held electrical tools such as drills, etc. Finally, the bucket is equipped with an attachment system, connected to the vehicle’s safety system, which can be used for lifting small items of equipment, allowing the operator freedom to move, thereby increasing safety.

ETDE helps save energy
Within the scope of its overall street lighting management contracts, ETDE offers its local authority customers a range of energy-saving solutions. For example, solutions proposed to the City of Lille under an eight-year contract covering energy management as well as operation and maintenance of street lighting will allow the City to cut its energy consumption by almost 40% by the end of the contract, with no drop in service quality. In addition to reducing energy consumption, ETDE will enable Lille to exceed the recommendations of the Kyoto agreement, which sets the threshold for renewable energy at 21% by 2010. In fact, ETDE, in partnership with Electricité de France (EDF), is committed to boosting renewable energy supplies to 25.7%, with 18% coming from small French hydropower plants (energy certified by Observ’ER).

ETDE adopts “green driving” policy
In 2006, ETDE embarked on a fuel-saving policy, whereby all employees were encouraged to make use of “e-meetings”, and awareness was raised of the potential for “green driving”. The target for 2007 is to reduce fuel consumption by 10%, thereby saving €1 million over 12 months (assuming a fleet of 2,000 vehicles). To ensure that all employees buy into efforts to introduce smooth driving and reduce the number of trips made, the company is redistributing savings made in the form of a bonus.

ETDE goes for green attitude in FM
ETDE’s facilities management activities include building maintenance and services (known as “hard” and “soft” FM). The company’s cleaning teams previously used chemical products, such as stripping agents, degreasing agents and water treatment products, which are often harmful to the environment. As part of its ISO 14001 environmental certification initiative, ETDE has replaced these products with green products that are kinder to the environment, and less harmful for users. A total of 50 products have so far been successfully tested.

ETDE provides safety training for all
ETDE provides safety training for its employees, as well as for external contractors and temporary staff. The training covers risks associated with specific trades, appropriate postures and actions, etc. Each four-hour session is attended by between 10 and 12 people, and includes a video showing several work sites, followed by an analysis of the conditions that require improvement. An assessment is carried out at the end of the session.

Sponsorship in Nicaragua
Since 2005, ETDE has supported Blue Energy, an NGO working to bring electricity supplies to isolated communities on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast via locally manufactured wind turbines. ETDE’s contribution, which encompasses equipment supply, technical support provided by employees, and development of HR packs allowing engineering and business school students to complete a two-year placement at Blue Energy, has enabled 15 new wind turbines to be installed, supplying power to isolated villages and schools.



About ETDE:
A subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, ETDE is a turnkey provider and integrator of technical and services solutions for public- and private-sector customers in the energy, industry, service, transport, environment and telecommunications sectors. The company’s operations are based around three clearly structured, customer-oriented business areas: utility networks; electrical, mechanical & HVAC engineering; and facilities management & telecoms. ETDE offers comprehensive capabilities that encompass engineering, installation, maintenance and operation for both French and international customers. It leverages the expertise, commitment and responsiveness of its 12,000 employees to deliver innovative solutions with high technological added value. Backed by a network of 180 locations across France, and with a presence in 20 countries worldwide, ETDE posted sales of €1.4 billion in 2006, a 42% increase compared with 2005. Sales are predicted to rise further to €1.7 billion in 2007.