PROJECTS – CASE STUDIES
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APROTEC
A CSR approach: from intention to action
What drives a company to embark on a certification as demanding as B Corp? A conviction, a spark, the desire to structure what already existed.
For Anne-Sophie Dunand-Blaesi, CEO of Aprotec and passionate mountaineer, challenges are there to be conquered — one step at a time, but never turning back.
What was the catalyst for embarking on the B Corp journey?
Responsible and sustainable business has always been part of Aprotec’s values. We have notably held the Swiss Made label since 2012. As CEO and representative of the third generation at the helm of this family business, I wanted my tenure to be defined by a strong commitment to developing corporate social responsibility.
For several years, I had been looking for a complementary certification — one that was both inspiring and demanding, fully aligned with our identity, and one that would allow us to progress with enthusiasm and pride.
I hadn’t found it until, during the Covid period, I attended a conference by Patrick Odier. It was a genuine turning point. I immediately thought: yes, this is the certification we need.
What made you say: “This is the right time”?
In an entrepreneur’s life, there are always countless projects underway — it never stops. So why wait? Following that conference, we decided to act without delay. We formed a Green Team and the adventure began.
Je suis de nature plutôt impulsive — dans le bon sens du terme — et toujours partante pour relever de nouveaux défis. Lorsque je ressens qu’une démarche est juste et porteuse de sens, j’ai à cœur de mobiliser rapidement les équipes et de transformer l’intuition en projet concret.
What was your ambition at the outset?
Our ambition was primarily to bring more structure to our processes — a challenge that is often present in family businesses — and to push ourselves through the high standards of this certification. We saw it as a genuine opportunity to grow, to challenge ourselves, and to integrate new ways of doing things.
We also wanted to connect with a particularly inspiring community of entrepreneurs who have long been committed to a more responsible economy. The goal was, in a sense, to rise to their level, to draw inspiration from their practices, and to place Aprotec within that positive dynamic.
Because at its core, this journey rests on a simple conviction: we have only one planet, and everyone must take their share of responsibility.
What has B Corp enabled you to do?
The B Corp journey first allowed us to give concrete structure to our corporate social responsibility commitments — notably by forming a dedicated team within Aprotec, our Green Team. This provided a genuine framework for our actions and pushed us to go even further, driven by the many challenges and requirements of the certification.
But beyond the projects and metrics, B Corp has above all helped shift our mindset. We have gradually developed a way of thinking in which every decision, every everyday action, can become an opportunity to create a positive dynamic — a true upward spiral — for the planet, for people, and for the economy..
The challenge is precisely to consider these three dimensions with the same level of rigour and attention.
A pleasant surprise or a powerful moment of awareness?
Both, without hesitation.
La bonne surprise a été l’adhésion très spontanée d’un grand nombre de collaboratrices et collaborateurs. Aprotec a toujours cultivé une forte dynamique collective et un véritable esprit d’équipe. Dans ce contexte, les initiatives liées à la RSE — notamment les nombreux événements et actions que nous organisons — ont été accueillies avec beaucoup d’intérêt et d’enthousiasme. Le projet B Corp a ainsi rapidement embarqué les équipes.
At the same time, this process was also a significant wake-up call. Through the training sessions attended and the discussions held, we came to realise that a wait-and-see approach was no longer an option. The stakes are such that it has become essential to act concretely, here and now. Certain training programmes, such as those offered by the CEC, strongly contributed to accelerating this awareness.
One thing that has profoundly changed in your company (governance, procurement, supplier relations, impact measurement, culture…)
Governance has certainly been one of the areas where the change has been most visible. Today, every strategic decision is systematically assessed through the lens of its social and environmental impact. CSR is no longer a side topic: it has become a genuine decision-making filter.
It is worth noting that Aprotec’s DNA was already very well aligned with the values championed by B Corp. The certification was therefore not a rupture, but rather a kind of accelerator. It challenged us in a positive way and allowed us to take further steps forward, particularly in formalising our commitments and in our ability to measure and manage our impact.
Beyond processes, it is above all a mindset that has evolved. We have embraced the conviction that every choice can become an opportunity to create lasting value — for the company, for the people who work there, and for society as a whole.
2–3 initiatives you are particularly proud of
One initiative I am particularly proud of is the AproAcadémie, our body for monitoring and steering continuous learning. The introduction of structured reporting now allows us to concretely measure our efforts and observe that we are going well beyond the commitments we originally set for ourselves. To me, knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and the desire to learn are fundamental values — and essential qualities in both employees and managers.
Waste management is also a very significant achievement. It has become a true institution within the company. Having implemented rigorous sorting of all our waste, we are now taking a further step with a clear goal: reducing waste at the source. We are currently working on progressively eliminating individual bins under desks in favour of floor-level sorting stations, supported by internal awareness and communication campaigns.
More broadly, I am proud of the collective dynamic we have managed to create around CSR. We have genuinely brought our employees along on this journey. It no longer rests solely on projects or metrics, but on a shared culture and a common desire to contribute positively.
How do you measure your impact?
The B Corp certification has clearly pushed us to structure and objectify the measurement of our impact. We have developed numerous tracking dashboards and quantitative indicators that allow us to manage our actions rigorously and to concretely evaluate our progress.
At the same time, we place great importance on the qualitative dimension. We regularly conduct surveys across all our stakeholders — employees, clients, suppliers, and partners — in order to better understand how our commitments are perceived and to identify areas for improvement.
Ultimately, this is also one of the very positive contributions of the certification: it compels us to move beyond intuition and into a logic of measurement and monitoring. Even if this sometimes means a great many Excel spreadsheets, this discipline allows us to move forward with greater clarity, consistency, and impact.
How do you involve your teams, suppliers, and clients?
Stakeholder involvement is built first and foremost on education, communication, and awareness-raising. We are convinced that genuine buy-in can only be built through understanding and a shift in awareness.
Within our teams, we favour a very concrete and experiential approach. We bring CSR to life on a daily basis through internal events, AproDej sessions, film screenings, and participatory activities. The goal is to generate engagement, but also to create meaning and enjoyment around these topics.
With our suppliers, we have introduced a dedicated charter that formalises our expectations and opens dialogue on best practices. This is accompanied by regular exchanges so that we can progress together in a pragmatic way.
Finally, with our clients, communication plays a key role. CSR is now fully integrated into our corporate narrative and is consistently part of the CEO’s public statements. This allows us to share our vision while encouraging a broader collective dynamic.
One thing that sets you apart from your competitors?
Our team spirit, without hesitation. Aprotec is a family business that has always cultivated a strong culture of closeness. We operate like a large family, where collaboration, mutual support, and trust are central.
In practice, this also translates into a particularly rich company life. We organise on average more than three events per month, whether related to training, CSR, or simply moments of togetherness. For us, performance is not built solely through processes or objectives, but also through the quality of human relationships and the pleasure of being together.
This mindset creates a very strong sense of engagement and represents, in our view, a genuine differentiating advantage.
What was the main difficulty?
The main difficulty was related to the resources required. A certification as demanding as B Corp requires a significant investment of time and energy. As an SME, every hour devoted to the process is an hour not spent in the field or with clients. The financial cost must also be taken into account. That said, we now consider that this effort was worthwhile in light of the progress achieved.
If you were to go through the process again, what would you do differently?
Even with strong organisation around our Green Team, we remain an SME. Certain periods were marked by slowdowns due to operational urgencies. Looking back, we probably could not have done things very differently without investing more time and financial resources — which was not feasible at the time.
A piece of advice for companies looking to embark on B Corp?
Go for it! We have absolutely no regrets and are very proud to have achieved this goal. However, you must be aware that the process takes time, commitment, and resources. It is better to prepare for it and to treat this investment as a genuine company-wide project.
Qu’appréciez-vous le plus dans la communauté B Corp ?
Being part of a network of particularly inspiring companies that demonstrate it is possible to reconcile economic performance with social commitment. Models such as Patagonia, driven by the visionary leadership of Yvon Chouinard, are very stimulating. They inspire you to progress, to question yourself, and to keep going further in your commitments.
Have you experienced any particularly meaningful collaborations or exchanges?
Yes, particularly within the B EcoSystem Forum group, of which our CEO is a member. These exchanges between committed companies are very enriching and allow for the sharing of concrete best practices, as well as the opportunity to step back and continue to progress collectively.
What does “Business as a Force for Good” mean to you?
It is the conviction that a company should not seek profit alone, but also contribute positively to society and the environment. Today, as CEO, I see no other way of thinking about our role. We have a real responsibility towards the future of our planet and of future generations.
PROJECTS
As a specialist in CSR strategy and consultancy, besustainaballl supports companies from analysing their current situation through to achieving sustainability certification. It was within this framework that besustainaballl supported Aprotec throughout the entire process: defining and implementing the CSR strategy, raising awareness and building the skills of an internal Green Team, developing a responsible procurement policy, conducting an EcoVadis assessment and achieving B Corp certification.
