A sustainability-linked loan in the construction sector

Groupe BPCE has helped to set up a sustainability-linked loan for the Alkern Group, an operation that underscores this company’s commitment to the environmental and societal transition of the construction industry.

The innovative feature of this sustainability-linked loan is the inclusion of annual CSR targets in the calculation of its interest rate. Three metrics have been selected by the Alkern Group and its partners: a reduction in the frequency rate of work-related accidents, an increase in the carbon emission gains made by the customers of the Alkern Group thanks to the use of its products, and a reduction in the Group’s own CO2 emissions following the completion of a comprehensive greenhouse gas assessment. 

Caisse d’Epargne Hauts de France acted as co-arranger and ESG coordinator for the loan within a pool of French banks, with Banque Palatine also acting as a co-arranger. 

Alkern Group, the leading French manufacturer of precast concrete products for the construction industry, is pursuing what represents a pioneering CSR approach for an intermediated-sized company in this sector and its active contribution to the low-carbon revolution currently underway in the construction industry.