1980's: First collection of ethical collective savings plans

In 1983 the Catholic committee against hunger and for development (comité catholique contre la faim et pour le développement - CCFD), with the support of the Crédit Coopératif, launched the first shared mutual fund called “Hunger and development” (“Faim et développement). A part of the revenues of this mutual fund is dedicated to the creation of companies in the third-world.

At the same time, the first ethical mutual fund appeared called “New Stategie 50” (Nouvelle stratégie 50), thanks to Sister Nicole Reille. Her objective was to offer investors, retail or institutional, stock investments that “respected man.” (in Les placements éthiques – Alternative économique).

1994: Creation of ethical and sustainable mutual funds called “Employment-integration”

Created by the initiative of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the Caisses d'épargne and the CFDT trade union, this fund invests in listed French companies who are engaged in a dynamic and courageous employee policy. The company can be in possession of up to 10% of non-listed shares from organisations creating jobs for those in distress.

The first meetings took place between Patrick Boulte and representatives of the finance world in order to explore the various facets of his influence on the creation, risk prevention and lasting quality of companies. This resulted in a manifesto entitled: “Financiers commit to employment and vow against social exclusion”.

1996: Launching of the “Financiers commit to employment and vow against social exclusion” manifesto a the French Centre for Information on Companies (Centre Français d'Information sur les Entreprises - CFIE)

In August, the “Financiers commit to employment and vow against social exclusion” manifesto was made public. This document, which was elaborated by a group of financial specialists brought together by Patrick Boulte and Jean-Baptiste de Foucauld, completed an initial text that was published in the magazine “L'Expansion” in 1992 entitled “Manifesto of companies against exclusion” (“Manifeste des entreprises contre l'exclusion”)

It is this text that caused Jacques Delors to want a similar document to be created at a European level. This was done with the launching of the “European Manifesto of companies against exclusion” in 1995, which led to the establishment of the European Business Network for Social Cohesion (EBNSC) that has now become Corporate Social Responsibility Europe (CSR Europe).

1997: Creation of the first French social and environmental rating agency, AreSe (today, Vigeo)

21 January: The “Financiers commit to employment and vow against social exclusion” manifesto is published in Les Échos newspaper,

Publication of the manifesto in the 1997 VEGA finance directory,

May: AreSe is created,

October: Publication of the Journal of European Business Network for Social Cohesion called “Finance and Employment: engage in the debate”,

Creation of a label for sustainable employee savings products by the Finansol association.

1998: First meeting about management of employee savings plans

April: This meeting was organised by the CFE-CGC trade unions around the theme of “Retirement funds and Employment”, which was inspired by the publication of the manifesto.

September: A meeting organised by the French-American Foundation on “American Pension Funds: Elements of cohesion in Society?”, with the participation, among others, of Jean-Luc Cazettes (National Secretary of the CFE-CGC), Peter Clapman (Senior Vice-President and Chief Council of TIAA-CREF), Bill Crist (President of Calpers), William B. Patterson (Centre for Working Capital, AFL-CIO), and Charles S. Stephens (former Director of Investments and Treasurer, United Mine Workers of America, Health and Retirement Funds). This meeting allowed the French trade unions to understand American experiences in managing employee savings plans.

2000: Launching of the French Social Investment Forum and creation of ORSE

January: The French Social Investment Forum project is officially launched.

April: Terra Nova Conseil launches the first newsletter in France dedicated to responsible investment entitled SRI in Progress.

June: Creation of the Observatory on Social Responsibility of Companies (l'Observatoire sur la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises - ORSE) in order to make companies, investment fund managers and retirement institutions more sensitive to questions on sustainable development and social responsibility.

November: French SIF campaigns for the inclusion of environmental, social and ethical aspects in a law on the generalisation of employee savings plans (Law from 16.2.01) and in the law targeting the creation of French Retirement Reserve Funds (Law from 17.7.01).

Creation of the International Social Observatory (l'Observatoire Social International), initiated by the Groupe Suez whose objective is “to imagine the ways and means to achieve a necessary equilibrium between economic requirements and new social demands.”

2001: Creation of Eurosif, and Novethic is launched as the first public portal on social responsibility and SRI

February: First meeting, organised by the French Social Investment Forum, in partnership with Euronext, to present the results of the first study carried out on French SRI funds.

April: With the initiative of the Groupe de la Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the company Novethic is launched. It is dedicated to social responsibility of companies and ethical investments.

September: Launch of the Novethic website.

November: Creation of the European Social Investment Forum, EuroSIF

2002: Eurosif organises its first two European conferences

April (Frankfurt): Organisation of Eurosif's conference on SRI: Task or Tool for Public Policy? by the German Social Investment Forum (Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen).

May (Paris): Organisation of a Eurosif seminar on “How does Socially Responsible Investment modify the relations between shareholders and companies?” by the French Social Investment Forum.

December: Novethic is integrated into the Groupe Caisse des Dépôts.

2003: The first European SRI “Road show” is organised in Paris by the French SIF

June: Organisation by the French SIF, in partnership with Euronext, the European Forum of Responsible Investment (Forum Européen de l’Investissement Responsable – FEIR), of the first meeting of socially responsible issuers-investors.

July: Eurosif launches the pilot project for retail SRI funds entitled Transparency guidelines for the retail SRI fund sector.

September: Eurosif publishes the first comprehensive study of the European SRI institutional market entitled Socially Responsible Investment among European Institutional Investors.

October: ISR Info, a new informational web site on socially responsible investment and corporate social responsibility is launched. In addition, the first French fund with an objective to implement one or several initiatives per year on each company in the portfolio to improve company governance was launched (Proxinvest Active Investors)