Repenser les ressources dès leur origine : rencontre avec Isabelle Richard-Bertin, Championne ESG Procurement
Working across a wide range of functions, they play a key role in the Group's sustainability journey. Each, in their own area of expertise, supports teams, helps improve practices and contributes to producing reliable and transparent ESG information. Through this series, discover their backgrounds, their roles and how they turn Soitec's sustainability ambitions into concrete actions every day.
After nearly 18 years in Quality Systems, Isabelle joined Soitec's Procurement team in early 2025 as Procurement ESG Leader. Her role is to structure and strengthen Soitec’s ESG approach to suppliers – initially focused on decarbonization – and broaden it to include circular economy, social responsibility, ethics and governance.
She plays a key role in embedding sustainability into the Procurement strategy, supplier evaluations, and day-to-day supplier relationships. This foundation rests on the Supplier ESG Policy (rolled out in 2025), a contractual framework aligning upstream activities with international standards (UN, OECD, ILO, RBA, and Human Rights) while embedding the circular economy into commercial relationships.
Isabelle is also responsible for ESRS E51 - Resource Use and Circular Economy - and for the Procurement-related aspects of ESRS S2 and S3, which cover Workers in the Value Chain and Affected Communities. She contributes to the annual Sustainability Report while helping Procurement teams turn the Group’s ESG ambitions into day-to-day practices.
Bringing circular economy in procurement
For Isabelle, circular economy starts long before a product reaches the factory. It begins when specifications are written and suppliers are selected. Procurement’s role therefore goes beyond selecting suppliers and negotiating contracts. By including circular economy criteria in specifications and calls for tender, buyers can challenge suppliers from the outset on eco-design, raw material use, recycled content, product lifespan and waste reduction.
The aim of the circular economy model is to move away from the traditional “take, make, use and dispose” mindset by preserving resources and developing reuse and recycling.
“Embracing the circular economy is not only about complying with regulations such as the CSRD2. It's also about securing our supply chain in a context where some raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce.” Isabelle explains.
The CSRD: a familiar framework
Coming from Quality, Isabelle quickly recognised similarities between the CSRD and the management systems she had worked with for many years.
“To me, the CSRD feels very much like a quality certification standard,” Isabelle shares. “It provides a structured framework that helps us continuously improve our environmental, social and governance performance.”
When Isabelle joined the Procurement team, the first phase of work on the CSRD was already underway. Alongside Olivier Benoît, she helped reorganize the approach to make data collection clearer and more practical.
Today, she makes sure that the information collected is accurate, translates regulatory requirements into plain language for the teams involved and coordinates cross-functional action plans.
Her role, however, goes beyond collecting data. She also helps teams understand why the information matters, what it reveals and how it can be used to set priorities and improve practices.
The first reporting cycle helped lay the foundations and identify missing information. With more experience and perspective, teams can now prioritize actions more effectively, build on the work already completed and gradually measure its impact.
Turning ideas into concrete improvements
For Isabelle, reporting only becomes meaningful when it leads to action. One example is the work carried out on packaging.
“One of the most significant developments has been the roll-out of HyBox reusable containers, which replace single-use cardboard, polystyrene and plastic packaging.” Isabelle shares.
Today, these reusable containers account for 24 per cent of substrate deliveries to the Bernin site and 30 per cent of shipments to customers. Their use helps to reduce waste, the weight transported and the carbon emissions associated with single-use packaging.
Building a long-term ESG approach with suppliers
Since joining Procurement, Isabelle has been helping to structure a long-term ESG approach for suppliers. Initially focused on reducing carbon emissions, it now also covers the circular economy, social issues, ethics and governance.
Working alongside buyers and colleagues such as Eva and Dimitri, she is helping to integrate these topics more fully into supplier assessments, performance monitoring and ongoing discussions with suppliers. This approach forms part of Procurement’s five-year supplier strategy.
Many of Soitec’s partners are based in Asia, where regulatory frameworks and levels of ESG maturity may vary. For Isabelle, dialogue and support are therefore essential.
“We shouldn't ask the impossible of our suppliers,” Isabelle notes. “Our role is to set realistic, achievable goals and support them along the way. Like the story of the hummingbird doing its part, every small contribution adds up to a meaningful step forward.”
This approach is based on a clear conviction: Soitec cannot achieve its ESG ambitions without its suppliers. The aim is therefore to help the entire value chain progress, through support and shared improvement rather than simple compliance.
Purpose-driven Work
After nearly two decades in Quality, Isabelle has found a new way to put her expertise to work. It allows her to align her professional expertise directly with her personal values.
“Working on these topics in collaboration with internal teams and suppliers, aligned with values that matter deeply to me, is a real joy,” she says. “It gives purpose to my work every single day.”
1 European Sustainability Reporting Standards
2 Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
