Financing: Sopra Steria accelerates impact innovation for sustainable transition

At Sopra Steria, technology, innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) go hand in hand. Faced with the urgency of climate change and societal challenges, we have chosen to act by mobilising a structuring lever: our own financing.

A Sustainability-Linked Loan at the heart of our low-carbon CSR strategy

Since 2022, Sopra Steria has indexed its €1.1 billion credit line to itsun greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, in line with the Paris Agreement and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

This financial mechanism, the Sustainability-Linked Loan, creates a direct and measurable link between our environmental performance and our financing conditions.

In concrete terms, when Sopra Steria achieves its climate targets, a financial contribution is generated. This contribution is reinvested in the financing of impact projects: innovative initiatives at the crossroads of science, technology and responsible entrepreneurship, contributing to the fight against climate change and the sustainable transformation of our societies.

This scheme reflects a deep-seated conviction: accelerating the ecological and social transition requires new solutions, financed on a long-term basis and anchored in verifiable CSR commitments.

  • 1.1 billion

    Sustainability-Linked Loan indexed to CSR performance.

  • + €400,000

    raised

  • 4

    innovative projects financed

A sustainable performance strategy for nearly ten years

For nearly ten years, Sopra Steria has been implementing a low-carbon strategy aimed at reducing its GHG emissions per employee by 85% by 2040, across its entire value chain. This trajectory, aligned with a warming scenario limited to 1.5°C, reflects our desire to act responsibly, transparently and measurably.

Financing projects with an environmental and social impact is a natural extension of this CSR commitment. The initiatives we support are selected according to rigorous criteria:

  • Scientific soundness and methodological credibility
  • Ability to scale up to maximise impact
  • Contribution to the emergence of responsible and sustainable technology.

Impact projects supported by Sopra Steria

Every year, the contributions generated by our climate performance help to finance new projects led by start-ups committed to the ecological and social transition.

PRONOE: Restoring the balance of marine ecosystems by alkalinising the oceans

PRONOE is developing technologies to restore coastal ecosystems and eliminate carbon by controlled alkalinisation of the oceans. By reducing the acidity of water , this innovative approach helps to preserve marine biodiversity and strengthen the role of the oceans as a natural carbon sink.

Sopra Steria's support in 2025 has enabled us to measure the impact of these technologies in environments linked to digital infrastructures and to accelerate the development of environmental observation systems combining sensors and artificial intelligence. The start-up is now deploying its solutions in several coastal areas, with the ambition of making a lasting contribution to large-scale ocean protection.

PRONOE
[00:00:06] Hi, I'm Nicolola, CEO and co-founder of Pronoe. Pronoe is the Greek marine goddess of the forethought and is also the name of the project we work on, aiming at actively restoring coastal ecosystems and coastal carbon sinks. [00:00:22] So at Pronoe, we restore the ocean's natural capacity to capture and permanently store CO2 from the air. We do that by developing and deploying compact automated water treatment systems that we plug in downstream of existing industrial sites with a return flow to the sea, effectively making this return flow less acidic or more alkaline within applicable regulations. [00:00:44] So Pronoe is a deep tech startup. We are about 2 years old. We have a team of 10 people, mostly technical profiles, engineers and PhDs, working on the process innovation that we bring to the market. [00:01:01] The idea behind Pronoe started in 2022 when the last IPCC report came out, highlighting that on top of drastic and rapid reduction in CO2 emission, we do need CO2 removal if we are to reach net zero in 2050. [00:01:16] So there was a whole ideation phase during which I met my co-founder Juan, who is a PhD in process design with field experiment in water treatment. We set up the company about two years ago and validated essentially the main assumption beyond our venture in terms of technology feasibility. We built a lab scale pilot and we currently... so we raised a pre-seed and are currently working towards the first industrial demonstration. [00:01:47] So the specific project we came up with with Sopra Steria is essentially composed of two work streams. Work stream one is about exploring, documenting, and presenting the applicability of our technology in the specific context of seawater-cooled data centers. [00:02:04] And we have a second work stream whereby we will work at an innovative environmental monitoring approach. Essentially fitting bivalves or shellfish with IoT sensors coupled with AI to monitor their physiological response in the context of a return flow to the sea and hence monitor the environmental impact of our partners and of our activities. [00:02:35] So mostly this year, we are focused on deploying this technical demonstration of our innovative technology. We're going to deploy it at a desalination plant in Spain, and this system will be able to remove over 150 tons of CO2 per year. So that's the first step. We then aim at deploying larger systems of 10,000 and 50,000 tons of CO2 per year per site.

Sand to Green: Regenerative agriculture and soil restoration in arid zones

Sand to Green combats soil degradation in arid zones by combining satellite analysis, carbon modelling and regenerative agriculture. Their approach restores degraded land, captures CO₂ and supports the food security of local farming communities.

Thanks to CSR funding from Sopra Steria, the startup is accelerating the development of its carbon modelling technology tools and supporting the deployment of sustainable farming projects in several regions. Sand to Green illustrates how technology can become a concrete accelerator of ecosystem regeneration and local development.

Sand to Green
This video introduces Sand to Green, a French-Moroccan startup founded in 2022, leveraging technology to foster regenerative agriculture in the face of climate change. Vision and Mission: Co-founder and CEO Benjamin explains that the startup was inspired by IPCC reports. It focuses on two goals: making agriculture more resilient to climate change and using it as a powerful tool for large-scale carbon sequestration [00:12]. Technological Platform: To simplify the transition to regenerative systems, the platform offers three main features: data-driven environmental analysis, tailor-made agroforestry project design, and access to carbon credits to help farmers finance their transition [01:05]. Global Ambition: The goal is to restore biodiversity and equip farmers across Africa and Europe with software that provides the right protocols and practices for their specific environments [01:51]. Collaboration with Sopra Steria: Following a meeting at the ChangeNOW summit in 2024, Sopra Steria has supported the startup by helping hire a Head of Product and offering strategic technological advice to scale nature-based solutions [02:29].

Cosma: High-resolution mapping of the seabed for sustainable management

Cosma designs underwater robots and high-resolution imaging solutions for observing, mapping and analysing the seabed. These technologies facilitate environmental impact studies, ecosystem monitoring and the sustainable management of marine infrastructures.

The funding granted by Sopra Steria in 2026 supports the development and deployment of these solutions, in particular as part of studies on coastal ecosystems in the Mediterranean. Cosma aims to contribute to a better understanding and protection of large-scale marine environments.

Cosma
This video introduces Cosma, a company providing high-resolution seabed mapping solutions designed for sustainable ocean management. Technical Solution: Co-founder Laura Eguenin explains that Cosma deploys small, autonomous underwater drones (less than one meter long) to collect data. This data is then analyzed using AI to create detailed photogrammetric maps of the seafloor [00:14]. Applications and Challenges: The solution serves scientists, marine protected area managers for conservation efforts, offshore wind farm operators, and those responsible for the security of critical underwater infrastructure [00:43]. Laura notes that 95% of the ocean remains poorly understood, as GPS does not work underwater and there is no "Google Maps" for the seabed [01:22]. Growth and Production: Founded in 2022 following R&D with CNRS and IFRE, Cosma launched its first commercial projects in 2024. The company is now moving toward industrializing its drone production for large-scale deployment [01:52]. Collaboration with Sopra Steria: Sopra Steria supports a pilot R&D project with the Water Agency to acquire large-scale data on benthic ecosystems. This initiative aims to validate long-term monitoring solutions and ensure compliance with European environmental directives [03:07].

Glaaster: Artificial intelligence for inclusion and digital accessibility

Glaaster is developing an artificial intelligence solution capable of adapting written content to the needs of people with reading difficulties, particularly dyslexia. The technology analyses the user's cognitive profile and automatically transforms documents to make them easier to understand.

Sopra Steria's support is helping to speed up deployment of the solution and enhance its functionalities. Glaaster's technology, which has already been adopted by a number of educational establishments, promotes inclusion, autonomy and equal opportunities. The start-up is now extending its impact into educational and professional environments.

Glaaster
This video introduces Glaaster, an AI-driven solution designed to enhance inclusion and digital accessibility, specifically for individuals with dyslexia. Background and Mission: Antoine, the co-founder and a dyslexic individual himself, shares how Glaaster was developed alongside neuroscience researchers to provide personalized graphical corrections for children aged 7 to 13 [00:06]. Growth and Reach: The solution has expanded beyond primary education to over 100 institutions, including engineering and business schools, serving approximately 50,000 students [00:51]. Corporate Integration: Through a partnership with Sopra Steria, a pilot program is being implemented to support employees. The AI adapts digital resources (from platforms like Teams or intranets) to make them more readable for those facing difficulties [01:42]. Encouraging Self-Identification: Antoine highlights the importance of overcoming the stigma of dyslexia in the workplace. He encourages employees to reach out to disability support services to access these tools, which help reduce fatigue and improve document accessibility [03:27].

A sustainable CSR commitment: new projects every year

This CSR funding scheme is designed for the long term. Every year, new impact projects are identified and supported thanks to the contributions generated by our climate performance. By creating this direct link between environmental results and the financing of sustainable innovation, Sopra Steria is committed to developing concrete solutions to tomorrow's environmental and social challenges.

This page is regularly updated to present the projects supported s and share their progress.