Collège des Directeurs du Développement Durable (C3D)

What Collège des Directeurs du Développement Durable (C3D) does

C3D (Collège des Directeurs du Développement Durable) is a French non-profit professional association founded in 2007 under loi 1901, headquartered at 23 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 75001 Paris. It aggregates more than 400 directors and managers of sustainable development, CSR/RSE, and ESG functions across French companies and organizations of all sizes, serving as a peer network for knowledge sharing, regulatory decoding (CSRD, EU taxonomy, duty of vigilance), and policy influence. Activities are organized through nine member-led working groups meeting roughly twice weekly, over 100 events per year (including the annual Campus, themed evenings, and the immersive Play4Life event), a free MOOC 'Comprendre la crise écologique pour réinventer l'entreprise' co-developed with Collectif PRE that has trained 480,000+ learners, the 'Le Sens & l'Action' conference and podcast series, and three regional antennas in Bretagne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The association's product surface is content and community rather than software. There is no proprietary technology platform; the digital stack consists of the cddd.fr website, a YouTube channel for replays, and the third-party Coorp Academy LMS hosting the MOOC. Member-only knowledge artifacts include the Regenerative Business Guide and the EASP European CSRD Study. The 83-person organization is supported by a small professional team (Coordination, Communication and Partnerships, Member Relations, Administration) plus regional coordinators, and is governed by a Bureau and Conseil d'Administration led by President Fabrice Bonnifet.

C3D's revenue model is a tiered annual membership subscription: €500/year for organizations under 50 employees, €1,500/year for 50-500 employees, and €3,500/year for 500+ employees, billed on a calendar-year basis. Distribution is exclusively direct, via a website form. Additional revenue comes from event ticketing, sponsorship, and partnership contributions (e.g., ADEME, MEDEF, Coorp Academy). As a loi 1901 association, C3D has no external shareholders or formal funding rounds; governance rests with the membership.

Name

Collège des Directeurs du Développement Durable (C3D)

Legal name

COLLEGE DES DIRECTEURS DU DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE (C3D)

Website

https://cddd.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

C3D is the French non-profit professional association for directors of sustainable development and CSR, aggregating 400+ members across French companies and organizations through tiered annual memberships, nine working groups, over 100 events per year, and a MOOC with 480,000+ learners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Sustainability and CSR Networking Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Sustainability professional association
• CSR professional network
• Corporate sustainability training
• ESG working groups
• Sustainable business consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: C3D generates revenue through annual membership fees structured by company size: €3,500/year for companies with 500+ employees, €1,500/year for companies with 50-500 employees, and €500/year for companies with fewer than 50 employees. Membership runs from January 1 to December 31 of each year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

C3D is a membership-based professional association that brings together more than 400 Directors and Managers of Sustainable Development and CSR (RSE) from French and European organizations. It sells annual memberships (€500–€3,500 per year depending on organization size) that grant access to nine member-led thematic working groups, over 100 events per year, training resources including a free MOOC that has trained 480,000+ people, the weekly newsletter, the member directory, and publications such as the Regenerative Business Guide and the EASP European CSRD Study.

Product overview

C3D operates as a professional association offering a platform of services to sustainability and CSR professionals. The core offerings include nine thematic working groups averaging two sessions per week, a free MOOC on ecological crisis and business reinvention (6 modules, 480,000+ trained), the 'Le Sens & l'Action' conference and podcast series, and annual events (Campus and Play4Life). Members also receive access to publications including the Regenerative Business Guide and EASP European CSRD Study, regional antenna events in three French regions, and exclusive content through online platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thematic Working Groups (Groupes de Travail) Nine ongoing thematic working groups for sustainability and CSR directors covering CSRD, AI & RSE, Biodiversity & Water, Responsible Purchasing, Climate Strategy, CSR Policies & Reporting, Regenerative Business Models, Engaging Organizations, and Club as a Service; groups meet roughly twice per week with expert speakers and peer exchanges, included with C3D membership.
• MOOC 'Comprendre la crise écologique pour réinventer l'entreprise' A free online course of approximately 10 hours, co-developed with Collectif PRE and hosted on Coorpacademy, covering ecological crisis understanding, socio-economic models, business reinvention, regenerative enterprise, and responsible purchasing across six modules; over 480,000 people have been trained.
• Play4Life Documentary A 50-minute documentary celebrating biodiversity and living systems, released on the TF1+ streaming platform to make the Play4Life live event accessible as a pedagogical tool for organizations, including discussion questions for group viewing.
• 'Le Sens & l'Action' Conference Series Recurring conference and podcast series featuring expert speakers on sustainability challenges such as climate strategy, AI & sustainability, the European Green Deal, regenerative business models, and leadership for change, with replays distributed on YouTube.
• Campus Annual Event Annual flagship event combining the association's general assembly and member networking, including presentations, working group showcases, and member engagement activities; next edition scheduled for July 7, 2026.
• Regenerative Business Guide Publication titled 'La régénération au service de la résilience des entreprises', providing an operational framework and tools for businesses transitioning toward regenerative practices, based on collaborative working group research.
• EASP European CSRD Study European study on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) conducted across five countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, UK) exploring how CSRD can drive sustainability into executive decision-making, with results presented at an online roundtable to approximately 430 participants from 20 countries.
• Regional Antennas Three regional offices in Bretagne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (created April 2, 2026) providing in-person events, networking, company visits, and thematic exchanges for members located in those regions.
• Play4Life 2026 Live Event Annual immersive event celebrating living systems through science and music, combining expert presentations with live artist performances; 2026 edition scheduled for October 8, 2026.
• EFC Colloquium (Economy of Functionality and Cooperation) Colloquium on the Economy of Functionality and Cooperation, held February 5, 2026, bringing together bankers, industrialists, and parliamentarians to advocate for a sovereign and sustainable economy, with a comprehensive proceedings document produced as an output.
• MOOC Responsible Purchasing Module New 5th learning pathway added in June 2026 to the existing C3D MOOC, dedicated to Responsible Purchasing and covering environmental, social, and ethical purchasing criteria, bringing the MOOC total to 6 modules.

Quantifiable outcome

• 480,000+ professionals trained through the MOOC on ecological crisis
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADRA (Association des Directeurs et Responsables Achats)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Strategic partnership between C3D and ADRA announced on April 13, 2026 to unite forces for accelerating sustainable transformation of enterprises. The alliance aims to cross-expertise, foster experience sharing, and strengthen integration of RSE issues at the heart of purchasing strategies. This includes joint events, cross-participation in working groups, and mobilization of respective communities of several hundred committed decision-makers from public and private sectors. Sylvie Noël is President of ADRA which has over 130 members.
• EASP (Association Européenne des Professionnels de la Durabilité)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC3D managed the animation of EASP for one year in 2024, conducting the release of its major study on CSRD. EASP is the association grouping local initiatives in several countries (Spain, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Turkey) with nearly 4,000 RSE/ESG/Sustainability Directors. C3D helped conduct a European study on CSRD with information from five countries presented to approximately 430 participants from 20 countries.
• Collectif Pour un Réveil Écologique (PRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the major MOOC 'Understanding the Ecological Crisis to Reinvent the Company' together with the Collectif PRE. This MOOC has trained over 480,000 people and covers 6 modules on ecological crisis, socio-economic models, reinventing business, taking action, regenerative business, and responsible purchasing.
• ADEMEminorOthersPartner in the MOOC project. ADEME contributed expertise and resources to the educational content on ecological crisis and sustainable business transformation.
• Conférence des Grandes ÉcolesminorOthersPartner in the MOOC project, helping to promote ecological education among grandes écoles students and graduates.
• MEDEFminorOthersPartner in the MOOC project representing French employers' confederation.
• UN Global Compact FranceminorOthersPartner in the MOOC project as part of the French network of the UN Global Compact.
• GreenlobbyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR and communications partner for events including the EFC Colloquium. Luce Gramond, Co-founder of Greenlobby, co-organized the February 5, 2026 EFC Colloquium and serves as press contact.
• GenActminorOthersOrganization co-founded by Fabrice Bonnifet, President of C3D. Associated with the Play4Life initiative and sustainable business transformation advocacy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ORSE (Observatoire de la Responsabilité Sociétale des Entreprises): French membership-based think tank focused on CSR/RSE; directly comparable as a peer association for French sustainability professionals, with a similar member network and policy-influence mission.
• EASP (European Association of Sustainability Professionals): European association of RSE/ESG/Sustainability Directors across 8+ countries; a direct international peer that C3D animated and that competes for the same sustainability-director persona across Europe.
• ADRA (Association des Directeurs et Responsables Achats): French professional association of purchasing directors; a direct functional peer now in strategic alliance with C3D and a natural substitute for members' networking needs in the procurement function.
• Global Compact Network France: French local network of the UN Global Compact for companies committed to CSR; directly comparable as a French CSR membership association already partnered with C3D on the MOOC.

Emerging players

• B Lab France: French affiliate of the B Corp movement certifying purpose-driven businesses; overlapping member base of French sustainability leaders and competing for share-of-wallet on CSR membership/learning.
• Institut RSE Management (EAP / IESEG): Academic institute producing research and training on CSR/RSE management in France; competes with C3D on the thought-leadership and training layer for sustainability professionals.
• France Invest: French private equity association promoting ESG integration in investment; an adjacent peer sharing many of C3D's French corporate sustainability stakeholders but focused on the investor side.

Broad incumbents

• Afep (Association Française des Entreprises Privées): Association of large French corporates with an active RSE/ESG agenda; a broader incumbent that overlaps with C3D's enterprise members and competes for influence on French sustainability policy.
• MEDEF (Mouvement des Entreprises de France): France's largest employer federation with broad CSR/RSE policy work; a broader incumbent that overlaps with C3D on French business sustainability advocacy and is already a MOOC partner.

Others

• Carbone 4: French climate consulting and training firm; adjacent peer that targets the same corporate sustainability directors with paid training, advisory and content — a substitute for C3D's working groups on the climate topic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AssociationC3D
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coll-ge-des-directeurs-du-d-veloppement-durable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Collège des Directeurs du Développement Durable (C3D)