We admire what progress brings us, but rarely consider what it costs us. At a time when biodiversity is challenging our economic models, an initiative by Enedis invites us to rethink our performance criteria and discover new ways of doing business, innovating and achieving success.
In summary, in this article :
- Rethinking progress does not mean giving up on performance, comfort or growth. It also means learning to preserve life, without which no success can last.
- By constantly optimising what we know how to measure, we risk neglecting the natural and human resources, as well as the ecological balances, on which our prosperity depends.
- Our economy does not lack indicators, but rather narratives capable of making the preservation of life as desirable as conquering a market.
- Transforming our imaginations means transforming our economy.
When the paths of progress cross those of the living
Every year, millions of birds cross our lands, traverse borders and, after travelling thousands of kilometres, return to their nesting grounds. In the sky, however, their path encounters a different kind of landscape: that of power lines. These cables, which carry the energy essential to our lives, can become deadly obstacles for them.
We hardly give it a thought when we flick a switch. We simply expect the light to come on. The electricity grid is so much a part of our daily lives that we almost forget it exists. A remarkable technical achievement, a convenience few of us would wish to do without.
But what is such a feat worth if we only consider part of its consequences?
In *Corridors de vie*, a 17-minute documentary released in October 2026, Enedis explains how technicians, scientists and naturalists are working to make its grid less dangerous for migratory birds. Together with its partners, including the League for the Protection of Birds, the company is identifying high-risk areas and adapting its infrastructure. Since 2021, more than 30,000 protective devices have been installed. These are concrete measures, the ecological effectiveness of which must be assessed beyond simply the number of devices installed. The nature of the challenge is striking: that of adapting essential infrastructure to better accommodate wildlife.
What our performance indicators fail to show
We know how to measure our successes. Revenue growth, profitability, productivity, market share: these are all essential indicators for managing a business.
However, they do not tell the whole story about the resources consumed to achieve these results. Soil degradation, the depletion of water reserves, damage to biodiversity or the erosion of human skills do not necessarily feature in financial indicators. Yet these consequences do not disappear simply because we do not count them.
A depleting water table can jeopardise the operations of a farm.
Depleted soils become more vulnerable to climatic hazards. Lost skills can take years to rebuild. These costs are not always borne by those who cause them. They can be passed on to other businesses, to local communities, or to future generations.
This is a question of performance that deserves to be brought before boardrooms: what is the value of a result achieved by undermining the very conditions necessary for its reproduction?
Why do we celebrate what we create more than what we preserve?
We admire the entrepreneur who creates a new market, the engineer who pushes back a boundary, the company that doubles its growth. We love achievements, records and spectacular innovations. But preventing destruction can require just as much intelligence.
Imagine a stork safely crossing a power line now fitted with visible beacons. Or a river whose waters remain hospitable to fish thanks to a system that prevents pollutants from reaching it. In both cases, success may go unnoticed. No accidents. No disaster to report.
Behind this lack of drama, however, there may lie years of research, investment, expertise and difficult decisions. Our notion of success tends to favour what is visible and what is added. But do we know how to give proper credit to what we manage to avoid losing?
Pour changer les résultats, faut-il changer notre idée du succès ?
The American researcher Donella Meadows, a specialist in systems thinking, identified as early as 1999 that objectives and collective perceptions are among the most profound drivers of systemic transformation. This is a thought-provoking idea for businesses: what is the point of multiplying environmental indicators if they never influence decisions?
A business leader may monitor their carbon emissions, water consumption or impact on biodiversity. But if this data does not factor into their investment decisions, procurement criteria or executive remuneration, its impact remains limited. This is where transformation becomes strategic. It is no longer enough simply to improve measurement tools. The question is what the company actually means by ‘performance’ and to what extent it is prepared to accept the consequences.
The example of Enedis illustrates one possibility: integrating naturalist knowledge into technical decisions to better protect the species living alongside its infrastructure. This approach also requires monitoring the results over the long term.
The LNA perspective: can stories transform our ambitions?
With *Corridors de vie*, Enedis has chosen to showcase the work itself rather than merely issuing a statement of commitment. The documentary puts a face to professions, collaborations and successes that are usually overlooked.
This choice particularly resonates with us at La Nouvelle Agence. For stories do not merely serve to raise awareness of what already exists. They help shape what a society admires, values and aspires to achieve. Highlighting the work of those who preserve life can help to reshape our conception of success. Provided, that is, that the story is based on verifiable actions and never replaces evidence of their impact.
Here, communication takes on an exciting responsibility: to broaden the scope of what we consider desirable, without distorting reality.
What if we learnt to think bigger?
We have devoted generations of intellectual effort to transforming the world, making it faster, more connected and more productive. If channelled effectively, this intellectual capital can now help us to live more meaningfully within the world we have built.
Preserving a resource, restoring a natural environment, inventing a less destructive technology: these challenges call for boldness, skill and that drive to succeed which fuels great human endeavours.
We have learnt to admire those who push the boundaries. What if we also learnt to admire those who enable us to avoid crossing them?
