ProAtome Certification: " ESG " certification for the entire nuclear industry

Energy, recycling, cleanup and decommissioning, waste, health, defense, research: ProAtome Certification is designed for the entire nuclear industry, including both private companies and public institutions. It is the first European certification ESG dedicated to this sector. ESTRADS Certification awards each level based on verified evidence and following an on-site audit.

What the nuclear industry expects from its companies

The revival of the nuclear industry presents companies and institutions in the sector with four sets of expectations: those of their clients, their financial backers, their future employees, and the communities where they operate. ProAtome Certification addresses each of these with third-party-verified evidence.

More Demanding Clients

Responsible procurement is gaining traction in the industry: eight players in the civil nuclear sector in 2023, followed by seven more in 2025, signed the Business Ombudsman’s “Supplier Relations and Responsible Procurement” charter at the World Nuclear Exhibition. With this certification, you can address the “ ESG ” questions in requests for proposals using a document prepared by a third party.

Funding sources that want proof

Long excluded from sustainable finance, nuclear energy has been included in the European taxonomy, and the French Ministry of Ecological Transition’s Greenfin label has recognized it since January 2024. The challenge now is to convince banks, funds, and insurers on a company-by-company basis: the certification report provides them with a verified ESG assessment.

100,000 Successful Hires

The GIFEN Match Report, submitted to the government in April 2023, estimates that 100,000 new hires will be needed in the sector between 2023 and 2033. Candidates compare employers. The certification evaluates your social policies (recruitment, equality, disability, training, working conditions) and provides you with a verified selling point.

Regions to Be Notified

At nuclear facilities, local information committees (CLI) bring together elected officials, community organizations, and employee representatives. The certificate and its communication kit (logo, plaque, diploma, messaging guidelines) help you showcase your environmental and social initiatives to elected officials and local residents. Certified organizations are also listed on the page Our Referencespage.

Certification for the Entire Nuclear Industry

ProAtome Certification covers all nuclear-related activities, from energy production to health, and all types of organizations, both private and public.

Power Generation: Operating Power Plants, New Reactors, Small Modular Reactors.
Fuel Cycle and Recycling: Enrichment, Fuel Fabrication, and Material Processing and Recycling.
Cleaning, decontamination, and dismantling: decontamination, industrial cleaning in nuclear areas, and demolition of facilities.
Radioactive and hazardous waste: sorting, packaging, transport, storage, and disposal.
Health: nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, radiology, radioisotope production.
Defense: naval propulsion, deterrence.
Research and teaching: laboratories, research centers, schools, and universities.

Operators and large corporations

Your subcontractors work at your sites and reflect on your company’s image. ProAtome Certification provides you with a common framework for identifying which ones share your standards, and a way to report on your own actions to your employees and the public. To map all your suppliers based on their certifications: ATLAS.

Suppliers, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), and Mid-Sized Companies

ESG -related questionnaires from your clients are on the rise. Certification provides an overview of what your organization already has in place, lists what’s missing, and gives you a single, verified response to present to every client.

Engineering, Services, Maintenance

Engineering, maintenance, logistics, radiation protection, measurements, and inspections: Your teams work on-site at your clients’ locations. The questionnaire for service companies focuses on what you control: your employees, your practices, and your partners.

New Nuclear Energy Startups

Small modular reactors, fuels, robotics, digital technology: a young company in this sector needs to win over its investors and its first industrial clients. The startup questionnaire is tailored to its size and helps it adopt a “ ESG ” approach from the very beginning.

Public Institutions

Public research institutions, government agencies, public hospitals, military facilities, schools, and universities: every public institution is accountable to its governing bodies, elected officials, and citizens. ProAtome Certification provides an independent assessment of its approach ESG, using criteria tailored to its specific type of organization, and a report to guide its progress.

ESTRADS Certification : Guest at the 10th anniversary of "
" at the Rendez-Vous Nuclear Valley

What the ProAtome Certification Measures

More than 500 criteria, grouped into eight categories. The questionnaire varies depending on the organization’s profile: industrial company, service company, large corporation, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), start-up, very small business, nonprofit, or public institution. Several managers can collaborate on the responses (senior management, finance, legal, human resources, production, ESG).

Regulations and Ethics: Applicable Laws and Regulations, Anti-Corruption Measures.
Governance: decision-making, transparency regarding shareholders and beneficial owners.
Employees: recruitment, equality, disability, training, harassment prevention.
External partners: shared ethical standards with customers, suppliers, and subcontractors.
Environment: energy, resources, emissions, biodiversity, hazardous waste.
Innovation: Responsible research and development.
Export Compliance: Adherence to export regulations.
Cybersecurity: team training, protection of sensitive data.

Where do these criteria come from? From international, European, and French documents listed on the page Our Certificationspage, tailored to the nuclear industry.

Civil and Military Nuclear Energy: Data to Be Protected by a Sovereign Body

Part of the industry works in the defense sector: naval propulsion, deterrence. Some of the information provided during the certification process (organization, sites, suppliers, subcontractors) is therefore protected. ESTRADS Certification is 100% French-owned and is not subject to the Cloud Act: your data remains with a French provider. Details are available on the page Our Sovereignty.

ProAtome is complemented by two certifications:

the ProD&S Certification, for companies that also work in the defense and security sectors;
the NSI certification, which measures an organization’s level of sovereignty (capital, dependencies, suppliers) using an index out of 100.

As an independent trusted third party, ESTRADS Certification is an organization that provides verification, ESG ratings, CSR certification, and sovereignty assessments. It has issued 650 certifications, none of which have been rejected by a client or customer. It is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 and holds the status of a mission-driven company (see Our Commitments).

Letter of Recognition from the DGA

ESTRADS Certification received an official letter of recognition from the DGA highlighting the relevance of his work. As this excerpt states:

“The Defense Industry Directorate (DGA/DID) has taken note of the work conducted by ESTRADS Certification in the field of ethical, social, environmental, and sovereignty certification as applied to complex and sensitive industrial sectors, and more specifically to strategic sectors related to defense and security. This letter serves as explicit recognition of the value of the approach developed by ESTRADS Certification as an independent private initiative aimed at supporting industrial stakeholders in a proactive effort to advance and structure their practices.”

Let's talk about your certification

A quick conversation is all it takes to determine which questionnaire applies to you, what level to aim for, and which pricing plan applies. Pricing is based on your revenue, with special terms available for startups and members of partner organizations. A certified organization that recommends ESTRADS Certification qualifies for the referral program.