The narrative of the Anthropocene: Assigning a social value to ecological degradation[La mise en récit de l’Anthropocène. Donner une valeur sociale aux dégradations écologiques]

This article analyzes the ways in which companies responsible for ecological degradation are constructing a narrative around the Anthropocene. By studying the implementation of an extractive project in Indonesia, we identify the central role played by CSR management in this narrative, which assigns a social value to environmental impacts and thus maintains the project's legitimacy. Our results show that the company's CSR practices (impact analysis, stakeholder management, reporting) make it possible to offset its negative ecological impacts with its promises of development for local residents.