« To you who isn’t yet born, Andra is already working for you » : discover our message to future generations

Radioactive waste, a little-known subject that concerns us all

While everyone knows that radioactive waste exists and is generated by the uses of radioactivity (electricity production by nuclear power plants, but also medicine, research and industry), other aspects are largely unknown: what does this waste look like? How is it managed? Where is it disposed of? Are they all equally dangerous? What is their lifespan?  Similarly, few French people know that there is an organization in charge of managing radioactive waste.

A reminder of Andra's mission to serve future generations

The mission of Andra, a public establishment, is to dispose of radioactive waste safely, in order to protect present and future generations from the danger it represents. In fact, as some waste has a lifespan of up to several tens of thousands of years, the particularity of Andra's work is to project itself over durations that are uncommon on a human scale. The Agency's employees therefore work to ensure the safety of disposal facilities over centuries and even hundreds of thousands of years, depending on the waste, without any need for action on the part of future generations. Consideration is also being given to how to preserve and pass on the memory of disposal sites over several centuries.

This new campaign focuses on this message for future generations. For the first time, Andra is communicating the commitment of its 700 employees to our distant descendants.

Who is the campaign aimed at?

Visuals are distributed on the Internet and in the Grand Est region, where the existing (in Aube) and planned (the underground laboratory in Meuse /Haute-Marne to prepare for the disposal of the most radioactive waste, Cigéo) disposal centers are located: indeed, while the circle of local residents is familiar with Andra's sites, on a regional scale the Agency's activities are less well known. In addition to local residents, this campaign is also aimed at working people and potential recruits in a tight job market.

Last but not least, it is an invitation to exchange ideas, whether on our online spaces or by coming to meet us: we welcome almost 10,000 visitors a year to our facilities, and our website enables everyone to find out more.

A campaign that continues online

To accompany this campaign, Andra has set up a website (andra.fr/futur). It features all the visuals and explains the raison d'être behind the Agency's approach. Content (video, animated infographics) is provided to explore in greater depth the issue of the legacy we are leaving our descendants in the context of radioactive waste management. Finally, a space is reserved for everyone to leave a message for future generations... and discover those that have already been left.