VINCI commits for the environment

15. 01. 2020 - 17:45 - Nachhaltigkeit - Frankreich

· 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030
· Alignment with the 2050 carbon neutrality commitment made by France as part of the Paris Climate Agreement
· Commitments to boost the circular economy and preserve natural environments

The VINCI Group is mobilizing all its business divisions to define an ambitious environmental strategy.

2019 was devoted to identifying actions likely to improve the Group's environmental performance in three areas: greenhouse gas emissions, resource preservation by developing the circular economy and conservation of natural environments. This strategy mobilised all of VINCI's operational entities. The factors of progress and transformative investments identified make it possible to:
- define a trajectory aimed at reaching carbon neutrality in 2050, with a first milestone of a 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to 2018, as concerns direct impacts. This ambitious target is compatible with a trajectory for maintaining the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees maximum by the end of the century.
- systematically roll out the recycling and reuse policy, working on both materials supply and demand for each activity stream.
- adopt a "zero net loss" of biodiversity target in the framework of the "Avoid, Reduce, Offset" approach.
- strive to improve the indirect carbon footprint generated by the activities of suppliers, partners and customers.

For VINCI's own activities, implementing this shared ambition will involve an investment programme amounting to several hundreds of millions of euros, through actions such as:

Vehicles and site machinery
- Accelerated replacement of light and utility vehicle fleets by electric or less carbon-intensive vehicles
- Experimentation with hydrogen and biogas-type fuels for utility vehicles
- Replacement of part of the site machinery fleet by hybrid machinery, promotion of eco-driving practices and installation of continuous consumption-tracking sensors

Buildings
- Conduct of diagnostic studies on the Group's operational buildings inventory with a view to introducing energy efficiency actions: renovation, LED relamping, temperature regulation
- Anticipation of regulations through the eco-design of buildings approaches
- Development of high energy and environmental performance worksite facilities, notably timber-based

Energy transformation
- Replacement of heavy fuel oil and coal by natural gas or renewable-source gas in asphalt-mixing plants
- Replacement of the fossil energy used in binder storage facilities by electricity
- Installation of photovoltaic power plants for electricity self-consumption in airports

Preservation of natural environments
- Replacement of plant protection products by mechanical or powered weed-cutters
- Tracking of water consumption through across-the-board installation of individual meters
- Development of earthworks techniques that reduce the quantity of water required to sprinkle vehicle tracks by 40%

Furthermore, to enable alignment with the 2 degree trajectory of maintaining the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees maximum defined by the Paris Climate Agreement, VINCI is engaged in research and development actions and scientific and technological partnerships, notably with ParisTech. The Group's innovation policy focuses primarily on the environment, acting through the Group's business activities and Leonard, the Groups'foresight and innovation platform, notably through intrapreneurship and start-up nurturing programmes.

Over and above the action plans developed for each of its own activity streams, VINCI also undertakes to work on improving the indirect carbon footprint generated by the activities of its suppliers, partners and customers.

- VINCI Autoroutes, for instance, is leading a "Low-carbon motorway" project, which consists of massive decarbonation of each km travelled through solutions linked to reduction of vehicle emissions (electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, etc.), practices (densification of road mobility: carpooling, buses, etc.) and coordination of transport modes (development of intermodality and the infrastructure facilitating it).

- Again in the concessions business, VINCI Airports is engaged in deploying the environmental policy AirPact on all the airports in its network, which, above and beyond reduction of its direct environmental impacts (halving of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, zero use of plant-protection products and zero waste to landfill), involves proactive actions to optimise the impact of its clients' activity.

In the contacting sector, VINCI entities have also initiated many different approaches:
- experimental initiatives upstream of the future environmental regulation concerning buildings (Energy Positive and Carbon Reduction – E+C-)
- recourse to very low-carbon concretes and decarbonated recycled materials
- development of innovative environmental solutions, such as:
   · the "100% recycled road" patented by Eurovia;
   · Power Road®, an innovation that captures solar energy, stores it underground and reuses it to de-ice the road network or supply heat to buildings located in the vicinity;
   · Oxygen®, developed by VINCI Construction France, an eco-engagement providing a performance and assistance guarantee for building users;
   · Hub Energy, an energy-tracking tool applying know-how (energy diagnostics and audits, monitoring, optimisation, etc.) in energy performance contracts.

As part of the deployment of its environmental ambitions, VINCI commits to communicating every six months on the progress made in its action plan.

"With the deployment of its new environmental ambitions, VINCI today commits to developing concrete solutions that help improve the living environment to serve inhabitants, while also reducing the impact of its own activities. It is our responsibility as a leading economic actor and it is also a guarantee of the continued survival and acceptability of our business activities", said Isabelle Spiegel, Environment director for VINCI.

 

Über uns
VINCI ist als weltweit führendes Unternehmen in den Bereichen Konzessionen, Energie und Bau und beschäftigt 280.000 Mitarbeiter mit Präsenz in mehr als 120 Ländern. Zu unserem Leistungsspektrum gehören Planung, Finanzierung, Bau und Betrieb von Infrastrukturen und Einrichtungen, die zur Verbesserung des Alltags und der Mobilität der Menschen beitragen. Erfolg bedeutet für uns, dass die Gesamtleistung stimmt. Dazu zählt unser Engagement zugunsten der Umwelt sowie der sozialen und gesellschaftlichen Performance unserer Unternehmensbereiche. Da die Leistungen des Konzerns sich durch ihren Nutzen für die Allgemeinheit auszeichnen, betrachten wir den Dialog mit allen Beteiligten und ein offenes Ohr für deren Belange als unerlässliche Voraussetzung unserer Tätigkeit. Unsere Ambition ist es, für unsere Kunden, Aktionäre, Mitarbeiter, Partner und die gesamte Gesellschaft auf Dauer Wert zu schaffen.