In order to deliver on its environmental ambition, VINCI relies on keen awareness and engagement in environmental issues from all its employees. The rollout of training and awareness actions within all Group activities reflects efforts to share best practices and pass knowledge on to others.
For its first Environment Day in September 2020, VINCI launched the Environment Awards, a year-long Group-wide contest empowering all employees to play an active role in VINCI’s environmental ambition. This programme, which is aimed at singling out local environmental initiatives, garnered the participation of more than a quarter of VINCI employees (over 57,000 employees voted for the best initiatives on the internal website environnement.vinci.com). Capitalising on the Group’s decentralised model, a connected network of 800 correspondents and experts was formed to coordinate the Environment Awards at the Group’s geographical locations.
An impact analysis methodology was designed to measure the emissions reduced or avoided for each initiative and estimate its potential impact over three years (until 2023). This is done to then deploy the initiatives that contribute the most to the Group’s environmental ambition. Nearly 200 initiatives were recognised within the established regional divisions, and 14 of them won awards in the final round. Winners include several projects that contribute to reducing the direct environmental impact of Group operations, along with innovative solutions for customers to promote energy efficiency, reuse and land rehabilitation.
The second Environment Day in September 2021 was an opportunity to showcase these initiatives. The end of 2021 marked the deployment launch for these initiatives.
New awareness modules continued to be rolled out in 2021, with sessions created on specific environmental issues or targeted businesses.
At the end of 2021, more than 30,000 employees, or nearly 15% of the Group’s workforce (excluding Cobra IS), had completed the e-learning module developed in June 2020 to raise awareness about environmental issues, explain VINCI’s environmental ambition and create a common language for all employees within the Group. Some business lines have also adopted their own online training courses, which are more in tune with their activities and environmental strategy. At the end of 2021, VINCI Energies introduced an e-learning course on carbon offsetting and inert waste management. In September, VINCI Autoroutes launched an e-learning programme entitled “Environment: all actors of change”, with 53% of its employees having taken it so far. VINCI Construction France has developed 10 e-learning courses on sustainable performance (relating to topics such as indoor air quality and bio-sourced materials). Meanwhile, VINCI Construction Terrassement has designed a biodiversity awareness programme (in partnership with Cerema and the scientific and steering committees of its Actons la Bionécessité® (Act for Bio-necessity) initiative in the form of three short e-learning modules, along with a practical workshop implemented at all sites in 2021.
Fun learning formats are also increasingly popular. One is the Climate Fresk, which was deployed extensively in 2021 to educate people about the causes and consequences of climate change, while identifying concrete solutions. VINCI Energies France led Climate Fresk campaigns, VINCI Construction used the format at its Environment Day, and more than 1,500 people from VINCI Autoroutes, VINCI Concessions and VINCI Immobilier took part in Climate Fresk workshops in 2021. The Group’s focus on eco-driving is another example, with several companies combining the tracking and analysis of driving behaviour across their fleets using telematics systems and applications with challenges organised between employees to encourage them to reduce their fuel consumption.
Training on environmental issues is also incorporated into existing courses (works, studies, operations, etc.). Dedicated environment modules are systematically included in training programmes for managers and executives, led by VINCI Academy or by business line academies. Many VINCI Energies Academy training courses were restructured in 2021 to incorporate environmental aspects. A case in point, the directors seminar features a half-day on the environment. Soletanche Freyssinet has developed training for all business unit managers. Modules on the environment are included in the annual training programme for Eurovia’s young quarry and civil works engineers, site managers, project supervisors, and quarry and branch managers in France. Equo Vivo, VINCI Construction Terrassement’s brand focused on ecological development projects, is continuing to move forward with its natural environments training programme launched in 2019. The aim of this training led by external participants (ecologists, design firms), as well as the company’s in-house ecologists, is to further strengthen the ecological engineering expertise of this activity’s dedicated teams, from managers to machine operators and drivers. To date, 115 people have completed this training. At VINCI Immobilier, a daylong seminar devoted to climate change and soil sealing was organised to raise awareness among property developers.
Awareness is proactively promoted at worksites and projects among employees, temporary staff and subcontractors with regular 15-minute environment sessions, which focus on operational issues. This initiative has been rolled out across all VINCI Construction activities in France. VINCI Construction Terrassement held 378 such sessions in 2021, covering subjects such as accidental pollution, invasive species and dust. VINCI Construction Dom-Tom is also using this approach to raise awareness around the specific issues relating to its worksites, such as mangroves or rivers located nearby. A focus at VINCI Energies in 2021 was on developing expertise at its companies about waste collection and recovery. Lastly, as a programme manager, VINCI Autoroutes includes a requirement in its contractual documents for roadworks companies to hold these 15-minute environment sessions every month for projects that last longer than three months. Specific training courses on issues relating to natural environments are also regularly organised for the teams at VINCI Autoroutes. The topics covered are tailored to the needs identified, from the management of green areas along motorways and biodiversity to forest fire protection and pesticide use.
In 2021, these actions represented a total of 51,837 training hours, a slight decrease of 2% compared with 2020.
