2021 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT

3.2.2.1 Actions to reduce indirect emissions

Several tools are available to the operational teams in order to better understand the impacts associated with their activities and propose relevant solutions for their customers: these solutions include the E+C– (positive-energy and low-carbon) calculator, making it possible to assess compatibility with this label’s criteria for construction activity projects at VINCI Construction France, the Scope 3 calculator for Building Solutions activities at VINCI Energies and the Group-wide carbon assessment tool e-CO₂NCERNED.

•  Reducing upstream impacts

Upstream, various steps were taken in 2021 to reduce emissions relating to the materials used for carrying out the Group’s projects. In 2020, VINCI Construction, which accounts for around 90% of Group emissions relating to concrete purchases, adopted a target for 90% of the concrete used to comply with a low-carbon standard by 2030, covering all the quantities consumed for which this type of solution is technically and economically viable. VINCI Construction is positioning itself as a pioneer for the development, use and deployment of low-carbon concrete solutions (see “Overview of the main commitments by business line”, page 204).

The Exegy range of solutions earned the Grand Prize at the Environment Awards for its potential to significantly reduce emissions from worksites by increasing the use of ultra-low-carbon concrete. To support the “Exegy by Soletanche Bachy” launch, a training programme was initiated for all sales representatives in France. More than 12,000 cu. metres of Exegy ultra-low-carbon concrete (Exegy UBC) will be poured to create the floors of the office buildings as part of the Universeine project. Many other projects using low-carbon concrete were launched or completed in 2021, including the partnership signed with Société du Grand Paris to use Exegy UBC voussoirs on the underground section of Line 18. Under a strategic agreement, VINCI Construction and Ecocem, the main supplier of ground slag as an alternative for traditional cement, jointly developed an Exegy UBC solution based on Ecocem Ultra activated slag. It was granted the European Technical Assessment (ETA) for activated slag, thus confirming Exegy UBC’s compliance with the EU standard on concrete design.

As part of the drive to reduce materials-related emissions, the Group is re-engineering its construction processes, particularly to limit the quantities of materials required or to enable materials with lower emissions or recycled components to be used:

• –  Soletanche Bachy France built a permanent unreinforced concrete diaphragm wall – a first in France – on the T2A works package for Line 15 South of the Grand Paris Express. Reinforcements were only installed in the diaphragm wall panels when strictly necessary, based on in-depth studies;
• –  Arbonis (timber construction), with the support of Ademe, the French environment and energy agency, developed the Arbodal flooring system. Arbodal combines wood and concrete in a way that optimises the performance of each material. The system was installed on the Treed It timber-frame tower in the Paris suburb of Champs-sur-Marne, delivered in 2021.
•  – Eurovia’s technical department has created a road material out of recycled plastic that does not contain bitumen. An initial 12 sq. metre test demonstrator was implemented, and the project received further support from a region outside Paris to use the material to lay a 100-metre section on a bike lane in the summer of 2021. In addition to its Granulat+ programme to reduce the impacts associated with the use of materials (see paragraph 3.3.3, “Developing recycling solutions”, page 225), Eurovia is working to limit the impacts linked to the transportation of these materials through actions in several areas: optimising the distances travelled, ensuring the widespread adoption of covered trucks, setting up two-way freight flows more systematically between production sites, transforming materials and works procedures, etc. An initiative is also under way with transport providers to promote the use of more efficient, less polluting means of transport;
•  – VINCI Energies is also working with suppliers to find ways to optimise deliveries, for example with the Northvolt battery factory in Sweden, or reduce packaging.

More generally, various actions are being taken to reduce emissions associated with the Group’s purchases, by setting up responsible purchasing processes and criteria. They are presented in detail in paragraph 2.2.1, “Group-wide approach to promote responsible purchasing”, page 197, and in paragraph 4.4.3 b of section 4, “Duty of vigilance plan”, page 257.

•  Reducing downstream impacts

To reduce the impacts relating to the use of structures built and operated by the Group, VINCI is developing new offers and solutions in two main areas: low-carbon mobility and the energy transition for buildings and infrastructure.

Low-carbon mobility

Mobility is a core feature of the various activities covered by VINCI, which harnesses its expertise to help create innovative and sustainable transport infrastructure. To support the transition to more sustainable motorways, VINCI Autoroutes is taking various actions targeting substantial decarbonisation of each kilometre travelled through solutions linked to reducing emissions (electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, etc.), transforming practices, and coordinating means of transport (development of intermodality and appropriate infrastructure). As part of its environmental strategy, VINCI Autoroutes is committed to equipping all service areas across its network with charging stations for electric vehicles by 2023, with half to be high-power units. To date, 337 charging points have been installed across the network, covering 55% of the service areas. VINCI Autoroutes is also committed to developing carpooling and public transport on motorways. A programme is under way to develop carpool parking facilities at motorway entrances and exits: 40 of these car parks, providing 3,277 spaces in total, were in service at end-2021. This number will double by 2030 as some 40 additional car parks will be built. Lastly, VINCI Autoroutes is testing out free-flow technologies at toll plazas (two trials underway at Tours Nord and Tonnay-Charente) and is moving forward with research to quantify the emissions saved with free-flow toll collection across its network. Equipping multi-lane toll plazas with free-flow technology (30 km/h speed limit) can reduce emissions by up to 40% on average per vehicle. VINCI Highways is also conducting tests with full free-flow toll collection technologies and services, without any barriers or obstacles, making it possible to reduce CO₂ emissions by as much as 60% per vehicle.