VINCI’s environmental ambition involves a large number of stakeholders, with key initiatives to better identify their needs and bring them the right answers, but also in line with the Group’s aim to make a difference. Externally, VINCI contributes to improving knowledge and spreading industry best practices in its sectors of activity. The Group also rallies its customers, partners and suppliers to play a part in accelerating the development of environmental solutions that meet the challenges of climate change, the circular economy and the preservation of natural environments.
In 2022, VINCI participated in COP27, which was held in Egypt, as a partner to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), taking part in discussions on the “Solutions”, “Energy” and “Adaptation” thematic days. The Group has renewed its long-standing partnerships with the French non-profit Entreprises pour l’Environnement, the Bird Protection League (LPO) and its building and biodiversity urban development programme (U2B), Comité 21, the non-profit Équilibre des Énergies (EdEn), the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB), along with research organisations such as the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), a French think tank formed to facilitate the transition towards sustainable development. VINCI and three of the ParisTech schools (Mines, Ponts and Agro) have entered into a scientific partnership, called VINCI-ParisTech lab recherche environnement, which aims to reduce the impacts of buildings and infrastructure on the environment. Through lab recherche environnement’s work, a number of tools and solutions have been developed to preserve biodiversity in the urban environment.
Although Group entities have for many years developed strong partnerships with non-profits or research centres to support natural environments (nearly 1,000 agreements, of which 600 voluntarily, were signed or in effect in 2022), they have broadened the scope of their collaboration:
VINCI Autoroutes has joined forces with many national partners in France, such as the LPO, France’s leading agricultural union (FNSEA), the Shift Project, the national beekeepers association (Unaf) and the National Forest Office (ONF). At the regional level, VINCI Autoroutes urges its partners to work together to accelerate the energy mobility transition through its low-carbon motorway project (see paragraph 3.2, “Acting for the climate”). The VINCI Autoroutes Foundation is getting involved in a new field of action, supporting eight projects to preserve and restore natural heritage in regions proposed by local organisations.
At VINCI Concessions, LISEA, the concession company for the South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail line (SEA HSL), and MESEA, the line’s maintenance operator, took further steps in 2022 in their commitments to drive transition in the region. Created in 2021 in partnership with institutions such as the French agency for ecological transition Ademe and France’s National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), the Fonds SEA is currently supporting 13 projects selected in the call for expression of interest, “Support local and sustainable farming”. In 2022, the Fonds SEA also teamed up with Odeys, a business cluster in sustainable construction and planning in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, to support projects that are committed to the circular economy, reuse of materials, and the development of bio-sourced and geo-sourced materials. A call for projects was also launched to strengthen local facilities active in deconstruction and the reuse of building materials. In 2022, VINCI Airports signed a partnership with the organisation AéroBiodiversité for its Rennes Bretagne, Dinard Bretagne and Annecy Mont-Blanc airports. Three visits per site were made over the year to list plant and wildlife species present at concessions. Awareness sessions were also provided for employees on site.
VINCI Construction is a member of environment committees and professional associations such as, in France, EGF BTP, the road association Routes de France as well as the national federations of civil engineering contractors (FNTP), quarries and building materials producers (Unicem) and aggregate producers (UNPG). VINCI Construction’s ecological engineering companies are active in France’s federation of ecological engineering firms (UPGE), and the Road France Division partners with Inec, the French circular economy institute, contributing to its research and publications. As a founding member of CircoLab, the Building France Division promotes circular economy practices in the building sector. For example, its Greater Paris New build housing and Greater Paris Renovated housing delegations signed the Metropolitan Charter for Circular Construction of the Greater Paris Metropolis, a partnership agreement between CDC Habitat and GTM Bâtiment promoting the circular economy, and a partnership agreement between VINCI Construction and Immobilière 3F (Action Logement group) to promote industrial-scale energy renovation solutions, especially with Rehaskeen®.
Numerous local partnerships have been formed to take concrete action to preserve biodiversity at quarries and worksites. In 2022, VINCI Construction celebrated the 10th anniversary of its partnership with Patrimoine Naturel (a collaborative research and education entity focused on natural heritage, also known as PatriNat, under the aegis of three organisations – the MNHN, the CNRS and the French Office for Biodiversity). The partnership has structured VINCI Construction’s commitment on biodiversity preservation, which has included certain actions in its “Entreprises engagées pour la nature” programme. It will be renewed for another four years. In Quebec, a partnership was created with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to adapt a quarry so that the endangered and vulnerable wood turtle could be observed and protected. In Australia, Seymour Whyte has conducted partnerships and sponsorships with wildlife protection organisations in Queensland in connection with the Pacific Motorway (M1) upgrade programme.
VINCI Energies France participates in several working groups formed by the non-profit organisation Noé and by Cerema, the French public expertise centre for research on the environment, risks, mobility and urban planning, on the future challenges of public lighting to identify levers to reduce its carbon impact. VINCI Energies France Tertiaire Grand Ouest has formed a partnership with the Bird Protection League (LPO) to better factor in biodiversity across its activities, while also lending financial support for the organisation’s projects of public interest. France Nature Environnement Auvergne Rhône Alpes is working with Citeos Ingénierie Lyon to reduce the impact of public lighting on natural environments (educating customers, identifying sensitive natural areas, etc.).
Along with their institutional partnerships, VINCI companies engage in continuous dialogue with stakeholders. They strengthen communication with local residents near worksites and infrastructure in operation, through information meetings, improved signposting, worksite visits and new communication channels:
