Several VINCI companies implement voluntary offsets, either to address their residual carbon emissions, by planting trees or restoring wooded areas, or to contribute to the reforestation of degraded lands to benefit local populations. Experts support these initiatives to ensure that projects meet high environmental and social standards.
To offset its carbon emissions, the Lima Expresa motorway (VINCI Highways) financed a REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project in the Tambopata-Bahuaja national reserve and park to support biodiversity preservation of the Peruvian rainforest and its adaptation to climate change. The project is certified to the Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards, the latter at Double Gold Level (Climate and Biodiversity).
In 2022, VINCI Airports continued to invest in reforestation programmes recognised by the French certification standard, Label Bas Carbone (see paragraph 3.2.2.1, “Actions to reduce indirect emissions”, page 235). Another project was launched in Le Lavandou forest in south-east France by Toulon Hyères airport, working with Région Sud – Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Office National des Forêts (ONF), the Méditerranée-Portes-des-Maures group of municipalities, and the city of Le Lavandou. This Label Bas Carbone project aims to reforest 2 hectares of land near Bormes-les-Mimosas damaged by a fire in 2017.
In February 2022, VINCI Autoroutes signed a partnership agreement with the ONF to implement a vast rehabilitation programme covering almost 500 hectares of land on and around motorways. Over the course of 2022, 22 sites underwent ecological studies, and two sites were rehabilitated by creating wetlands and planting species in protected forest areas.
VINCI Energies is working on projects to restore forest and ocean environments for VINCI Energies International & Systems Spain. In March 2022, VINCI Energies Spain received the (R)Forest award in the energy services category for its commitment to land reforestation, with a programme to restore a 12-hectare forest. Planting operations will continue until 2026.
In March 2022, teams from Sogea-Satom Madagascar (VINCI Construction) reforested the village of Antolojanahary, in collaboration with the humanitarian organisation Akamasoa. More than 300 employees and their families took part in this event. In all, more than 3,000 seedlings were planted: fruit trees (mango, avocado, orange), aromatic plants (ravintsara) and reforestation trees (pine, acacia).
Environmental engineering has developed into a branch of engineering in its own right and can be applied to preserve natural environments based on the “avoid, reduce, compensate” approach, which has been implemented on a number of Group projects. VINCI Construction has extensive expertise in ecological engineering, which it applies to highly specialised projects to guarantee long-term efficiency. VINCI Construction Maritime et Fluvial and Sethy (Networks France Division) each have a Kalisterre-certified business unit. This certification is awarded to ecological engineering companies that uphold high standards for technical criteria and human values at their worksites. Under the Equo Vivo brand, VINCI Construction carries out all types of ecological engineering work dedicated to restoring biodiversity and implementing ecological development projects. These projects meet three main objectives: maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity, hydromorphic restoration and site rehabilitation. This know-how comes from a deep understanding of earthworks, levelling operations, river hydraulics, plant-based engineering and the management of plant species (including the control of invasive non-native plant species). Several projects were carried out in 2022, ranging from the restoration of river banks, levelling of weirs, reconfiguration of stream and river channels, and rehabilitation of streams, rivers, wetlands and damaged natural environments, to the implementation of offsets or construction of fishways, wildlife crossings and green corridors. VINCI Construction also contributes to large-scale environmental projects, such as the Marineff project in Cherbourg in northern France to enhance coastal ecosystems along the English Channel, by developing biomimetic marine infrastructure that improves the ecological status of coastal waters.
Furthermore, from the design phase, VINCI Construction works to reintegrate the important role of nature into cities and buildings, for example with the construction of the new Artelia site in Échirolles, near Grenoble. Adim Lyon and Campenon Bernard Dauphiné Savoie (Building France Division) are working with Soletanche Bachy (Specialty Networks Division) and Cegelec (VINCI Energies) to preserve biodiversity, by creating a wooded garden featuring local species and a green rooftop terrace comprising 12 berry shrubs along with perennials, covering about 600 sq. metres. Another transformational project is the redesign of Clinique Trarieux in Lyon. The project concept by Adim Lyon and VINCI Immobilier, resulting from close collaboration with municipal authorities, aims to create a complex that will be more virtuous in terms of social and environmental impact.
VINCI Construction also operates at the level of entire eco-districts, such as the Docks in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, outside Paris. Completed in 2022, the programme is a component of a wider-ranging urban development project to rehabilitate a former industrial site and transform it into an eco-district. The project has produced two multi-use buildings for BNP Paribas Immobilier and Emerige, one of which has been awarded the labels BiodiverCity® in the design phase, BBC-Effinergie®, WiredScore Silver and E+C– (Energy 2 and Carbon 1), as well as BREEAM®, NF HQE™ Bâtiment durable and WELL certification. Customers increasingly aim to obtain BiodiverCity® labels (see paragraph 3.1.3.2, “Environmental labels”, page 225). Urbalia is a VINCI Construction consultancy that supports the development of nature and biodiversity in cities. Urbalia’s experts help to rethink the design and construction of the city of tomorrow and guide urban planners and construction companies in integrating biodiversity into their projects and responding to current urban issues.
VINCI Construction has developed about 30 Oasis courtyards in the Greater Paris area, where road surfaces are replaced with green surfaces or porous asphalt, both to reduce the urban heat island effect and enable rainfall infiltration.
