3.3.2.1 Actions to improve waste sorting and recovery
Group subsidiaries are taking action to reduce waste generated and implement waste recovery more widely in both the Construction and Energy businesses, which deal mainly with large amounts of worksite waste, and in the Concessions business, which involves the disposal of users’ waste at airports, motorways, etc. The Group’s subsidiaries put waste management plans in place at their worksites in accordance with local waste management procedures and systems. In addition to monitoring their waste management every year in terms of its volume and the extent of recovery, VINCI companies have developed their own waste reduction and recycling strategies.
| non-inclus | Actions taken | Performance indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing waste |
–Implement plans to manage waste materials at worksites –Roll out programmes to phase out single-use plastics at some entities, in particular VINCI Construction’s Earthworks, Maritime and River Works delegation, and at motorway service areas in partnership with retail brands |
–Amount of waste generated per year |
| Waste recovery |
–Improve waste sorting –Implement waste recovery more widely, with targets by geographical area at some entities |
–Share of waste recovered by qualified service providers (excl. hazardous waste) |
| non-inclus | Hazardous waste | Non-hazardous waste | Inert materials and waste | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in tonnes) | 2023 | 2022(*) | 2023/2022 change | 2023 | 2022(*) | 2023/2022 change | 2023 | 2022(*) | 2023/2022 change |
| VINCI Autoroutes | 965 | 612 | +58% | 19,309 | 18,522 | +4% | 1,157 | 2,655 | −56% |
| VINCI Concessions | 1,418 | 728 | +95% | 39,619 | 30,090 | +32% | 18,723 | 3,728 | +402% |
| VINCI Energies | 7,751 | 6,115 | +27% | 40,426 | 40,201 | +1% | 708,098 | 736,352 | −4% |
| Cobra IS | 71,366 | - | - | 192,758 | - | - | 266,779 | - | - |
| VINCI Construction | 1,435,371 | 559,055 | +157% | 1,762,706 | 1,777,056 | −1% | 23,745,746 | 22,933,717 | +4% |
| VINCI Immobilier | - | 1 | −100% | 2,219 | 1,833 | +21% | - | - | - |
| Total | 1,516,871 | 566,511 | +168% | 2,057,037 | 1,867,702 | +10% | 24,740,503 | 23,676,452 | +4% |
| Total excl. Cobra IS | 1,445,505 | 566,511 | +155% | 1,864,279 | 1,867,702 | 0% | 24,473,724 | 23,676,452 | +3% |
(*) Data for 2022 that were partially estimated for publication have been replaced with actual data at 31 December 2022 on a like-for-like basis relative to 2023.
The reporting scope for waste generated covers the entire Group (see “Note on the methods used in workforce related, social and environmental reporting”, page 291).
The increase in the amount of hazardous waste produced in 2023 mainly comes from the inclusion of VINCI Construction’s contaminated soil in this indicator. In the Concessions business, this indicator was higher due to the use of oil water separation systems at certain airports and the results of major cleaning operations carried out at VINCI Autoroutes.
Non -hazardous waste and inert materials and waste remained relatively stable compared with 2022 (excluding Cobra IS) despite the addition of several airports in Mexico and Brazil and the Bogotá Girardot highway in Colombia to the VINCI Concessions scope. Moreover, the significant increase in VINCI Concessions’ inert materials is chiefly due to the rockslides that occurred on the Bogotá Girardot highway.
Waste reduction and recycling in the Concessions business
VINCI Autoroutes aims to recover all waste from operations and from its directly managed service and rest areas by 2025 (with 60% material recovery from operations waste) and to reduce the volume of operations waste by 10% by 2030. As for waste generated by motorway users, all of the service and rest areas on the network are equipped with sorting bins for packaging and household refuse. VINCI Autoroutes’ waste recovery rate came to 87% in 2023, of which 89% related to waste from operations and from directly managed service and rest areas. In a continuous improvement approach, the West-Atlantic Regional Operations Department trialled a sorting platform to supplement its three-stream recycling station. Other biowaste recovery initiatives include an experiment conducted on the Escota network in the second quarter of 2023 by biowaste management startup Les Alchimistes to treat biowaste at rest areas. Mechanical composters and biodigesters were also installed at 11 TotalEnergies service areas and 10 Areas service areas respectively. Feedback on these initiatives is currently being collected. To avoid food waste, Too Good To Go and Phenix solutions were rolled out at 120 service areas on the network, saving 133,672 baskets in 2023.
Further strengthening its commitment, VINCI Autoroutes is working together with the operators of commercial facilities at service areas across its network toward the shared goal of zero waste. In particular, these VINCI Autoroutes partners have pledged to implement actions and test solutions that promote the circular economy and reduce waste, classified into three levels of engagement (engaged, expert or outstanding), such as setting up dry bulk dispensers, and composters or biodigesters to recover organic waste. VINCI Autoroutes disseminated the second version of a practical guide on these topics in February 2023 to support entities holding subconcession contracts. The local Permanent Centres for Environmental Initiatives (CPIEs) assist VINCI Autoroutes in implementing actions at service areas and have already proposed 216 such initiatives. In September 2022, Escota was selected in the call for expression of interest in non household waste initiated by Citeo. Citeo offers its expertise and financing for equipment to help customers sort their waste better, such as nudges and signage. In exchange, VINCI Autoroutes sends them data to measure the impact of the equipment. The project continued in 2023. Characterisation studies and perception surveys were conducted to measure how the equipment influences customers’ sorting habits. On 9 November 2023, VINCI Autoroutes and Citeo jointly organised a meet up day to discuss ideas and share experience on sorting solutions for mobility users. The event featured a wide range of speakers, from organisations such as SNCF Gares & Connexions, GL Events, Veolia and VINCI Concessions. Both internal and external participants, including Sanef, APRR and DiRIF, took part in workshops to come up with solutions to encourage out of home sorting in mobility spaces.
