2024 Universal Registration Document

Metrics

A review is under way on the possibility of setting up indicators for more exhaustive reporting on actions taken and their impacts, while remaining attentive to their relevance, as each action is a response to a specific issue on a project across the diverse operations of the various companies (in terms of volumes of activity, time frames, methods for taking action, types of activities, etc.). If applicable, these indicators may be defined and monitored at the appropriate organisational level to ensure their continued relevance. More than 45,000 employees have completed the human rights e-learning module, which includes a section on how to manage community impacts.

3.3.3 Processes for interacting with affected communities

In its Manifesto, VINCI advocates openness and dialogue with all its stakeholders, including affected communities, across all its companies. The Group wants to make this an opportunity and a means to create value for everyone. This dialogue is relevant when it is developed specifically for each operation.

Although public authorities or private customers make decisions, as project owners, concerning transport and energy infrastructure, as well as facilities to improve the living environment, including where they are to be located, VINCI companies, in line with their role, maintain close relationships with affected communities, non-profit organisations, users and residents living near the structures they build.

The measures and actions implemented to promote dialogue, consultation and exchanges with project stakeholders and other key local and regional actors, including elected officials, local authorities, government agencies, associations representing users of infrastructure and facilities, as well as people living or working nearby, are crucial in order to factor in the potential impact of the sites, projects and works, but also to assess the acceptance of planned structures. This dialogue is a key component of the Group’s business activities and arrangements like these are widely deployed by VINCI’s companies, which are committed to promoting active dialogue with all their stakeholders, while respecting their customers’ prerogatives.

The mechanisms for dialogue and its frequency will depend on a number of factors, including the legal framework, the customer, the nature of the activities and the type of impact they might have, as well as the location concerned. They may range from a simple public information meeting to a comprehensive engagement process based on consultation.

For example:

• VINCI Autoroutes has recognised expertise relating to consultation and dialogue with stakeholders and neighbouring communities. From the initial study phase, VINCI Autoroutes is committed to engaging in dialogue with elected officials, local residents and associations concerning motorway projects in order to find the most relevant solutions for the various situations encountered. Examples of the business line’s actions include setting up a dedicated site for each project, conducting interviews with experts, publishing frequently asked questions, holding open days and deploying community outreach officers to carry out door-to-door visits with local residents or anyone who might be affected in the area of influence around the infrastructure.
• For VINCI Airports in France, the preferred tool for consultation with communities living near airports is the environmental consultation committee (CCE). These committees are chaired by the prefect of the French administrative department where each airport is located and bring together aviation professionals, local authorities and civil society representatives such as local resident associations and environmental organisations. A specific and formal procedure has been set up at each airport for the management and handling of claims. In France, a claims report is presented at every CCE meeting, indicating the number of claims received, the average response time, as well as the breakdown of complaints by municipality and type of disturbance (noise, flight paths, etc.). In Portugal, at all airport facilities managed by ANA, nearby residents are also consulted. Similarly, the eight airports in Brazil regularly organise actions with their various stakeholders. The number of claims is consolidated every year for VINCI Airports globally.

To help identify all the stakeholders and take their expectations into consideration, VINCI has developed an easy-to-use mapping tool called Reflex. This platform enables users to map and prioritise each stakeholder based on their influence on one another and the desire to establish dialogue.

In addition, the guidelines for local community dialogue, incorporated into the VINCI Guide on Human Rights, set out the obligations of VINCI companies in this area, which include:

• identifying all the local stakeholders affected by a project;
• establishing dialogue with stakeholders, including representatives from affected communities, from the project’s upstream phase;
• setting up an effective and easily accessible community-based grievance mechanism, with companies able to follow the effectiveness criteria from Principle 31 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;
• drawing up appropriate remediation plans to manage complaints submitted by affected communities.

VINCI is particularly committed to respecting the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to prior, free and informed consent, which requires appropriate consultation mechanisms to be put in place. Similarly, depending on the operations, companies pay close attention to any vulnerable groups that may be impacted.

At Group level, dialogue with stakeholders is generally developed through collaborative initiatives in which the Group is actively involved.

3.3.4 Remediation of negative impacts and channels for affected communities to raise concerns

The grievance mechanisms available to affected communities are generally located at project level and locally, in order to ensure their accessibility. VINCI’s decentralised and multi-local organisation and the nature of its activities leads the Group to encourage the implementation of local procedures for reporting concerns. The Group’s view is that whistleblowing systems are more effective when they are local, since the company, project or worksite is then better positioned to proactively handle reports, including those from affected communities, implement appropriate corrective and remediation measures, identify any weak areas in the organisation and reinforce its preventive measures. These data are not currently consolidated at Group level.