2024 Universal Registration Document

General and financial elements

3.5 Active participation in collaborative initiatives to help evolve practices

The issues facing VINCI and its entities are often complex and involve multiple players throughout the value chain. Although VINCI continually enhances its risk prevention and management systems, it does not always have the necessary leverage to pursue every possible action, due to its position in the value chain and the cyclical nature of its activities.

Although VINCI is a large company, certain features of its businesses, the position occupied by Group companies in the value chain, and the fact that their volume of activity in a given country or project is often limited may lessen its degree of local influence. Consequently, in addition to its in-house efforts, VINCI has joined a number of external coalitions and initiatives, collaborating with other stakeholders to develop tools, methodologies and actions to promote human rights, better address challenges and help build a more virtuous ecosystem. (*)

Main collaborative initiatives in which VINCI participates

  • Building Responsibly (www.building-responsibly.org), of which VINCI is a founding member. Because the building industry faces specific challenges, this coalition of engineering and construction firms works to develop common approaches and tools, share practices, engage with all stakeholders in the value chain (customers, investors, subcontractors, etc.) and find concrete and collective solutions to the sector’s challenges. In addition to helping members improve their practices and risk prevention measures, the initiative aims to inspire the entire construction ecosystem to commit to promoting the rights of workers in the industry. In 2023, Building Responsibly published its first activity report, which can be found on its website. In 2024, work sessions covered topics such as mental health, whistleblowing procedures, managing heat stress, and responsible recruitment.
  • Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment (www.ihrb.org/projects/leadership-group-for-responsible-recruitment), which welcomed VINCI to its steering committee in June 2017. This collaborative initiative between leading companies and expert organisations strives to promote responsible recruitment practices and combat forced labour.
  • Entreprises pour les Droits de l’Homme / Business for Human Rights (EDH, www.e-dh.org), where VINCI sits on the executive board. This association of leading French companies provides a forum for discussion, initiatives and proposals to help these businesses improve the integration of human rights and duty of vigilance into business policies and practices. In 2024, its areas of work covered the duty of vigilance, human rights indicators and disputes related to the duty of vigilance, the living wage, dialogue with stakeholders and issues involving impacted communities.
  • UN Global Compact (www.unglobalcompact.org), which VINCI signed in 2003. VINCI is a member of the Human Rights Club of the French network of the Global Compact. Since 2023, VINCI has actively participated in the working group focusing on local communities, which is developing a practical guidebook for companies, to be published in 2025.
  • World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (www.wbcsd.org), of which VINCI became a member following the organisation’s merger with Business for Inclusive Growth in January 2024. VINCI coordinates a WBCSD subgroup on forced labour and responsible recruitment.

For more information on some of the actions taken through these initiatives, see paragraph 3.7, “Reinforced vigilance to fight forced labour and illegal work”, page 294).

3.6 Monitoring implementation and effectiveness

Through its Social Responsibility Department, the Group monitors and reports on policy implementation in its operations and conducts audits as required. Outcomes are presented to the Group’s top management, the Board of Directors and the European Works Council.

Monitoring implementation, especially in priority countries

The order of priority for subsidiary audits, which are conducted by the Social Responsibility Department and evaluators in business lines and divisions, is determined based on a consolidation of eight internationally recognised indicators (**) and the strength of the presence (workforce and revenue) of VINCI’s companies in a given country. For these assessments of the Group and its business lines and divisions, priority is given to countries where the Group’s presence is strong and human rights are deemed to be at risk. Because some VINCI company activities are project-based, this ranking and the accompanying road map are reviewed each year to account for changes in their geographical locations, level of activity, and external indicators. If needed, other country analyses may be developed to better identify issues and risks, for instance, when responding to a call for tenders.

Human rights assessments carried out across the Group since 2018 (*)

  • Evaluators from the Group’s head offices, business lines and divisions have conducted assessments in 44 countries (38 at end-2023).
  • A total of 138 Group subsidiaries and active projects have been assessed (98 at end-2023). This count includes only subsidiaries and projects that are still active and in the Group. Any completed projects or sold subsidiaries that may have been assessed are therefore excluded.
  • In 2024, 60 subsidiaries and projects underwent assessments, including 17 follow-up audits.
  • In all, these human rights assessments cover nearly 38,000 VINCI employees – close to 22% of the Group’s workforce outside of France and 52% of its workforce in non-OECD member countries.
  • In 2024, human rights assessments covered 49% of workers in the very high-priority countries identified by the Group. VINCI’s goal is to achieve 100% coverage.

(*) The 2024 action plan is based on data at 31 December 2023.

(*) The following information corresponds to required disclosures in the Sustainability report (ESRS 2 SBM-2).

(**) World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators – Rule of Law; Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Human Development Index; World Economic Forum – Global Gender Gap Report; US Department of State – Trafficking in Persons Report; Ratification of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Freedom House – Freedom in the World report; International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) – Global Rights Index.