As indicated in paragraph 3.2.2.1, “ESG assessment of suppliers”, of the sustainability report, page 271, the Responsible Procurement Committee has developed and shared a process to assess the way to which suppliers and subcontractors manage the following environmental risks: climate change, depletion of resources, loss of biodiversity and pollution. For purchasing categories that significantly impact revenue or carry high social or environmental risks, a separate analysis is performed and a specific sustainability questionnaire is used to assess suppliers. These questionnaires are tailored to the specific social and environmental issues affecting each purchasing category and their inclusion in calls for tenders is increasingly systematic. Based on the results, a supplier may be excluded from a tender process or invited to set up an action plan, complete with measures to verify its implementation. Following the assessment, on-site audits of subcontractors or a supplier’s production facilities are carried out, based on the level and nature of the identified risks.
Through its calls for tenders, VINCI Autoroutes promotes practices that reduce the carbon footprint of road maintenance work. For example, ASF is experimenting with a new environmental scorecard to help and encourage suppliers to engage in continuous improvement. In their tender submissions, suppliers are urged to make certain pledges that help reduce the environmental impact of worksites. These commitments are incorporated into the contract and monitored throughout the project, and penalties apply if they are not met. The scorecard was first tested for the maintenance contract for the A64 North motorway. Documented feedback from these initiatives and innovations will benefit the entire industry. In addition, upper limits for CO2 emissions per tonne of asphalt mix are included in contracts awarded by the program management divisions of Cofiroute, ASF East and Escota. Penalties apply if the limits are exceeded.
For local purchases, materials suppliers are systematically asked to provide information on their environmental footprint, such as their carbon impact or the use of bio-based materials, during the selection process. Increasingly, preference is given to suppliers that take steps to protect the environment, and they are regularly audited in this respect, particularly when contracts are up for renewal.
In the Building France Division of VINCI Construction, environmental data modelling tools for construction materials have been developed in collaboration with engineers from the École des Ponts ParisTech to assess the exact environmental footprint, especially the greenhouse gas emissions, of the concrete used in its projects. The aim is to be able to generate data that its teams can use for their life cycle assessment calculations.
