Climate Change Data

Vicat

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2018, 2021, 2023)

Reporting Period: 2018

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:15,921,000 tCO2e/year
Total Energy Consumption:2,340 GWh/year
Water Consumption:25,695,000 m3/year (Cement)
Carbon Intensity:821 kg CO2e/ton of clinker in 2018

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Biodiversity
  • Circular Economy
  • Resource Management
  • Employee Well-being
  • Gender Equality
  • Community Development
  • Responsible Procurement
  • Anti-corruption

Environmental Achievements

  • Increased the share of alternative fuels in cement manufacturing to 25.6% (from 25.2% in 2017)
  • Reduced specific CO2 emissions to 821 kg of CO2 per ton of clinker (from 826 kg in 2017)
  • Recycled 67% of water used in cement production, 79% in aggregates, and 23% in concrete
  • Recovered 8.5 tons of waste in Senegal under the “Rufisque Marché Propre” program
  • Recovered 30 tons of waste in India
  • Planted 20,123 trees at Vicat Group sites
  • Improved thermal balance of rotary kilns to 3,458 GJ/ton (from 3,530 GJ/ton in 2017)

Social Achievements

  • Increased workforce by 4.5% to 8,844 employees (from 8,460 in 2017)
  • Reduced employee turnover rate to 14% (from 15.2% in 2017)
  • Increased training hours to 142,025 (from 146,048 in 2017)
  • Increased number of employees who attended at least one training course to 5,438 (from 4,956 in 2017)
  • Improved gender equality, with women representing 10.4% of the workforce (from 10.2% in 2017)
  • Implemented anti-corruption training for all employees
  • Maintained a balanced age pyramid among employees
  • Prioritized local hiring, strengthening ties with communities

Governance Achievements

  • Implemented a Code of Ethics and Codes of good conduct to prevent corruption
  • Established a whistleblower procedure
  • Conducted regular audits on competitive practices
  • Implemented an anti-corruption code of conduct
  • Tightened accounting controls
  • Introduced a third-party assessment procedure

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Net-zero emissions by 2050 (implied)
Medium-term Goals:
  • Achieve a 75% clinker rate in cement and 40% usage of alternative fuels (including 15% biomass) by 2030
Short-term Goals:
  • Achieve a frequency rate of 5 and a severity rate of 0.3 in 2020 (safety)
  • Have at least one woman in the top 10 salaried positions by 2021
  • Mainstream the index for eradicating gender-based wage gaps by 2019

Environmental Challenges

  • Geopolitical tensions and currency volatility impacting performance in certain countries (e.g., Turkey)
  • Competition from domestic and multinational cement manufacturers
  • Climate change and its impact on resource availability and operations
  • Resource depletion and the need for sustainable resource management
Mitigation Strategies
  • Geographic diversification to spread risks
  • Focus on controlled development, balancing internal and external growth
  • Proactive approach to sustainability, integrating it into overall strategy
  • Investment in R&D for low-carbon products and energy efficiency improvements
  • Implementation of circular economy initiatives to reduce reliance on natural resources and waste
  • Strengthening relationships with stakeholders through dialogue and engagement

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Prioritization of local purchases
  • Requirement for suppliers to adhere to ILO principles on non-discrimination, forced labor, and child labor
  • Consideration of social, societal, and environmental factors in purchasing decisions

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Climate change impacts on resource availability and operations
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes related to greenhouse gas emissions
Opportunities
  • Development of low-carbon products and energy-efficient technologies

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)
  • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)
  • SDG 13 (Climate Action)
  • SDG 15 (Life on Land)
  • SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
  • SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

Vicat's initiatives contribute to these goals through sustainable production practices, resource management, biodiversity protection, gender equality initiatives, and community development programs.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • ALPENAT UP cement
  • SMART UP ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete
  • Biosys hempcrete block
  • Pervious concrete products for rainwater retention

Awards & Recognition

  • Green Deal partner status (French Cement Industry Union)
  • Company in Transition award (Trophées de l'Economie)
  • CSR prize (Apave’s Prévision conference)

Reporting Period: 2021

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:16.0 Mt CO2e (2020)
Scope 1 Emissions:82% of 2020 emissions
Scope 2 Emissions:15% of 2020 emissions
Scope 3 Emissions:3% of 2020 emissions
Renewable Energy Share:4.8% (self-generated)

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate Change
  • Circular Economy
  • Biodiversity
  • Water Management
  • Social Inclusion
  • Employee Well-being
  • Gender Equality
  • Responsible Procurement
  • Community Engagement

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced CO2 emissions across the Group to 624 kg CO2 net/ton of cement eq. (from a higher level in 2020); in Europe, reduced to 544 kg CO2 net/ton of cement eq.
  • Increased alternative fuel usage to 26.2% (62.9% in Europe)
  • Reduced clinker/cement ratio to 78.9%
  • Installed solar farms at various locations, including the largest in Africa (Rufisque, Senegal)
  • Launched DECA range of low-carbon products
  • Installed CO2ntainer system at Montalieu-Vercieu plant to convert chlorinated dust into lightweight aggregate
  • Argilor project to reduce CO2 emissions by 48,500 tons annually at Xeuilley plant
  • Implemented various initiatives to preserve biodiversity at its sites

Social Achievements

  • Maintained employee pay during health crisis, providing special compensation in some locations
  • Provided Covid-19 related support to employees and communities
  • Renewed partnership with Sport dans la Ville to promote industrial careers for women
  • Achieved near 0% gender pay gap
  • Increased proportion of women in the workforce to 11.5%
  • 100% of workforce received health & safety training
  • Donated close to €5 million to community development initiatives

Governance Achievements

  • Established a Climate Issues Committee
  • Implemented a new supplier code of conduct
  • Established a Handicap Committee

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Net-zero carbon throughout the value chain by 2050
Short-term Goals:
  • Reduce emissions to 540 kg CO2 net/ton of cement eq. across the Group and 430 kg CO2 net/ton of cement eq. in Europe by 2030
  • Use 40% alternative fuels across the Group and 100% in European cement plants by 2030
  • Reduce clinker content of cement to 75% by 2030
  • Self-generate 20% of total electricity consumption by 2030

Environmental Challenges

  • Climate change and its impact on operations
  • Water scarcity in certain regions
  • Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment
  • Reducing the carbon footprint of cement production
Mitigation Strategies
  • Investing in decarbonization projects (€74.5 million in 2021)
  • Replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels and renewable energy
  • Implementing water-saving measures
  • Improving health and safety training and practices
  • Developing low-carbon products and processes
  • Collaborating with partners on innovative solutions (e.g., HyNoVi, CimentAlgue)

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Revised supplier code of conduct (deployed in 2022), encouraging CSR practices and sustainable sourcing

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Opportunities
  • Development of low-carbon products and processes
  • Opportunities in the hydrogen economy

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
  • 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)
  • 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)
  • 13 (Climate Action)
  • 15 (Life on Land)
  • 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
  • 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
  • 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

Vicat's initiatives contribute to these SDGs through various actions related to renewable energy, low-carbon technologies, sustainable construction materials, biodiversity preservation, community engagement, and responsible employment practices.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • DECA low-carbon concrete
  • Carbon-negative binder
  • 3D-printed concrete elements

Awards & Recognition

  • Special prize in the 3rd edition of the Antoine Veil Competition for its DECA concrete range

Reporting Period: 2023

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:18.8 million metric tons of CO2 (Scope 1 & 2) + 3.9 million tCO2e (Scope 3) in 2023
Scope 1 Emissions:17.8 million metric tons of CO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:0.9 million metric tons of CO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:3.9 million metric tons of CO2e
Renewable Energy Share:8.8%
Total Energy Consumption:2,883 GWh/year
Water Consumption:18.2 million m3/year
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:588 kg net CO2 per metric ton of cement equivalent

ESG Focus Areas

  • Climate change mitigation
  • Resource management
  • Circular economy
  • Biodiversity
  • Supply chain management
  • Health and safety
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Skills development
  • Employee retention
  • Business ethics
  • Compliance

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced clinker content in cement from 77.5% in 2022 to 76.8% in 2023.
  • Increased use of alternative fuels to 32% across the Group (72.7% in Europe), preventing the burning of 1,000,000 metric tons of coal equivalent.
  • Reduced specific CO2 emissions to 588 kg net CO2 per metric ton of cement equivalent (a 20 kg reduction from 2022).
  • 4.5 million metric tons of materials recycled, reused or repurposed.
  • 73% of quarries have restoration plans.

Social Achievements

  • Achieved a historic low frequency rate for lost-time accidents (4.18).
  • 100% of employees received safety training.
  • Increased training hours by 35% to 28.4 hours per person.
  • Increased the number of women employees to 12.1% of the workforce.
  • Maintained 94% of direct jobs under open-term contracts.
  • 100% of businesses engaged in supporting local communities.

Governance Achievements

  • Established four quarterly operational committees (Climate, Compliance & Audit, Occupational Health & Safety/HR, and Cybersecurity/Digital).
  • Implemented a Code of Ethics and an Anti-Corruption Code of Conduct.
  • Established a whistleblower system.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Achieve carbon neutrality across its value chain by 2050.
Medium-term Goals:
  • Reduce electricity emissions by 40% compared with 2020.
  • Reduce process and thermal emissions to 497 kg net CO2 per metric ton of cement equivalent at Group level by 2030.
  • Reduce clinker content in cement to 69% by 2030.
Short-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed

Environmental Challenges

  • Reducing the carbon footprint of operations and products.
  • Managing the impact of operations on the environment.
  • Protecting biodiversity.
  • Ensuring employee health and safety.
  • Attracting and retaining employees.
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion.
  • Maintaining business ethics and compliance.
  • Managing supply chain risks.
  • Commitment to communities.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Implemented a climate plan aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
  • Developed low-clinker cement products and alternative fuel strategies.
  • Investing in CO2 capture, storage, and utilization projects.
  • Implementing a “Zero Accidents” policy with comprehensive safety training.
  • Investing in employee development and career management.
  • Implementing diversity and inclusion policies.
  • Establishing a robust ethics and compliance program.
  • Developing a responsible purchasing roadmap and supplier code of conduct.
  • Supporting local communities through various initiatives.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 1,150 Supplier Codes of Conduct signed (9% of active suppliers); 30% of Group purchasing contracts contain a specific CSR clause.

Responsible Procurement
  • Supplier Code of Conduct
  • CSR clauses in contracts
  • Supplier assessment procedure

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
Transition Risks
  • Regulatory changes
  • Market shifts
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI, EU Taxonomy

Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001

Third-party Assurance: Grant Thornton

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3
  • SDG 4
  • SDG 5
  • SDG 6
  • SDG 7
  • SDG 8
  • SDG 9
  • SDG 10
  • SDG 12
  • SDG 13
  • SDG 14
  • SDG 15
  • SDG 16
  • SDG 17

Various initiatives contribute to these goals as detailed throughout the report.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • DECA low-carbon offering
  • Lythosys 3D printing offering
  • Low-clinker cement
  • Cement based on natural Pozzolans
  • Cement based on artificial Pozzolans

Awards & Recognition

  • A- rating from CDP