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Thales aims for carbon neutrality in 2040

2021-10-05T17:47:54.381Z


The high-tech and defense group wants to reduce its CO2 emissions by 35% by 2023 and 40% by 2030, so that its activity no longer generates polluting emissions ten years later.


This is a first for Thales and for a high technology, defense and security company.

In front of a hundred representatives of the financial community, gathered this Tuesday, October 5, Patrice Caine, CEO of the group, explained how Thales intends to respond to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges.

Investor interest no longer concerns only the economic and financial performance of companies, it goes well beyond.

Investors are asking us more and more to explain our strategy in terms of environment, diversity and ethics and to detail how we are contributing to a safer, greener and more inclusive world,

 ”he explained to

Figaro

.

Read also In form, Thales is regaining room for maneuver

It is in this context that Thales is unveiling its new ecological roadmap, which enhances its objectives for reducing CO2 emissions.

Having reduced its last by 20% in 2020, two years earlier than expected, the group has decided to go further by targeting a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions from its industrial activities by 2023, and 40 % by 2030 in order to achieve carbon neutrality in 2040. To achieve this, the group is using several levers such as the use of green electricity, greener tertiary buildings, or even a business travel policy "

more responsible

”and automobile fleets based on hybrid and electric vehicles.

100% “eco-designed” products in 2023

The group is including its subcontractors in this program.

We have selected 150 of our subcontractors potentially emitting the most CO2, so that they share with us their own plans to reduce pollutant emissions to ensure that they are compatible with ours.

This will be part of the conditions for them to remain our partners in the future

”, specifies the CEO.

Thales will thus agree to the objectives of its subcontractors.

Read also Thales confirms its financial objectives despite breach of contract for Australian submarines

Thales also plans to develop new ranges of eco-designed equipment and software that take into account the impact on the environment very early in the design process.

This involves the use of lighter, recyclable materials but also so-called frugal software and “

smart data

”, which require less energy to operate.

The objective is to provide the group's portfolio with 100% eco-designed products by 2023, compared to 35% currently.

These products must be as neutral as possible for the environment but also help their users, Thales customers, to reduce their impact on the environment.

100 million tonnes of CO2 per year not released

This is the case, for example, with air traffic management (ATM) systems, of which Thales is the world leader. By optimizing the interactions between air traffic control and the aircraft cockpit, it is also possible to optimize flight paths without modifying current aircraft. This better use of ATM would lead to a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions from aircraft fleets, or 100 million tonnes less CO2 released into the atmosphere per year by 2040.

This is also the case of the new Earth observation satellites of Copernicus and, in particular, of the mission which aims to give the European Union a unique tool in the world to monitor and precisely measure CO2 emissions. of human origin, which contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

In August 2020, the European Space Agency (ESA) entrusted the development and construction of two specialized satellites to OHB and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), a subsidiary of the French Thales and the Italian Leonardo, for an amount of 445 millions of euros.

Read also Thales offers several innovations for the intelligent transport of the future

Another challenge for Thales, which generates half of its turnover in defense and security, is to convince the financial community that these activities are not in contradiction with ESG commitments.

To achieve these ESG commitments, it is necessary for our economies to be stable and our societies to be safe,

” underlines the CEO of the group.

However, “

our defense activities, which are highly regulated and supervised, as well as our security activities contribute to this.

If there is no stability or security, there is no sustainability,

”insists Patrice Caine.

Defense financing difficulties

For Thales, as for other defense companies, this point is essential because certain investment funds and certain banks, put under pressure by NGOs or anti-armaments lobbies, limit or stop investing in the defense sector. . A report by the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in 2020, confirmed by a flash mission on the financing of the defense industrial and technological base (BITD) in February 2021, sounded the alarm on the difficulties encountered by companies in the sector to obtain financing from banks.

We see that investors who refuse to invest in defense are very much in the minority.

Most investors are neutral and are looking for explanations and information,

”notes Patrice Caine.

In the United States, defense is considered ESG compatible, it is even a prerequisite.

In Europe, the subject is more discussed.

The European Commission has shown that it considers defense and security to be compatible with its values, in particular by deciding to create a European defense fund endowed with 8 billion euros, ”

recalls Patrice Caine.

Source: lefigaro

All business articles on 2021-10-05

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