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Our Journey to Carbon Neutrality

 

 

The need to reverse the catastrophic effects of climate change grows more critical with each passing day. To help address this urgent issue, Tractebel has pledged to neutralize its carbon footprint by 2022. As we pursue our purpose of engineering a carbon-neutral future, we will continue partnering with our clients to decarbonize the world’s energy matrix. But also to reduce our own carbon emissions, as a company and as individuals. 


“Our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by next year is a natural move for a company like Tractebel. We understand the urgency of climate change and are firmly committed to helping our clients and our people create a positive impact towards a sustainable world, where people, planet and profit collectively thrive.”

Philippe Van Troeye

Tractebel’s Chief Executive Officer

Three paths to reduced emissions

Decarbonize Tractebel

Our carbon footprint
We performed a comprehensive scan to measure our carbon emissions, using our 2019 emissions as the baseline. As an engineering company with projects in different corners of the world, we were not surprised to learn that business travel and commuting represent three quarters of our emissions.

Tractebel’s carbon footprint is relatively small, due to our industry. We want to lead by example, so regardless of the size of our footprint, we aim to reduce our emissions as quickly as possible.

Our decarbonization strategy in action
To achieve our ambitious target by next year, we have put a carbon management plan in place that is grounded in climate science with a set of actions designed to significantly reduce emissions.

The plan is built around the following six pillars :  

  • Offices powered by renewable energy
    Where possible, we will procure 100% of electricity in our global offices from renewable sources. 
  • Low-carbon business travel
    We will continue to replace non-essential business travel by digital communication and adopt a low-carbon mindset for essential travel by, whenever possible, opting for train over plane, flying economy over business class, choosing non-stop over layover flights, etc
  • Low-carbon commuting
    We will extend home working in all countries where we are present, thus dramatically reducing emissions from daily commuting. In addition, we are reviewing existing mobility policies to encourage our people to opt for low-carbon transportation modes for commuting during working-from-office days.
  • Energy-efficient offices
    The extension of home working will also enable the optimization of our office spaces, leading to reduced energy consumption. We will also perform a thorough analysis of our existing installations to ensure maximum energy savings.
  • Green company fleet
    We will only purchase or lease company vehicles with the lowest possible carbon emissions. We will also take measures to achieve a fleet comprised mainly of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
  • Low-carbon digital efforts
    We will further reduce our digital carbon footprint by reviewing how we produce and store data. We will also raise awareness company-wide about the impact of digital habits on carbon emissions.

    By implementing these actions we aim to reduce our emissions by at least 20%, measuring from a pre-COVID-19, 2019 baseline. In addition, we will compensate for residual emissions by purchasing certified carbon offsets from projects that contribute to the protection of biodiversity, promote social benefits, and ultimately support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Decarbonize our projects

We are partnering with clients on a global scale to drive our purpose of engineering a carbon-neutral future. Our experts are constantly exploring new ways to prioritize sustainability in every project we do. Enabling our clients to take action towards a sustainable and carbon-neutral future is embedded in our historical existence. Our solutions combining strategy, design, engineering and project management have a direct impact on driving climate change resilience and adaptation practices to protect lives and livelihoods. From renewable energy in the Galapagos Islands, to hydrogen-powered mobility in France and climate-resilient hydropower in Brazil, we are dedicated to fighting climate change through our projects. 

Would you like to learn more about how our adaptive engineering solutions make global communities more sustainable? Download our collection of worldwide references “Sustainable Engineering Enabling Transformational Change.” 

Download our collection of worldwide references “Sustainable Engineering Enabling Transformational Change.” 

Back our people in their decarbonization journey

We believe that our people are at the core of our commitment and that we cannot reach our goal without their involvement. We are supporting our people in their own decarbonization journey, by encouraging them to reduce their personal carbon footprint.

Our aim is the full engagement and alignment of our teams with our purpose of engineering a carbon-neutral future. Not only during working hours, but also as personal goals. That’s why we will continue to raise awareness among our people on climate change, and most importantly, back them throughout their own decarbonization journey.  .

Over the past few years, we have been increasing our efforts to inspire our people to reduce their personal carbon footprint through communications campaigns, events and training. We are putting new action plans in place at both local and global levels.”

I am proud to be part of a company whose priorities extend far beyond profit. Tractebel is clearly dedicated to fostering a safe and positive work environment, gender parity, and reducing carbon emissions worldwide. These values, combined with a history of strong ethics, make Tractebel the ideal place to engineer a positive impact.” 

Samuel Silva

 Senior Electrical Engineer - Brazil

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