Thales has reduced its energy use by seven percent in 2009, compared to 2008, according to the company’s 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report. The global manufacturing company also cut CO2 emissions from energy consumption by 12 percent and CO2 emissions per person from business trips by nearly 9 percent, over the same time period.
In 2009, Thales increased its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and develop greener products, recently setting up a Working Group on Climate Change to coordinate policy in each country. The coordinated working groups, which will share experiences and best practices, are expected to help improve the company’s data collection, develop a more robust carbon emissions dashboard and facilitate reporting by local units.
Thales expects to get a more accurate picture of its climate footprint and improve its current methodology to further reduce CO2 emissions through these efforts.
The company has committed to reducing CO2 emissions per person from transportation by 10 percent between 2008 and 2010. By the end of 2009, a reduction of 8.7 percent had already been achieved by investing in technology such as videoconferencing to decrease business travel, promoting the use of company or rental cars with better fuel economy and lower carbon emissions, and encouraging initiatives such as carpooling.
Thales also has decreased emissions related to the use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and achieved a 55 percent reduction between 2007 and 2009.
In addition, for the first time in 2009, the purchasing department used a CO2 calculator to help select new computer monitors. As part of the selection process, Thales purchasers used a software application to compare energy consumption, heat dissipation and CO2 emissions from transport and packaging.
Thales also is designing more eco-friendly products. As an example, the latest version of Thales’ EMK2 flight simulator consumes 80 percent less energy and 10 percent less hydraulic oil than the previous version.
Another example is Thale’s ticketing machines for public transport that use ceramic heaters, LED lighting and variable ventilation systems to reduce electricity consumption by 70 percent.
Thales also continues the roll-out of its Purchasing and Corporate Responsibility Charter to help suppliers benchmark their internal policies and processes against a set of requirements. Suppliers who sign the charter commit to meeting the Thales Code of Ethics, the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Thales has set a goal of having 3,000 of its suppliers, which account for 80 percent of its total spend, sign the Charter by the end of 2011. By the end of 2009, more than 300 suppliers had signed the charter and completed the assessment questionnaire. As of 2010, purchasing managers can view reports on suppliers’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
These suppliers’ overall environmental, social and governance performance stands at 9.4 on a scale of 10.
Thales also launched a new dedicated Web portal for corporate responsibility. This site provides information on company policies, as well as access to various reports, articles and news concerning the group’s initiatives in business ethics and sustainability.