Our commitments in favour of the climate
Accelerating the transition to a "Net Zero Carbon" world is at the heart of Equans' mission. From energy storage to the installation of more efficient energy systems to the production of green energy, Equans has set itself the goal of reducing its CO₂ emissions and those of its customers. Determined to contribute to the Group's decarbonisation commitments, Equans uses the CO₂ Performance ladder, a tool that enables it to track its progress, share the knowledge it has acquired transparently and raise awareness among its employees, partners and customers.
Our objective: level 5
We aim to achieve certification at level 5 of the CO₂ performance ladder. This is the highest level on the ladder. This will demonstrate that we maintain the highest standards in CO₂ management and emissions reduction.
Documents
- Certification agreement audit CO2 performance ladder (2024)
- CO2 Performance ladder - Communication Report - Footprint 2023 (publication 11-2024)
- CO2 Performance ladder - Communication Report - Footprint 2023 (revision 02-2025)
- CO2 Performance ladder - Communication Report - Footprint 2024 (publication 03-2025)
- Chain analysis - Public lighting (publication 02-2025)
- Chain analysis - Low & medium voltage cables (publication 02-2025)
Reducing our own carbon footprint
The Equans Group's commitments to reducing carbon emissions represent a major challenge. To help achieve these objectives, Equans Belux has put in place action plans covering scopes 1 and 2 of its own activities, as well as scope 3A (upstream of the value chain).
These action plans were certified by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) in 2024.
OUR EMISSION REDUCTION GOALS
The reduction target of -42% in absolute terms for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from scopes 1 and 2 means that the company is committed to reducing the total quantity of its direct and indirect emissions by 42% compared with a reference year (2023).
Scope 1 emissions include all direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as fuels burned on site.
Scope 2 emissions cover indirect emissions associated with electricity consumption. An absolute reduction indicates that the reduction is aimed at achieving a real decrease in the total quantity of emissions, regardless of the growth or decline in the company's activity.
The -52% reduction intensity target for Scope 3 GHG is independent of growth or decline in the company's activity.
This means that even if the company increases its production or revenue (and therefore its purchases), it is committed to reducing the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production or revenue (spent on purchases) by 52%.
In this way, the company aims to reduce its environmental impact proportionally, regardless of the development of its economic activities. This objective encourages greater efficiency and more sustainable management of resources throughout all phases of the life cycle of its products and services.
OUR CARBON EMISSIONS
- Scope 1 : 46 782 tons CO₂
- Scope 2 : 3 184 tons CO₂
- Scope 3A : 401.299 tons CO₂
- Business travel : 523 tons CO₂
- Scope 1 : 44 059 tons CO₂
- Scope 2 : 2 940 tons CO₂
- Scope 3A : 360 039 tons CO₂
- Business travel : 722 tons CO₂
* Calculated with the SKAO CO2 PL protocol
Our actions
- Decarbonising our vehicle fleet through the gradual replacement of our combustion vehicles with hybrid or electric vehicles, a new sustainable mobility policy and the promotion of best practice in eco-driving.
- Reducing the carbon footprint of our sites by optimising our office fleet and improving energy management.
- Improve our purchasing policy by committing our suppliers to quantifying and reducing their CO₂ emissions.
- Raise our employees' awareness of energy sobriety, the circular economy, resource conservation and biodiversity.
Organisations, projects & initiatives in which we participate and/or support
Organisations
To achieve a sustainable society, we face various challenges, such as reducing environmental impact, achieving climate neutrality, and addressing raw material scarcity. Agoria assists in minimizing impact and capitalizing on the opportunities that technology presents for shaping a sustainable future. Agoria hosts Sustainability and CSR workgroup meetings quarterly to share insights and knowledge on sustainability and CO2 reduction topics.
The Belgian Alliance for Climate Action invites organisations to take action for the climate by setting scientific objectives. Its mission is to support organisations' climate policy by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, creating networking opportunities and raising the profile of climate action.
This involves halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving zero emissions by 2050. BACA is a joint initiative of the Worldwide Fund and The Shift. The Equans Group is a member of the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action and has signed the BACA Pledge, committing its entities (under financial control) to implement carbon emission reduction initiatives. This commitment is contractually binding.
S (Belgian Maintenance Association) is a dynamic not-for-profit organisation that helps companies and their employees ensure sustainable management and maintenance of physical assets. BEMAS helps asset-intensive organisations achieve world-class standards in the maintenance and management of technical equipment.
The initiative aims to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the industry by developing and implementing a sustainable asset management training programme for technical management professionals. This partnership demonstrates a commitment to promoting a green, intelligent and just transition, in line with the European Union's objective of increasing overall energy efficiency by 32.5% by 2030.
BEMAS organises more than 150 events a year (including webinars, seminars, training sessions, company visits and working groups), attracting more than 2,000 participants. By promoting the exchange of knowledge, BEMAS acts as a gateway to a sustainable and competitive industry, contributing to Belgium's economic prosperity.
The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a certification scheme that encourages and rewards companies for their commitment to CO₂ emissions reduction and sustainable development. It measures and assesses an organisation's CO₂ emissions and encourages continuous improvement and innovation in this area.
More information on this organisation
The Shift is the Belgian sustainable development network that brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses, social, public and academic organisations. Its mission is to encourage its members to set ambitious targets while stimulating mutual inspiration, the sharing of experience and the development of models that respect nature and the climate.
The Shift recognises that issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequalities are too complex to tackle in isolation. It emphasises the importance of cooperation between business, civil society and government to achieve sustainable solutions. Through this collaboration, The Shift is accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy and society.
initiatives / projeCts
Equans is actively involved in setting up a sector-wide programme to reduce CO₂ emissions, in collaboration with the government and relevant organisations. The project involves the design and construction of the ‘balance of plant’ (BoP) for the future Vilvoorde battery park, a key piece of infrastructure.
This represents a strategic collaboration between Elia, a semi-public government entity, and leading energy companies Engie, Tractebel, and Equans/Galère (SMS), with Sun Grow as the battery supplier. By integrating the expertise and resources of these parties, this project aims to set a benchmark for the design and construction of ‘Balance of plant’. It demonstrates a commitment to innovation, sustainability and strategic collaboration, paving the way for a more resilient and efficient energy future.
Carbon Shift is Equans‘ integrated approach to accelerating our clients’ transformation to a low-carbon, resilient, and sustainable world. This offer integrates all of Equans' technical skills, making it possible to simplify the transformation process for our clients.
Simple, comprehensive support: from upstream advice to monitoring and even performance commitments, including design, local financing solutions, management of installation work and maintenance.
More information on Carbon Shift
Project Pura, in collaboration with Hogeschool UCLL and VKW Limburg, studies the sustainability needs of large companies and puts them in touch with the right partners to accelerate their sustainability objectives. The training sessions focus on ESG objectives and cover topics such as energy, sustainable transport, reducing CO2 emissions, employee well-being and sustainability reporting. These sessions facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration between companies and knowledge partners.
More than 6,000 companies worldwide are already working with the Science Based Targets (SBTi) initiative. Targets are considered ‘science-based’ if they are consistent with what the latest climate science deems necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Set up as a non-governmental organisation, SBTi works with partners such as CDP, the UN Global Compact, the We Mean Business Coalition, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund.
Equans is in the process of obtaining SBTI certification, thereby committing to long-term carbon emission reduction initiatives in line with the Paris Agreement. The commitment to SBTI is contractually binding.
Reducing our customers' carbon footprint (scope 3B*)
*Scope 3B (downstream of the value chain): emissions from products and services sold.
In addition to our internal initiatives, Equans is actively engaged in reducing the carbon footprint of the entire energy value chain. Through our activities and innovative solutions, we generate avoided emissions on behalf of our clients and aim to accelerate their energy transition. Our service offering is based on five pillars:
- Renewable energy production through solar farms, self-consumption, local smart grids (micro-grids) with storage, offshore wind generation
- Specific techniques such as methanisation, waste-to-energy, trigeneration
Capture of CO₂ and conversion of H2 into electric fuel
- Optimising consumption through the use of BMS, intelligent weather forecasting and building occupancy monitoring. Seasonal storage using geothermal energy (ATES, BTES)
- Mobility: electric fleet management, intelligent road signalling systems, etc.
- Electricity consumption: reducing consumption through intelligent lighting, relighting, etc.
- Recovery and use of waste heat
- Optimising consumption: optimising the electricity network, introducing battery storage, using thermal networks, etc.
- Storage: vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions, BESS systems, hydrogen, etc.
- Heat production: switching from gas to heat pumps and electric boilers.
- Green mobility: recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles, use of decarbonised hydrogen and electric fuel. Building electric motorways for lorries and electrifying railways.
- Electrification of industrial production using low-carbon solutions: low-carbon hydrogen, biomass, electric boilers, use of natural refrigerants, etc.
Contact
More information on our CSR policy?
Contact our expert!
Thibault d'Ursel
Head of Corporate Sustainability / CSR