Protecting the environment, taking climate change action, and preserving biodiversity are all firmly embedded within our company DNA. By taking action to reduce our footprint, employing eco-design principles in our systems, sourcing sustainably and lowering consumption, we're demonstrating our commitment to the planet.
Alongside our business behaviours, operations and people, we’re taking care of the Earth so that it will continue to take care of us. At Thales, this is never an afterthought. We proactively seek ways to drive change in using environmentally friendly alternatives, reducing harm, preventing pollution, and increasing recycling.
Via sustainability framework and principles, teamed with our carbon net zero and emission goals, we are channelling new avenues through our technological expertise, tackling climate challenges and environmental impact with scalable solutions.
By introducing both small and large daily alterations and considered practices, including lowering CO2 and streamlining supply chains, we ensure the planet’s interest and climate change action remains paramount. In turn, these operational commitments all equate to big environmental change, securing a more sustainable world for future generations.
Every day, we make valuable decisions with responsibility at the heart of our choices. This includes direct energy costs and efficiency, for example, checking in on our usage of water and resources, surrounding buildings, products and projects. Then, we make sure that we are using recycled content, such as 80% recycled paper and re-manufactured print cartridges.
We are constantly working towards using refurbished parts, choosing second-hand, rather than building new items, therefore reducing unneeded waste. By repeatedly utilising recycled materials, no hazardous materials and encouraging recyclability when a product is no longer required, the positive impact is profound.
Equally, we support the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goal for Climate Action, to focus particularly on energy emissions, travel and logistics that reduce carbon footprint. To do this sustainably, we regularly choose different travel routes or stop unnecessary journeys altogether, alongside reduced deliveries and considerate transportation.
To assist our sustainability journey, we ask all suppliers to demonstrate waste reductions, clean disposal of unnecessary waste, and optimal packaging choices to enhance energy recovery and recycling rates.
Our 2030, UK target to achieve carbon net zero across all operations is in sight, with the aim to reduce 15% of company emissions in place, alongside our ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy, ensuring the majority of site waste is recycled and remainders are incinerated using recovered energy.
Since introducing our Digital Identity Business, we have proudly achieved net zero emissions for this, with further innovations to produce eco-design SIM cards with renewed, major UK mobile network supply chains.
To put this impact into perspective, 4.5 billion SIM cards are produced annually across the world. This equates to a similar weight of two Eiffel Towers. Staggeringly, the majority will end up as plastic waste. This is where our Eco-Sim design will create hugely positive change, reducing plastic volume in favour of 100% recycled polystyrene.
Similarly, our banking customers are utilising our expertise to implement reclaimed ocean plastic and recycled PVC, whilst 100% of our electricity has been supplied from renewable sources, since 2018. We are also on course to apply eco-design principles to every Thales product, by 2023.
With our support, the future of aviation is steadily evolving. For instance, by reducing live RAF flying hours and swapping them for Thales synthetic training solutions and simulators to lower emissions, we’re building a foundation for a positive environmental impact.
Our advances in technology are contributing towards the UK Government’s renewable energy targets. For example, unmanned surface vessels, developed by Thales, allow offshore turbine blades to be efficiently assessed, without the need to stop motion or energy production, whilst avoiding human risks.
Through recent workshops that enable our strategies to continually improve, we are increasing the use of electric vehicles across the company. Plus, enabling partnerships that will increase reforestation and extra woodland growth, ensuring our commitments are consistently addressed.
Thales joined the United Nations Global Compact in 2003 and adopted its ten principles, in particular those related to human rights and labour practices which are based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These principles are implemented through a series of agreements and best practice guidelines to ensure that our business activities are conducted in a responsible way.
The Group introduced a human resources reporting tool called e-Social Responsibility Reporting, enabling HR directors in each country to provide data on the basis of a standard set of qualitative and quantitative indicators. These indicators are based largely on the recommendations of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) but also on indicators negotiated with management and employee representatives at national and European levels, which require highly specific data input.
