Resource management and biodiversity
Thales’s resource management policy guides its efforts to preserve water, reduce its use of raw materials, produce less waste, recycle more, become a more energy-efficient business, and shrink its carbon footprint.
Thales’s responsible waste management commitments seek to reduce the quantity of waste the company produces, limit the amount of waste sent to landfill, and optimise recycling of non-hazardous waste.
drop in total waste produced (2018 to 2020)
of non-hazardous waste recycled in 2020
Preserving water
For more than 20 years, Thales has engaged in a far-reaching programme to reduce its water consumption by, among other things, dealing with leaks, centralising the management of its water networks, replacing water-intensive equipment, optimising industrial processes, and recycling water for re-use in industrial processes. This has allowed the Group to significantly reduce and stabilise its water needs over the past 15 years, thereby reducing the pressure on this rare resource in a sustainable way.
reduction in water consumption (2018 to 2020)
from the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) water security questionnaire
Nevertheless, the Group encourages its sites and employees to take action to protect the environment.
Thales conducts species inventories and applies ad-hoc management measures.
Thales’s approach to protecting the environment is guided by the following principles:
- Preservation of species, their habitats and ecosystems.
- Preferential use of areas dedicated to plants.
- Protection of historic and natural heritage for future generations.
All proposed developments are risk-assessed using a standard set of criteria, and the results are used to inform future planning.
Thales carries out impact assessments and, wherever possible, applies the “avoid, reduce, offset” (ARO) sequence, with offsetting of impacts treated as a measure of last resort.
Some examples of actions taken to protect biodiversity:
Rollout of habitat management plans
at facilities in Australia to enable natural biodiversity to flourish and restore original features (for example by fencing off natural habitats to limit livestock encroachment).
Installation of outdoor features
such as bird boxes, beehives and feeders – at many of our sites, to preserve natural habitats and support wildlife communities. Related actions include the commissioning of experts to carry out species inventories, and the reintroduction of native tree species.
Taking extra precautions
to protect plants and wildlife at sites with large areas of grassland or forest, including promoting natural, environmentally friendly mowing and grazing methods, and phasing out the use of crop protection products.
Holding photography exhibitions
with a focus on forests, agroforestry and local species at certain sites to raise awareness among employees.
Land use and pollution prevention
For more than 20 years, the Group has implemented a policy of anticipating and responsibly managing its pollution risks. Any new situation identified as presenting a risk of pollution or proven pollution is dealt with by means of a rigorous investigation process supervised by external expert firms, and managed and monitored responsibly.
Even if Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions are not material at Group level, Thales is working on reducing them by moving to less emitting processes such as, for instance, Offset UV and digital printing solutions.
