Strategy for a Low-Carbon future
To continue the commitments it made in the “Business Proposals for COP 21” in 2015, and later in the “French Business Climate Pledge” in 2017 and 2019, Thales adopted in 2019 a strategy for a low carbon future based on three key pillars. In 2021, new commitments has been published to accelerate Thales response to the fight against climate change.
Reducing our emissions
Reducing operational CO2 emissions and emissions from products.
Thales aims to work with its entire value chain to achieve an ambitious reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions, with targets expressed in absolute values aligned with the Paris Agreeement:
- 50.4% reduction in operational CO2 emissions (operational processes and energy consumption) by 2030, with an interim target of 35% in 2023, aiming Net Zero by 2040.
- 15% reduction in other CO2 emissions (supply chain and use of Thales’s products by its clients) by 2030, with an interim target of 7% in 2023.
Thales is dedicated to reducing all operational emissions, whether related to energy consumption, non-energy activities, or other contributing factors. To achieve this, Thales is focusing mainly on reducing the energy consumption and emissions of buildings, securing the supply of energy from renewable sources, and replacing high-emission refrigerants. For instance, since 2022, Thales deploys an energy usage and efficiency plan. Amongst its objectives, the Group is aiming for a 10% reduction in electricity and gas consumption in France by 2024 compared to 2019.
Additionally, even though Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions are not material at the Group level, Thales is working on reducing them by moving to less emitting processes, such as Offset UV and digital printing solutions for instance.
How much progress have we made?
2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets approved by the SBTi, confirming their compatibility with the Paris climate agreement.
Operational direct emission target of -50.4% in 2030* (Scopes 1 and 2)
-41% reduction in 2022.*
Indirect emissions target of -15 by 2030*
-29% reduction in 2020*. Including -16% in procurement related emissions and -32% in emissions from the use of sold products*.
United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany
100% of the electricity used on Thales sites comes from renewable sources.
* in absolute value compared to 2018.
Reducing customers' emissions
We offer customers innovative and eco-responsible functions and services that will enable them to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions.
- By developing smart traffic management solutions (encompassing rail, road, sea and air) that will reduce emissions.
- By optimising the energy efficiency of the digital world through the development of solutions that are “designed for energy efficiency” in the areas of digital data science, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
- By developing eco-design principles for our products (aiming 100% of new products ecodesigned by 2023) that will reduce the CO2 emission related to the use of our systems and products.
Understanding climate phenomena
We contribute to a better understanding of climate phenomena, especially through the development of dedicated space systems.
Through our subsidiary Thales Alenia Space we help monitor
- Pollution, and pollution movements
- Forest fires
- Beach erosion
- Deforestation
- Illegal exploitation of mines or natural resources
- Maritime transport security
All from space.
Strengthening our commitment to supplier
The Group will engage with suppliers in support of their own effort to reduce carbon emissions with:
- 100% of the action plans of the 150 most emissive suppliers to be agreed and launched by 2023
- A systematic engagement with suppliers to bring in line with Thales’s target of -50% by 2030
Key facts and figures
In 2023, the independent Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has approved Thales’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2030. This confirms the compatibility of these objectives with the Paris climate agreement.
Thales thus confirms its commitment to do the following by 2030:
- Reduce by 50.4% the absolute CO2 emissions related to its operational processes (Scope 1) and to the Group’s energy consumption (Scope 2), compared with the 2018 baseline year – a 1.5°C-aligned target, the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process;
- Reduce by 15% the absolute CO2 emissions related to its supply chain and to the use of Thales’s products by its clients (Scope 3), compared with the 2018 baseline year.
The SBTI is a partnership between the CDP (previously known as Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The SBTi defines best practices to enable the reduction of companies’ CO2 emissions and provides an independent validation of their climate-related objectives.