Morocco, Mexico, and now Spain. What makes our partnership with EDP so ground-breaking is that it provides both a decarbonization solution and a response to a major competitiveness issue: controlling the cost and availability of energy. This means that EDP covers the risk associated with the intermittent nature of solar power generation. It allows us to buy 24 GWh of renewable electricity at a fixed price, regardless of the time of day or production conditions. Together with the initiatives already in place, this agreement allows us to cover 25% of our electricity consumption in Spain with green energy. This agreement goes beyond decarbonization; it also addresses a strategic challenge, because sourcing energy locally helps secure our supply and reduce our exposure to market volatility. What is your action plan for Scope 3 emissions, which account for 99% of your emissions? C. B. Our aim is to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, in comparison to 2019. Downstream Scope 3 emissions, which account for 88% of our emissions, cover the use of our products throughout a vehicle’s entire lifespan (including end-oflife waste management). We are currently equipping more electric vehicles than their current market share, which means we have already exceeded our target in this area. The main challenge lies upstream of our value chain. Upstream Scope 3 emissions – which account for around 11% of our emissions – are produced by our suppliers and the transportation of our purchases to our sites. The first step was therefore to incorporate a carbon footprint criterion into the supplier selection process when awarding new projects, focusing on the facilities which produce the most emissions within our various Business Groups. At the same time, we have adopted a targeted approach to accelerate our supply chain’s decarbonization. We have identified the 120 suppliers which are the biggest contributors to our carbon footprint and we are encouraging them to work toward a shared goal: reducing their emissions by 30% by 2030, which is consistent with our own trajectory. We also ask them to share their decarbonization roadmap with us so that we can track their progress and identify opportunities to work together to achieve our shared goals. Is decarbonization becoming a factor in competitiveness? C. B. Absolutely. Decarbonization is becoming a key factor in competitiveness: it forces us to think about how to make our production methods more sustainable, more efficient, and better aligned with future regulatory requirements. For example, a European regulation will require 15% of vehicles’ plastic parts to be made from recycled materials by 2032. Consequently, our teams have developed innovations in this area: for example, our bumpers now contain up to 50% recycled materials from end-of-life vehicles. As for fuel tanks, we have already successfully achieved rates of 25 to 30%; in time, we aim to reach 40%. These innovations strengthen our competitive edge, while setting our performance on a more sustainable path which benefits the environment and future generations. (1) EDP – Energias de Portugal: a Portuguese energy company which generates and supplies electricity, particularly from renewable sources. green energy supply contracts, innovative partnerships, and more. And to “compensate” unavoidable residual emissions, we use carbon credits which have been carefully selected, based on criteria consistent with OPmobility’s activities and commitments. In total, we have reached carbon neutrality for 83% of our emissions and the other 17% emissions have been compensated. In practice, how did this strategy play out in the Group’s day-to-day activities? C. B. It involved collective efforts, particularly when it came to the first pillar, “reduce”. Changing how we manage our industrial equipment not used in production has been a key driver of energy savings. We have identified and implemented appropriate shutdown and restart procedures, along with best practices for energy efficiency. Site by site, we have identified the equipment which could be shut down between different production phases and the operating parameters which could be optimized. In our extrusion and injection molding facilities, for instance, adjustments to plasticizing temperatures and speeds have significantly reduced energy consumption. With our partner Schneider Electric, we have also developed a system to measure energy consumption on a per‑machine basis. This approach has revealed some significant differences: for the same activity, certain state-of-the-art machines use up to 60% less energy than older equipment. This data helps us reduce our energy costs and focus our investments on the most efficient solutions. You signed a ground-breaking agreement with EDP(1) in Spain. What makes it innovative? C. B. For the past few years, we have had agreements for the supply of renewable electricity in several countries: France, India, Scan the QR code to find out more about our partnership with EDP. OPmobility — Vibes #4 25
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