The future of the world tomorrow is dependent on the actions we take to protect it today. That is why Bouygues Energies & Services (Bouygues E&S), an Equans company, remains steadfast in accelerating its journey to net zero, setting ourselves ambitious Net Zero targets for Scopes 1 & 2 by 2025.  

Yet with almost 85% of our emissions deriving from the goods and services that we procure, we understand that real change must also target our Supply Chain and wider Scope 3 emissions. Therefore, working in partnership with our supply chain who share our values around climate mitigation is paramount. In turn, we have set ourselves the ambitious target of 30% reduction in our upstream Scope 3 emissions by 2030. 

Positively influencing the sustainability performance of our supply chain and the sustainability credentials of the goods and services that we purchase is a challenge we are tackling head on. To help achieve this, we have integrated our sustainability and procurement departments, encouraging a joined-up approach to procurement activities. This cohesion means that sustainability is at the heart of every element of our purchasing process, whether that’s requiring the timber we use to be FSC certified or favouring local supply chains.   

As a first step, our teams are targeting our priority suppliers, in particular, those who need more help in enhancing their sustainability performance and those with whom we work most frequently. By encouraging them to identify their carbon ‘hotspots’ using a carbon reporting tool, we then work alongside them to implement innovative solutions to reduce their emissions. Meanwhile, all new supply chain partners must demonstrate their sustainability credentials to meet our standards for excellence. This includes completing a vendor pre-qualification questionnaire to ensure the highest possible environmental compliance. 

The work doesn’t stop there. Once onboarded, suppliers are regularly offered workshops relating to ESG matters through our partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS). Delivered by subject matter experts, these workshops invite our supply chain both to learn and to share their insights. As a result, this collaborative path has been a tremendous source of innovation, helping to drive forward new standards for sustainable best practice within our industry. 

Our uniquely cohesive position enables us to develop stronger working relationships with our supply chain at every step of our journeys to net zero. As Amelle Mestari, Director of Procurement and Sustainable Development at Bouygues E&S, an Equans company, celebrates:  

“The integration of our procurement and sustainability departments provides us with the perfect opportunity to embed our sustainability values directly into our procurement process. With minimising our Scope 3 emissions being a crucial step on our road to net-zero, I’m delighted that we’ve been able to integrate these core business functions to reach our ambitious targets.”