Sustainable Development

VINCI companies are increasingly integrating social and environmental aspects in their tender submissions. These commercial approaches, already common in international proposals, are now being developed in France, particularly in public-private partnerships that factor in the whole life cycle of structures and their global cost.

In 2007, Freyssinet, whose mission statement is "Sustainable Technology", developed the PIC system (Programme for Impact of Construction), which draws on Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets, standardised by AFNOR, to compare conventional solutions with those put forward by the company.

This comparative assessment covers six criteria:

-    CO₂ and air pollution
-    energy consumed
-    resource depletion
-    water
-    solid waste
-    radioactive waste.

PIC measures the environmental value added of products and processes developed by Freyssinet: stay cables with a 100-year life cycle, reinforced earth walls and ground consolidation techniques reducing the use of additional materials, etc. The CO₂ savings, identified in the company's commercial offers, become a genuine competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. All Freyssinet operations managers have been made aware of this new commercial approach and are encouraged to develop it in their own business.