Our contribution to carbon neutrality by 2030

Building the sustainable energy highway

The energy highway is all the submarine and terrestrial interconnections between the countries that shape the world of tomorrow. A more electric world where energy consumption will increase by 40% in 10 years and renewable energy production will double by 2030. A world that is concerned about climate change without giving up electricity, and which therefore needs more cables. Cables that renewable energies need to respond to their specific geographical characteristics: offshore wind farms installed on a massive scale in the North Sea; hydroelectricity omnipresent in energy production in Norway; solar energy that radiates in all regions of the world.

Nexans, climate contributor

The Group has been a member of the UN Global Compact since 2008 and includes the SDGs in its CSR priorities. It has made these goals the cornerstone of its strategy, particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Taking action to combat climate change). Nexans joined the CDP’s prestigious “A-list” in 2020, and is committed to contributing to carbon neutrality by 2030, in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

Preserving the planet

Focusing on an ambitious level of environmental management

Under the supervision of the Nexans Operations department and the QHSE department which reports to it, the management, respect for, and protection of, the environment apply to all our units throughout the world. These components comply with the Group’s legal provisions and environmental requirements:

• deployment of environmental certification programme: ISO 14001;
• limiting and controlling the consumption of energy and natural resources;
• preventing pollution risks generated by our activities, and reducing CO2 emissions;
• reduction and better recovery of the volume of waste generated.

Continuous improvement

As part of the continuous improvement programme for production sites steered by the CSR Environment and Products Committee and led by the Group’s Environment Manager, Nexans has undertaken on complementary environmental performance assessment and certification process. It is relayed to the sites by a network of correspondents and managers: ISO 14001 — external certification — an internationally agreed standard that provides criteria and a precise framework for companies wishing to set up an effective environmental management system.

Lean Manufacturing methodology

Also known as Nexans Excellence Way (NEW), this methodology is included in the management processes at the Group's industrial sites. All sites must draw up an environmental crisis management plan which must be regularly audited and backed by investments in protective equipment such as containment basins and valves to prevent pollution from outside the site, as well as emergency intervention kits (contaminant booms, mobile valves, etc.). This equipment is tested during dedicated verification exercises.

Asbestos, another object of continuous monitoring

An integral part of the Group’s policy, the monitoring of asbestos is incorporated into the audit tools used when conducting assessments for the internal EHP label.

Installations classified for the protection of the environment (ICPE)

This concerns the majority of Nexans production sites in France. The main issues required for monitoring and regulatory reporting include waste management, noise pollution, water and soil pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Constant vigilance against all pollution

The ISO 14001 certification and the corresponding audits contribute to our efforts to reduce the Group's environmental footprint and control its pollution risks. With this in mind, the Group analysed the sources of pollution produced by each of its business activities and has implemented numerous measures in compliance with regulations.

• Continuous casting: processing and monitoring of the smoke generated by continuous casting furnaces as well as storage and transport of hazardous materials (acid, etc.).
• Metallurgy: processing and filtering of emulsions used for wire drawing.
• Cable manufacturing: recycling of the water used in the extrusion process, filtering of air emissions and processing of solvents used for storage cabinets and extractor hoods.
• Compound production: implementation of specific measures at any sites that use pollutants such as peroxide, silane and plasticizing agents (e.g. ventilation and spill pallets).

Nexans has also implemented a series of initiatives designed to limit:

• discharges into water networks, and therefore to prevent the risk of accidental spillages;
• discharges into the soil, using containment tanks and emergency intervention kits to prevent spillages or gradual pollution;
• air emissions, prevent air contamination through the use of particle filters (VOCs, etc.)
• noise pollution and vibrations, keeping noise to a minimum through constant measurement, specific training and flexible working hours.

FRET21 device

Transport is the third largest contributor to CO₂ emissions at Nexans. Recognizing the significance of this issue, Nexans joined the FRET21 program in 2020 with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions associated with inter-plant freight between France and Belgium and neighboring countries. To meet the target of at least a 5% reduction by 2022, we have implemented specific strategies.

First, we focus on optimizing the loading rate, understanding that higher filling rates lead to fewer trips and reduced fuel consumption. Additionally, responsible purchasing is prioritized, favoring approved suppliers registered in Nexans' Suppliers CSR charter or those bearing the "CO₂ Objective" label. We also emphasize the choice of means of transport, including rail transportation for road traffic, with an emphasis on carbon-free electricity. Moreover, Nexans France has made a significant shift from diesel to biofuel for a substantial portion of its truck transportation.

In terms of progress, in 2020 Nexans achieved a 4.66% reduction in emissions within the defined scope. This was followed by a 4.17% reduction in 2021, and in 2022, Nexans successfully achieved an 8.91% reduction in CO₂ emissions as part of its commitment. By participating in the FRET21 program, our teams are committed to reducing the GHG impact of transport at Nexans. And prove that collaboration is a key success factor in decarbonization.

Massive saving of resources

Our environmental and risk management policy aims to establish a sustainable approach to enable our industrial processes to conserve resources.

Renewable energy

A dedicated working group composed of the Operations, Innovation, Purchasing and CSR departments proposes a joint approach to reducing CO2 emissions and energy efficiency. This includes the purchase and production of renewable energy at the sites as well as the improvement of energy efficiency. To this end, a quarterly energy consumption collection system (electricity, gas and fuel oil) has been set up at our industrial sites. For instance, several of the Group's plants have started replacing traditional lighting with more energy-efficient LEDs. In addition, some countries use renewable energies: solar panels in Cortaillod (Switzerland), solar heating in Suzhou (China), wind power in Buizingen (Belgium) and photovoltaic panels in Lebanon.

Water from cooling processes

Not only is Nexans investing in closed-loop cooling systems but the sites that consume the most water are also subject to special monitoring and customised action plans. A consumption collection tool has been added to this annual monitoring of sites since 2020 to better monitor the developments. In parallel, a study dedicated to water management started at the end of 2020 using leak detectors placed on meters.

Copper, non-ferrous metal

Nexans is endeavouring to maximise the proportion of recycled copper used in its cables, in particular through its vertical integration in copper metallurgy. This industrial advantage contributes to the overall reduction of the Group’s carbon footprint and the conservation of natural copper resources.

A duty of excellence with regard to the climate

In line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C in accordance with the Paris agreements, the Nexans Climate Plan, revealed in September 2020 on the occasion of Climate Day, is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. This includes a reduction of 4.2% (compared to 2019, reference year) in greenhouse gas emissions for scopes 1 and 2 and part of scope 3, as well as in the transport of raw materials. Also in the roadmap: 100% of R&D projects to be dedicated to the energy transition and sustainable electrification, 100% of the vehicle fleet to be switched to hybrid or electric vehicles and 100% of production waste to be recycled.

To coordinate this roadmap and monitor progress, a dedicated team is led by the CSR department and representatives from the Industrial, Purchasing and Technical departments, and sponsored by the Corporate Executive Vice President of Innovation, Services & Growth and member of the Executive Committee.