3. Environment Improving energy efficiency in warehouses In the United States, GEODIS partnered with its energy provider AEP in early 2023 to gain better access to site data. This provider has a dedicated division for resource consumption reduction and renewable energies. With the support of AEP, GEODIS Americas’ CSR team launched an energy efficiency project in three phases: 1. identifying sites with a high potential to reduce their electricity and gas consumption through energy optimization technologies; 2. prioritizing these sites according to return on investment, and then planning actions; 3. actively collaborating with operational teams, customers and owners to implement these improvements. 20 sites are currently in phase 3, with the implementation of projects relating to the optimization of LED lighting, heating, ventilation, high-efficiency air conditioning, site energy management systems and more. After this first batch of 20 projects, the program will be gradually rolled out to all the Group’s sites in the United States. A mass balance mechanism for greater use of biofuels Decarbonizing GEODIS’s road activities involves increasing the modal shift from road to rail, and developing the use of alternative fuels (B100, HVO, electric, hydrogen, etc.). In the case of HVO, a renewable fuel based on hydrotreated vegetable oil, the European Road Network is faced with specific regulatory constraints. For example, HVO is currently only available to “captive” fleets with their own storage and distribution capacities: a vehicle can only refuel at its own branch. What is more, the European Road Network is not authorized to sell HVO to its subcontractors, who currently account for the bulk of its emissions. This context therefore generates constraints in terms of transport organization and limits the use of HVO. The European Road Network has therefore set up a mass balance mechanism for customers who are interested, giving them access to the environmental benefits offered by the fuel in terms of reduced emissions, including in flows where its direct use is not currently possible. This mechanism requires perfect traceability of HVO fuel, and the European Road Network is currently working towards the certification of this system in 2024. In 2023, HVO consumption for European Road Network activities represented a reduction of 1,200 tonnes of CO2e. The first electrically powered trucks GEODIS continued its efforts to transition its fleet to low-carbon solutions in 2023 by integrating several 44-tonne trucks as part of its partnership with Volvo Trucks. Two of these trucks operate in Sweden, one of them shuttling between the Arendal contract logistics site and the Gothenburg port. Priority gates for electric vehicles are provided by the port authorities, allowing GEODIS to reduce waiting times for its customers’ goods. Another truck is in operation in Jönköping, transporting five to seven containers a day between the railway station and several customers in the surrounding area. In France, a GEODIS-branded electric truck operates 30 times a day between a Nestlé factory and its distribution center. At a rate of 7,000 shuttles a year, the equivalent of 20 tonnes of CO2 is prevented by comparison with a combustion engine truck. Last on this list, GEODIS has introduced its first all-electric truck for goods transport in Australia. Powered by both solar energy and fast charging systems, this model offers customers decarbonized delivery solutions. As part of this pilot program, GEODIS will be evaluating factors such as range and the ability to carry heavy loads over 200 km in metropolitan areas before embarking on a larger-scale deployment for its fleet of vehicles in Australia. Climate and energy metrics and targets Greenhouse gas emissions In 2023, GEODIS’s reported greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3) totaled 3,843 ktCO2e. Scope 1 and 2 emissions represent 9% of these, respectively 260 ktCO2e and 71 ktCO2e. Scope 3 represents 91% of emissions and corresponds for the most part to subcontracted transport. Reducing the Group’s greenhouse gas emissions therefore involves influencing and supporting its subcontractors and taking account of CO2 emissions criteria in the selection process. 46 - 2023 ACTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
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