Environmental responsibility
Environmental responsibility, a CSR pillar
“Reduce environmental impact, promote eco-design and share environmental best practice.”
Reducing environmental impact
DCNS’s environment policy is based on four guidelines: (1) protect the sea and natural environments; (2) comply with regulations; (3) design operational ships featuring environment-friendly technologies; and (4) see these objectives as part of a broad framework encompassing environment protection and continuous improvement.
In line with these guidelines, DCNS is reducing water and energy consumption as well as waste and emissions while promoting eco-design and environmental management.
Preparing for tomorrow today, DCNS is working towards compliance with ISO 26000 (to be published in 2010) promoting social responsibility based on international best practice.
“The decision to have our environmental management system certified to ISO 14001 was common sense. Most of our facilities are in or near coastal towns. In addition, both our heritage and our people are close to the sea in every sense of the word. What could be more natural then, than the will to protect both people and marine ecosystems?”
Jean-Jacques Crosnier, Director, Quality and Continuous Improvement.
Our future depends on respect for the environment
- Environmental management
Group-wide certification to ISO 14001 for all domestic operations.
- Eco-design, a major challenge
Our flagship Ecoship project and other eco-design projects and partnerships.
- Environmental impact
Water, energy and waste. DCNS facilities now routinely measure process inputs and outputs and environmental impact.
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Environmental management
Risk management
In 2005, DCNS adopted an environmental risk management policy requiring each shipyard and facility to map hazard areas, draw up local emergency response plans and appoint environment advisors and relays to implement them. The certification of each site’s environment management system to ISO 14001 included a range of risk management audits.
Green IT
Protecting the environment by cutting costs: in 2005, the Security & Information Systems division (SIS) began rationalising the Group’s printers, using recycled paper and promoting videoconferencing instead of travel to reduce CO2 emissions. These and other actions help to control the Group’s overall environmental impact. Today, SIS is focusing on efforts to reduce electricity and paper consumption and recycle IT equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.
Eco-design, a major challenge
Projects in hand.
DCNS has set up partnerships with various players in R&D and industry that share the Group’s environmental concerns. These partnerships have resulted in a range of projects funded with the assistance of the French government, local government bodies, environment and energy management agency Ademe (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie), national research agency ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) and the European Union.
The Convenav and SSD projects, launched in early 2008, focus on vessel lifecycle analysis. Convenav is sponsored by the Brittany maritime cluster and SSD by the Nantes-based EMC2 cluster specialising in complex metal-composite assemblies.
The EU’s Pose²idon project aims to develop low-pollution ‘electric ship’ technologies applicable to a wider range of vessels while the Nacre project, sponsored by the Brittany maritime cluster, looks at shipboard waste and waste reduction solutions.
Green passports to track hazardous materials
The International Maritime Organization’s ‘green passports’ inventory and track hazardous materials used in vessel construction and maintenance from design concept to dismantling. To reduce the environmental impact of its ships and protect the health and safety of its employees, DCNS delivers a green passport with each new ship designed for the French Navy and offers the same to international customers as an option. The Group can also produce green passports for any ship in service or approaching the end of its service life. The French Navy has, for instance, asked DCNS to establish these documents for its 80 capital vessels now in service.
Managing our environmental impact
Reducing environmental impact to preserve the environment
Our environmental strategy aims to reduce the direct and indirect environmental impact of the Group’s activities and ensure strict compliance with all regulatory requirements. This strategy is based on risk management and certification to ISO 14001.
Reducing CO2 emissions
DCNS produces annual accounts of CO2 emissions generated by employee travel and requires each shipyard and facility to produce continuous improvement plans. The Lorient shipyard has produced a comprehensive travel plan and the Cherbourg and Indret facilities are included in France’s nation-wide CO2 quota plan (PNAQ).
Local action
Angoulême regional authority Comaga has drawn up a regional climate charter to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DCNS signed up via the Ruelle-sur-Touvre facility located a few kilometres from Angoulême.
Training, milestone to certification
In 2008, almost 7,000 employees attended awareness training sessions dealing with environmental challenges and responses as part of the Group’s certification to ISO 14001.
REACH tightens requirements for chemicals
Since 1 June 2007, EU-based producers and importers of chemical substances have been required to demonstrate that their products are harmless. As a user of chemical substances, DCNS duly drew up and implemented REACH-compliant processes in 2008.