Environment

Preventing pollution, protecting biodiversity, limiting our use natural resources, making our equipment more efficient, reducing our CO2 emissions... Our teams worldwide are working to help build a sustainable and desirable future.

Ambitious Green House gas reduction program

Our targets were formally validated (“targets set”) by the Science-Based Targets initiative in May 2020, making Vallourec the first company in the oil/para-petroleum industry to obtain this recognition.

Our targets approved for 2025 are as follows, expressed with respect to 2017:

Reduce the fossil and biogenic carbon footprint of our industrial activities (Scopes 1 and 2, in tCO2e) by 20% in absolute terms
Reduce the intensity (metric tons of CO₂ per million euros of added value) of our purchases of raw materials and services by 45%
Reduce our Scope 3 indirect emissions by 25% in absolute terms, including our transportation and the use/end-of-life of our products in various markets (in tCO2e)
Reduce the emissions from our value chain from the purchase of raw materials (including steel) to the use and end of life of our products (Scopes 1, 2 and 3, in tCO2e) by 25% in absolute terms.

In 2022, the Climate Challenge project was launched by the Climate Committee, with sponsorship from an Executive Committee member.

This represents a significant step forward in tackling climate imperatives through an ambitious cross-functional plan with top management support. It also covers implementation of a rigorous system for managing the Group’s carbon emissions. The project involves all operational and functional departments, with the common objective of actively contributing to a carbon-neutral world by 2050, through transformation of the Group’s supply and production processes, and diversification of its commercial offering.

Taking 2021 as the base year, Vallourec is now committed to two targets, for 2030 and 2035:

● 30% lower CO2e emissions per ton of tubes sold by 2030, corresponding to a carbon intensity of 1.4 ton CO2 per ton of tube shipped;

● 35% lower CO2e emissions per ton of tubes sold by 2035, corresponding to a carbon intensity of 1.3 ton CO2 per ton of tube shipped.

Enhanced industrial processes & footprint

Concrete results

A number of local assets in our various regions:

Two electrical furnaces powered by low-carbon energies
Using scrap metal to create steel
In Brazil, Vallourec operates a 165,000 acres forest estate:
– 40% of the surface is preserved in its natural state and the rest is cultivated to produce biomass charcoal and biogenic pig iron
– The eucalyptus trees absorb CO₂, forming a giant carbon sink

78%

of consumed resources from renewable sources

38%

of energy consumed from renewable sources

56%

of steel used from recycled scrap

97.6%

of waste recovery

11%

of our water requirements supplied by rainwater

Examples of initiatives

Shrinking our environmental footprint even faster is a priority at every level of the Group. We owe that to our people, our customers, our partners, and future generations

Corinne Willecomme

Sustainable Development Group Director

North America

VSTAR Youngstown (steel plant, rolling mills)

100% low-carbon electricity procurement
275,000 tons of CO₂ prevented
over 485,000 tons of scrap steel annually recycled
Since 2020, Youngstown’s FQM rolling has been collecting rainwater to reduce its drinking water consumption

South America

VSB Jeceaba Pelletization Plant

Partial substitution of natural gas by biomass charcoal
35,000 tons of CO₂ prevented

VSB Barreiro

1,500 m³tank to store process water and rainwater for later reuse
20,000 m³ of water saved

Eastern Hemisphere

Chuzhou (Tianda) and Changzhou (VCHA)

In 2023, 6,000 tons of CO₂ emissions have been avoided with the installation of solar panels.

PTCT Batam, Indonesia

Installation of a tank to collect rainwater, which is reused in our manufacturing processes
Installation of connected electricity and gas meters to control energy consumption and reduce waste.