Our commitments
GRTgaz’s commitment is both in conjunction with and on behalf of its stakeholders
GRTgaz’s CSR approach is the result of a thought process that links more than 50 internal and external stakeholders in a common goal: prioritising and constructing clear commitments supported by key indicators to monitor and report on the implementation process. The approach dovetails with the company’s core purpose. It is a reflection of GRTgaz’s desire to move forward with a financial and non-financial governance that is ever-more integrated.
Integrated report in PDF and web publishing
Our CSR policy sets out our core commitments centred on three areas of focus: (1) Working towards affordable carbon neutrality; (2) Meeting the challenges of the ecological transition with our employees and stakeholders; (3) Delivering our services in a responsible manner. The policy includes 10 GRTgaz CSR commitments in these three areas, with quantitative targets set for 2024 and in some cases 2030. It reflects the how the company contributes to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.
A CSR approach formulated around three areas of focus
To confront climate change, GRTgaz is committing to an ambitious carbon plan to meet both its own needs and those of the gas industry. From 2024, it will adhere to the “below 2°C “target, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The goal is to reduce the CO2 emissions in our carbon footprint by 20% by 2024 and by 40% by 2030 (compared with 2019). At the same time, the company is promoting and supporting the development of renewable gases and their advancement via the gas networks. It is now a question of ramping up the implementation of natural gas service points to decarbonise the gas chain.
Along with all players in the renewable gas production sectors, the goal is to connect 12 Twh of renewable gas to the French gas networks by 2024 and 60 Twh by 2030, putting the gas chain on course to be climate neutral by 2050. GRTgaz wants to provide its customers with access to energy that is competitive in the long term, while contributing to the emergence of affordable, sustainable solutions.
Against a backdrop of lower consumption due to increased energy efficiency, the aim is to maintain an average cost of access to the transmission network between now and 2024 of €0.48 per KWh/day/year.
GRTgaz's fate, and its success in confronting the challenges of the ecological transition, is directly linked to that of its stakeholders.
Employees’ commitment and their capacity to adapt and innovate are the key factors in confronting the upcoming transformation. GRTgaz is committed to promoting the development of skills, diversity, and quality of work life (QWL) among its employees. This commitment takes the form of several targets for 2024: a 25.5% proportion of women managers; a 7-point increase in employees’ commitment rate; and a 4-point increase in the QWL index (compared with 2018).
GRTgaz is committed to supporting its customers with their energy needs and to the decarbonisation of their uses. The company will use listening and dialogue to develop its infrastructures, enable access to the market, enhance its offering and come up with new services. It is now a question of bringing our customers hard proof about the relevance of renewable gas in confronting their ecological transition challenges. With this in mind, three key indicators have been set for 2024: maintaining a 90% customer satisfaction level; developing 20 partnerships with customers based on decarbonisation; and carrying out 16 VNG/bioVNG station connections.
GRTgaz is committed to co-constructing sustainable energy solutions alongside the territories. It wants to use gas solutions to help reveal their renewable energy potential and to resolve their environmental and societal issues. Between now and 2024, the cooperation will take shape via 16 regional gas assessments to measure the economic, social and environmental impacts of our activities and regional-level commitments, and three new demonstrators for the new renewable gas sectors (pyro-gasification, hydrothermal gasification, hydrogen transport, etc.), whose role is to replace the biomethane currently in the industrialisation phase.
With these commitments, which are expressed its purchasing policy, GRTgaz seeks to develop a sustainable relationship with its suppliers and to promote purchasing in disabled-friendly sectors. Supplier satisfaction is a key aspect of this sustainability. The third edition of the Suppliers’ Survey in 2019 confirms a high level of satisfaction (77%) for companies working with GRTgaz. In 2022, GRTgaz paid 98.4% of its suppliers within the agreed timeframes. GRTgaz has also set itself the target for 2020 of making €1.5 million in purchases from disabled-friendly sectors (TPA), i.e. 25% more that the regulatory requirement. This target was exceeded, despite the health crisis linked to COVID-19.
Since 2016, GRTgaz has had a Stakeholder Council tasked with improving the integration of societal expectations and the challenges of Societal Responsibility. This body offers GRTgaz’s CEO additional expertise about external perceptions and understanding of the work done by the company.
Two hundred and sixty stakeholder commitments in the form of memberships, partnerships and sponsorships were also recorded in 2022, more than half of which were in the territories. These commitments towards different stakeholder groups and in support of GRTgaz’s strategic and societal challenges came to almost €3 million in 2022.
GRTgaz is committed to both the energy transition and to its stakeholders. These commitments can only be made with total respect for the requirements of our public service mission: the safety of people and property, the continuity and quality of gas transmission, and respect for the environment are fundamental conditions of our day-to-day operations.
Our top priorities include monitoring the safety of individuals and infrastructures and guaranteeing the continuity of their activities. The company works tirelessly to keep its accident frequency rate below 2.1. To guarantee the safety of facilities, 40% of GRTgaz’s pipelines must be inspected and treated in 2024 as part of the 10-year plan, among other measures.
GRTgaz is also committed to carrying out its activities ethically and independently. The principles of the GRTgaz Ethical Charter can be broken down into four messages:
- act in compliance with laws and regulations,
- strengthen the ethical culture,
- demonstrate good faith, integrity and loyalty,
- treat others with respect.
By 2024, 100% of GRTgaz employees will have received ethics training.
GRTgaz supports the planet and biodiversity by reconciling the land take and upkeep of its network with the preservation and maintenance of ecosystems by implementing alternatives to herbicides and by promoting the recovery of waste from its industrial and tertiary activities. By 2024, 30% of its overground facilities will be “herbicide free”. By 2030, GRTgaz aims to have a recovery rate for all waste of over 90% every year.
Being responsible also means working on the acceptability of construction works. In cases that require it, GRTgaz seeks to get opinions from every stakeholder before the works are carried out to ensure their integration and acceptability. If the project allows, avoidance measures are prioritised to reduce the environmental impact.