World Earth Day: our actions to help protect the environment

World Earth Day on April 22nd is an opportunity to remind everyone of the challenges of protecting the environment and the need for all citizens to act more responsibly every day.

To respond to the climate and environmental emergency, JCDecaux has always had strong environmental commitments. As the first external communication Group to join the RE100* in 2019, JCDecaux has accelerated its responsible approach over the last 20 years and has launched this year its new 2030 Sustainability Strategy with a very ambitious environmental agenda.  

Through its activities, JCDecaux supports and contributes to the implementation of innovative and positive solutions for the environment by:  

• Providing visibility to major causes: such as our partnership since 2014 with Justdiggit, an association that works for the re-vegetation of Africa and calls for unity to protect and restore ecosystems in partnership with the United Nations.  

• Supporting cities towards a responsible transition: as in Copenhagen, where numerous environmental measures have been taken in collaboration with the Group, such as the eco-design of furniture, the use of renewable energy, the reduction of CO² emissions from maintenance vehicles, and the management of water use. 

• Spreading widely the use of self-service bicycle systems: to develop more responsible mobility solutions in the city and a real alternative to the car, particularly through electric and hybrid systems. 

• Integrating air quality sensors into our street furniture: such as in Chicago, where we installed, in partnership with Microsoft Research’s Urban Innovation Group and the start-up Array of Things, air quality sensors on 100 bus shelters to accurately monitor air quality throughout the city and facilitate the implementation of appropriate environmental measures. 

• Developing a range of new generation Bus Shelters®: with the Filtreo® bus shelter whose roof is made of a vegetal foam mat that captures and absorbs pollutants to distribute filtered air to passengers. 

• Making our furniture available to support innovative solutions: as in Meudon, in the Paris suburbs, where a kiosk has been equipped with refrigerated racks distributing local agricultural products. 

Contributing to collective carbon neutrality is one of our priorities.  

To achieve this, we have put in place a dynamic long-term continuous improvement approach that involves three steps: measure, reduce and contribute.  

Between 2014 and 2021, our various environmental actions have enabled us to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our activities at Group level by more than 80%. Each year, the Group measures its Scope 1 and 2** emissions in all countries, and since 2021, it has also assessed its Scope 3*** emissions in France. It is in this context that France accelerated the implementation of our Group Climate Strategy with its contribution to carbon neutrality for all of its activities from the end of 2021.   

In France, JCDecaux has chosen to invest in 11 solidarity projects for decarbonisation such as Label Bas Carbone, VERRA and Gold Standard. Three of these solidarity projects are located in France and eight are located internationally in areas where we have operations. 

The financing of these projects breaks down as follows:  

• 81% of the funding is for energy transition projects in Asia, France, South America, and Africa
• 10% is dedicated to reforestation and biodiversity protection in France and Australia
• 9% is dedicated to making agriculture more sustainable in France.

Our very short-term objective is now to cover 100% of our electricity consumption with electricity from renewable sources by the end of the year (2021 performance: 98%).  

Aware of the urgency of the climate change situation, JCDecaux is determined to accelerate, alongside the brands, the mobilisation of all stakeholders – citizens, national and local authorities and partners – to take up this major challenge and to make outdoor advertising a real accelerator of change towards more sustainable ways of living.

^{*RE100: a global initiative bringing together more than 280 multinationals committed to using 100% renewable energy}

**Scope 1 and 2: sum of direct and indirect emissions induced by the combustion of fossil fuels (petrol, gas, natural gas, fuel oil, etc.) and by electricity consumption and district heating

***Scope 3: all other emission items, for example the transport of our products from their production site, the end-of-life management of our furniture, employee travel, etc.