_214 2023 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT_MICHELIN 4 NON-FINANCIAL STATEMENT Sustainable Development Report 2. The introduction of new process, materials and product solutions designed to reduce or remove organic solvents at certain interfaces. For example: ● The industrial robustness of a VOC-free water-based solution was demonstrated at two plants, one in Italy and the other in France. The latter’s advanced understanding of the solution’s implementation process is likely to facilitate its large-scale deployment in 2024. ● A large number of plants continued to replace solvents with a thin rubber film on an interface between two products. In Asia, this solution reduced VOC use in Passenger car tire production by 19%. 3. An exploratory project launched in 2022 is being pursued to examine the complete elimination of VOCs on the most solvent-intensive interface. These three pathways are being shared and documented by the VOC program, which comprises a network of experts who meet twice a year to discuss the take-up of best practices, the development of new process, material and product solutions and the progress on innovative research projects. Similar networks are in place for groups of plants with identical processes and/or identical solutions. This ability to work together will undoubtedly make it possible to meet the 2030 target. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions In general, reported data concern nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions from the Group’s heating plants that can vary widely from year to year, because they are calculated based on the periodic (often quarterly) measurement of emission concentrations. In addition, given that purchased steam is not included in the calculation, reported data depend on the mix between generated and purchased steam. In 2023, specific NOx emissions amounted to 0.13 kg per tonne of output, versus a calculated 0.17 kg in 2019. SOx emissions came to 0.09kg per tonne of output, versus a calculated 0.15 kg in 2019. In 2015 and 2016, four upgrades helped to significantly reduce NOx and SOx emissions by: (i) replacing the use of fuel oil with natural gas at three production facilities in Canada; (ii) closing the former Shenyang plant in China, which used a coal-fired boiler; (iii) replacing the on-site coal-fired steam generation facility at the Shanghai plant with the purchase of steam from a gas-fired CHP power station; and (iv) fitting a DeSOx/DeNOx scrubber on the coal-fired boiler at the Bassens plant in France. In 2020, a coalfired boiler was replaced by a gas-fired installation at the Olsztyn plant in Poland. The progress made in 2023 in phasing out coal use also contributed to the decline over the year. The total elimination of coal-fired boilers in all of the Group’s production facilities by 2030 will drive a significant reduction in these emissions(1). Other pollutants The production plants all track their releases into the air, water and soil, in full compliance with their legal obligations in each host community. Installations are designed to limit such releases during normal operation, but to prepare for any accidents, plant teams have defined emergency response scenarios that are regularly stress-tested to minimize any potential impacts. In 2023, discussions were initiated to determine which releases would be the most relevant to track Group-wide, with respect to our business activities, so that policies could be defined to manage and abate them. These discussions are being led by the Pollution Operational Committee created in 2023, which will submit its recommendations to the Environmental Governance body. 4.1.1.4 e) Reducing and managing waste OUR AMBITIOUS OBJECTIVES By 2050, the Group hopes to reduce the amount of waste produced per tonne of total output by 50% compared to 2019 (indicator: kilogram of waste per tonne of semi-finished and finished product). To support progress towards this ambitious goal, an intermediate milestone of a 25% decrease versus 2019 has been set for 2030. To meet all these reduction targets, the waste program is capitalizing on the digitization of waste data and the Group’s 4R strategy: Eliminate waste at the source. Examples of levers include: ● avoiding single-use products; ● encouraging suppliers to re-use returnable packaging; ● reducing boiler ash by phasing out coal as an energy source. (1) See section 4.1.1.4 c) Reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions/Eliminating coal. AVOID AVOID AVOID
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