Sustainability Statement Water and marine resources (E3) 04 4.4.2.3 The growing problem of water in the value chain and the policies in place to address it In addition to the policies governing the Group's own operations, the following policies address water-related risks in the upstream value chain, particularly natural rubber sourcing: n the Sustainable Purchasing Policy, which addresses such water-related issues as complying with ruling environmental regulations, deploying an environmental management system, and safeguarding water resources and ecosystems; n the Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy includes a section on environmental protection and, more specifically, the preservation of surface and groundwater. The policy calls for preventing water contamination from chemicals, treating wastewater from the first stage in rubber processing, maximizing water recycling in production processes and, when necessary, implementing plans to ease water intensity. Through these policies, the Group is undertaking to assess the sustainability performance of its suppliers and reserves the right to reduce sourced volumes or curtail business relations with suppliers who refuse to respond or to implement the requested action plans. 4.4.3 AN ARRAY OF ACTIONS AND RESOURCES COMMITTED TO WATER RESOURCES 4.4.3.1 Tighter management in our own operations 4.4.3.1.1. Key initiatives The Group’s 2030 objective is to reduce water withdrawals, weighted for each site’s water-stress coefficient, by 33% compared to 2019 (metric: water stress multiplied by cubic meters of water withdrawn per tonne of semi-finished and finished product). To meet it, gains are being driven by initiatives reflecting a changing attitude to water resources and a greater awareness of conservation practices. They are backed by purpose-designed levers to reduce water withdrawals and optimize water recycling and/or reuse. At every site, Michelin expects to use less freshwater and more recycled water for cooling and heating, particularly in water-stressed regions and water-intensive communities. To identify the most effective solutions for each site, the Group has developed a number of applications for the units in the tire production scope of operations: n The Group Transformations Program(1): l Water issues are an integral focus of the environmental transformation process, which is designed to deploy our actions more quickly. As part of this commitment, it was decided in 2024 to sharpen the competencies in this field and reinforce the teams of experts; n the LEAN Water process: l Launched in 2022, the Lean Water process provides a methodological foundation for meeting the 2030 water milestones more effectively. Following the phases in the Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement and Control (DMAIC) continuous improvement process, all the tools and methods needed to meet and document progress on a production site were listed and a three-year plan was defined to finalize their creation. l The tools created in 2023 (basic best practices, metering handbook, mapping and sharing of equipment performance) were rolled out in all the tire production plants in 2024. Suggestions for improvement have been integrated into the process. Deployment has driven further progress in applying best practices and the quality of measures; n The 2020-2030 Water Roadmap: l In 2020, a Group-level 2020-2030 Water Roadmap was defined based on the potential gains from each lever. Since 2021, the tire production sites have been preparing their own 2030 water roadmaps, using the Group levers, shared best practices and site-specific diagnostics or workshops. l Site water roadmaps are consolidated to ensure alignment with the Group Roadmap. In 2024, a prioritization matrix was charted for water projects costing more than €1 million, with the amount of water stress as one of the key criteria; (1) The six transformations are: Capturing and mining data, Accelerating innovation, Agile Michelin, All in Action for the Environment, I am Michelin and Customer Focus. They engage every internal stakeholder and support the management of sustainability matters by the Group’s governance mechanisms. 234 2024 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT_MICHELIN
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