GRDF Unveils Its Action Plan for Responsible Procurement

In the face of growing environmental and social challenges, procurement has a role to play in ensuring fair and compliant practices while providing opportunities to promote sustainability.

For the past decade, social, environmental, and ethical criteria have been integrated into the company’s procurement practices. GRDF has held the Responsible Procurement and Supplier Relations (RFAR) certification since 2021.

Responsible procurement is fully aligned with the company’s decarbonization pathway of the company. It also makes a tangible contribution to https://www.grdf.fr/institutional/grdf/our-ESG-commitment">GRDF’s ESG commitments, such as the development of the Circular Economy and the preservation of biodiversity, as well as inclusive and solidarity-based procurement.

Reducing the environmental impact of procurement is a major challenge.

GRDF aims to reduce the Carbon Footprint of its procurement by 40% by 2030, compared to 2019. To achieve this, the company prioritizes the lowest-carbon bids during its procurement processes and supports its suppliers in their own Decarbonization efforts.

This ambition is also reflected in the implementation of a Circularity approach for gas equipment to establish a virtuous model that promotes, for example, eco-design, reuse, and recycling. In practical terms, this helps limit the consumption of raw materials and the associated carbon emissions, while strengthening the resilience of the supply chain.

On these projects, GRDF works closely with its contractors to promote the use of innovative practices that reduce the carbon footprint of its projects: alternative network installation techniques (wrapping, casing), reuse of excavated soil, use of alternative fuels, and use of recycled asphalt…

However, Responsible Procurement is not limited solely to environmental issues.

The social and societal aspects of procurement also play an important role.

98% of GRDF’s procurement spending takes place in France, and 50% is spent with microbusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Procurement is therefore a major lever for promoting the development of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and strengthening the company’s regional presence, particularly in certain areas (priority urban neighborhoods, rural areas).

This ambition is embodied in the goal of reaching 100 million euros in inclusive and solidarity-based procurement by 2030. 

Furthermore, GRDF places paramount importance on the quality of its relationships with suppliers through a comprehensive approach (dialogue, Ethics, fairness, transparency) to ensure the security of its contractual relationships and supply chain.

GRDF aims to permanently integrate procurement into a cross-functional and comprehensive vision that supports economic, environmental, and social performance.