Our net-zero target consists of three scopes from the Green House Gas (GHG) Protocol that distinguishes between the different origins of the greenhouse gas. Scope 1 includes emissions directly resulting from our own activities, while Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from energy purchased and used for Vattenfall’s activities. Scope 3 is about all the remaining GHG emissions related to our value chain such as the emissions associated with the goods and commodities that we purchase from suppliers and the emissions our customers release as a result of using our products.

To reduce Scope 3 emissions, Vattenfall can decarbonise its products and services for customers. Additionally, we can actively engage with suppliers and include sustainability requirements in tenders to ensure the procurement of decarbonised goods and services.

In 2021, Vattenfall initiated the Supplier CO₂ Reduction (SCORE) project with the purpose to reduce our suppliers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, as a milestone on our path to net-zero by 2040. The project is part of Vattenfall’s Sustainable Supply Chain Roadmap (SCCR) through which we aim to further integrate sustainability into our sourcing and business practices. The following examples provide insight into how we do this in practice.

Building a new high-voltage line

Distribution applies a qualitative sustainability assessment in tenders for major construction projects. Eric Nilsson, Procurement Director, explains:

“We have an established method where the tenderer receives a deduction on the evaluated price if they use materials or fuel with lower CO₂ intensity. The price deduction is dependent on the kilograms of CO₂ equivalents reduced compared to industry average.”

A good example is the new high-voltage overhead  line where the winning bid chose to use renewable fuels for the construction machinery. They also used low-carbon concrete and recycled aluminium in the conductors to reduce the CO₂ footprint of the project.

“All in all, this is expected to lead to a realised reduction of about 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compared to using the industry standard for comparable fuels and 
materials,” Nilsson says.

Leading operator of charging points

“Sustainability is at the heart of our three core markets: Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany,” says Andra Marinete, Consultant at Vattenfall’s Value Management 
& Governance, E-Mobility. Procurement plays a key role here.

“One of our strategic focus areas is to become a leading and sustainable charge point operator, from understanding the climate impact to ensuring that we provide fossil-free energy,” says Marinete.

By defining clear sustainability questions we aim to provide insights into the actual CO₂ emissions of each charging station. We also asked all our hardware suppliers about the quantity and type of recyclable materials.

“Once all the data has been analysed, we will begin strategic discussions with the suppliers on how to reduce CO₂ emissions,” says Morten Movig, Central Category Management.

“Besides this we are actively exploring with our suppliers how to integrate sustainability and innovation into projects. For instance how we can make a CO₂-neutral charging station from steel and establishing end-of-life partnerships,” says Movig.

Construction of new wind turbines

The tender for the Bruzaholm wind farm in southern Sweden also called on the creativity of potential suppliers.

“We asked them to come up with ideas and solutions for sustainable procurement in addition to their bids for the construction of the wind farm,” says Arthur Besse, Head of Onshore Wind Procurement. “The freedom we give them in doing so not only saves us a lot of work, but we also receive ideas we did not think were possible.”

The final winner came up with three good ideas.

“The first one was simple,” explains Philip Millar, Balance Plant Procurement Manager at Business Area Wind. “Switching from regular diesel to biodiesel is slightly more expensive but has a very good climate impact.”

The second idea was to use low-carbon concrete for the foundation of the wind turbines.

“We were lucky that there was a production facility nearby that could supply low-carbon concrete at almost the same price as normal concrete.”

The third idea was to use recycled plastic pipes for cable ducts and signage.

“That generally has a very small CO₂ impact but was very easy to implement and cost very little.”

“It is not always about the size of the impact or the price,” Besse concludes. “In this project, I saw a small shift between the traditional employer-contractor relationship and the true partnership concept with the contractor. On the supply side, partnerships are not that common, which makes this a great success to be proud of in that sense.”