How Michelin decarbon its industrial sites in Clermont-Ferrand and in the world

2050 to completely decarbonize its sites: Michelin's goal may seem distant. But it is the current leaders who are taking this challenge head-on and intend to put the tire giant on the right track, with a roadmap and ambitious objectives by 2030: in particular to reduce by a third, in 2030 compared to 2019, the company's impact in terms of energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions, use of organic solvents and waste production.

Electric cooking presses

The process has been underway since 2005, recalls Jean-Christophe Guérin, in charge of the performance of the group's factories, and is gradually affecting the group's 71 factories (see interview below). below). With in particular the deployment of new electric curing presses which make it possible to divide by almost five the energy consumption (electric and no longer fossil) required for this major step in the manufacture of a tire. In Clermont-Ferrand, the Gravanches factory is equipped with it. This site was the first of the group to display zero CO2 emissions, since 2019.

4,000 neighboring homes heated

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On the Cataroux site, with older contours, decarbonization is also progressing. Michelin recently signed a ten-year contract with Engie, which provides for the design and operation of new energy facilities as well as a heat recovery system. A source of energy that has not been used until now and which should make it possible to meet the annual heating needs of the site as well as those of 4,000 housing units via connection to the heating network of the Metropolis, which represents 7,000 tonnes of emissions of CO2 avoided.

The expected savings in consumption across all of Cataroux's industrial activities are 50% for natural gas and 13% for water.

"In Cataroux, the excess heat will be used for neighboring homes, but this could be considered for a neighboring business," explains Jean-Christophe Guérin. We will study what can be duplicated on our other sites. »

"We are seriously committed now"

Member of the Michelin Executive Committee and in charge of the performance of all the group's factories, Jean-Christophe Guérin provides the keys to the company's commitment to the environment.

Jean-Christophe Guérin. Photo Frederic Marquet

How is Michelin committed to reducing its environmental impact?

“This is a subject to which the group has always been attentive, throughout its history. Nevertheless, over the past fifteen years, we have greatly strengthened our commitment. In 2005, we identified the six elements on which we could act: energy consumption, CO2 emissions, water consumption, emissions of organic solvents, the quantity of waste generated and the rate of recycling of these waste. In 2019, on all these parameters, we were already at -50% compared to 2005.”

What are the stated ambitions?

“Today, we are 95% recycled waste. This point is almost settled. Of the other five, we want to further reduce our impact by 33% in 2030 compared to 2019. We are therefore working on the remaining five elements. »

On CO2 emissions, for example, what are you doing?

“We are committed to the goal of zero CO2 emissions by 2050, with an ambitious target of -50% from 2030. On this subject, the benchmark for major government agreements (COPs, editor's note) is 2010. In 2019, we were already at -25% compared to 2010. We are halfway there. »

Isn't this green washing for an industry that remains polluting?

“We are an energy-consuming industry, yes, but not very polluting in itself. On our environmental impact, our indicators are audited and controlled by an external third party. Other major groups also have commitments for 2050. What characterizes us is that we approach this problem with pragmatism and precise objectives for 2025 and 2030. They show that we are really moving towards zero emissions on a regular basis. We do it seriously and now. »

The Clermont site of Les Gravanches is the first of the group with zero CO2 emissions. And this since 2019, thanks in particular to electric cooking presses and a heat pump. Photo Richard Brunel

How do you go about it?

“In our industry, the crucial stage, which consumes a lot of fossil fuels, is cooking the tire using steam . For fifteen years, we have worked to develop an electric cooking press, now patented, which reduces energy consumption by almost five and which no longer requires fossil fuels. We are rolling out this technology gradually. This is the case in our new factory in Mexico or China. When we can buy green electricity, like in France, we do. This is what has enabled us to make the Gravanches site, in Clermont-Ferrand, our first zero CO2 emission site since 2019. It is equipped with electric presses and a heat pump for heating. Also in Italy, in Cuneo, we have deployed these presses. What we hadn't foreseen was that there wouldn't be enough heat in these workshops, which now need to be heated?! »

Immersion in the Michelin research center near Clermont-Ferrand (September 2021)

These presses work for all types of tires, and therefore in all your sites?

“For car, truck, airplane and two-wheeler tires, it’s on point. There remains agriculture and civil engineering, for which large or even very large tires are required. It's more complicated, but we'll get there. And in the stages prior to cooking, which also require steam, we are developing other electrical systems. »

“Several tens of millions of euros invested per year”

Jean-Christophe Guérin. Photo Frédéric Marquet

Is this your only lever?

“No. Where we still have boilers, we are gradually fueling them with sustainably sourced biomass. We also cover the roofs of our factories with photovoltaic panels whenever possible. We have done this in Thailand, for two factories in Germany, partly in Ladoux and Puy-en-Velay since 2011. We are generalizing LED lighting on our sites, which divides our consumption in this item on average by ten. On water consumption, our ambition for 2050 is to no longer have any impact on the availability of this precious commodity. We install rainwater collectors everywhere and set up closed circuits, with treated and reused water. For organic solvents, we develop solutions that eliminate them. We already have zero-solvent plants and the objective is to do without them completely by 2050. All of this is the subject of a regular investment plan of several tens of millions of euros per year. »

What about your waste?

“We have reduced the quantity by a third over the last fifteen years and the objective is to further halve it by 2050. This means less defective tires, less packaging, etc., and therefore less CO2 emissions. »

Are your employees involved in this process?

“What we have launched appeals to our teams. And we let the initiatives emerge in the factories. It is important. We do not motivate our team members with green washing. We are all citizens and we are proud to be able to tell our children that we are doing serious work, with rigorous commitments that we do not take lightly. At the end of October 2021, we are ahead of the planned trajectory. »

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Patrice Campo patrice.campo@centrefrance.com