Label Bas Carbone (French low-carbon label) Infrastructure operators : Ports, Airports, and Highways Facing Compensation Requirements
Les gestionnaires d'infrastructures, nouveaux acteurs du carbone
Ports, aéroports, sociétés autorotières, opérateurs ferroviaires : les grands gestionnaires d'infrastructures de transport sont devenus des acteurs incontournables de la transition carbone française et européenne.
Soumis à des obligations croissantes en matière de biodiversité nette positive (BNP), de reporting CSRD et de stratégies de compensation carbone, ils cherchent des outils concrets pour quantifier et valoriser leurs actions environnementales. Le Label Bas Carbone est l'un d'eux.
Pourquoi les infrastructures sont-elles particulièrement concernées ?
Massive carbon footprints
Transportation activities generate significant direct and indirect emissions: aircraft kerosene, maritime freight, and highway traffic. Even with improvements in energy efficiency, a portion of these emissions will remain difficult to eliminate. Carbon offsetting is becoming a strategic necessity for achieving carbon neutrality goals.
Significant land holdings
Ports, airports, and highways occupy vast tracts of land: a major international airport covers between 1,500 and 3,000 hectares, a significant portion of which consists of green spaces, berms, and undeveloped areas. These spaces represent considerable potential for carbon sequestration and biodiversity that can be optimized and harnessed through LBC.
Positive net biodiversity as an emerging obligation
La loi sur la biodiversité de 2016 a introduit l'obligation de non-perte nette de biodiversité pour les grands projets. La directive européenne sur la restauration de la nature (Nature Restoration Law, 2023) pousse dans la même direction. Les gestionnaires d'infrastructures doivent démontrer qu'ils compensent les impacts de leurs activités sur la biodiversité.
LBC as a tool for integrated compensation
Developing carbon credits on company-owned land
An infrastructure manager can generate LBC credits on its own right-of-way by optimizing the management of its green spaces:
- Meadows and roadside verges mowed late in the season: promote biodiversity and increase soil carbon stocks
- Reforestation and tree planting in suitable areas
- Creation of wetlands on available land
- Désimperméabilisation des parkings et voiries secondaires
Finance off-site loans
Lorsque les emprises propres ne suffisent pas, le gestionnaire peut financer des projets LBC menés par des tiers (agriculteurs, collectivités, propriétaires forestiers) et ainsi créditer ces compensations dans son bilan carbone.
Carbon sequestration on utility rights-of-way: what potential does it hold?
Les emprises des grandes infrastructures de transport présentent des gisements carbone significatifs :
| Type of right-of-way | Typical floor area | Estimated carbon reserves (20 years) |
|---|---|---|
| Self-supporting berms | 2–5 ha/km | 10–30 tons of CO₂ per hectare |
| Airport green spaces | 200–500 ha | 5–20 t CO₂/ha |
| Undeveloped port areas | 50–200 ha | 8–25 t CO₂/ha |
For a 100-kilometer highway network, the potential carbon sink provided by road shoulders could amount to several hundred tons of CO₂ per year.
Quantifying and Assessing: The Role of Remote Sensing
Managing LBC credits across large tracts of land requires monitoring tools capable of covering vast areas on a regular and cost-effective basis. The analysis of satellite and aerial imagery meets this need by enabling:
- Cartographier l'occupation des sols sur l'ensemble des emprises
- Track changes in vegetation and carbon stocks year after year
- Identify anomalies (damage, destruction) that could affect the carbon footprint
- Generate the monitoring data required by LBC auditors
Integration into the CSR strategy and reporting
Le Label Bas Carbone s'intègre naturellement dans les stratégies RSE des gestionnaires d'infrastructure, au croisement de plusieurs cadres de reporting :
- GHG Protocol : les crédits LBC contribuent au scope 3 et à la neutralité carbone
- CSRD: Carbon sequestration and offset initiatives are indicators ESRS-E1 (climate) and ESRS-E4 (biodiversity)
- Science Based Targets (SBTi): Offsetting through LBC can complement reduction pathways
- TNFD Biodiversity Reporting: Actions on land holdings contribute to ecosystem restoration indicators
A tool for engaging with stakeholders
Beyond financial and regulatory considerations, the LBC serves as a tool for engaging with stakeholders: local residents, environmental organizations, and licensing authorities. It provides quantified and verified evidence of the operator’s commitment to offsetting its environmental impact.
