Our Strategy
At Colas, we’re opening the way to a more responsible future, supporting the sustainable development of communities worldwide.
Our development strategy
Our ambition: to be a trusted partner in mobility infrastructure and sustainable development projects. Our development strategy is based on three cornerstones:
- Promoting value across our industrial activities
- Reinforcing our positions in construction activities
- Developing innovative and sustainable products and services
Reinforcing our positions in construction activities
We are a committed local player, a genuine partner in the sustainable development of communities. Over the course of its history, Colas has shown that it knows how to integrate businesses of all sizes, in many regions across the globe and for all its activities.
Where we are already rooted, we grow through local acquisitions and diversification into activities close to our traditional businesses, such as the circular economy, pollution clean-up, ecological engineering, and landscaping.
Where we have little or no presence, strengthening our position means continuing our targeted geographic development. Target markets are high-potential zones such as North Europe, the USA, Germany, and Australia.
Promoting value across our industrial activities
Colas’ integrated model is unique and is one of our major strengths. We have the capacity to operate throughout the entire value chain, from the production of construction materials through to services, via construction work and sustainable development projects.
Our strengths? Solid positions in the procurement, storage, and distribution of bitumen, and an extensive network of quarries and circular economy facilities.
The aim is not only to better control the availability and quality of supplies, but also to ensure that we meet our commitments, particularly in terms of safety and environmental protection, and improve our competitiveness.
Developing innovative and responsible products and services
Against a backdrop of the accelerating ecological and energy transition, Colas has long been designing and investing in solutions adapted to society's current expectations and challenges:
- To make infrastructure more environmentally friendly, we design products and processes with a low carbon footprint. Good examples include low-temperature and cold asphalt mixes, bio-based mixes, and the development of in-situ pavement recycling techniques. We also work on solutions inspired by nature: the idea is to preserve and restore ecosystems, via the creation of cooling islands, rainwater infiltration, improvements to the quality of living environments, etc.
- To optimize infrastructure throughout its life cycle, we offer appropriate sustainable products, as well as asset management solutions. In other words, solutions to maintain and manage infrastructure with performance objectives.
Our strategy comes to life on the field
Colas’s strategy takes shape through our operational activities across France.
Mobility solutions, urban development, civil engineering, water and wet networks, materials production and recycling: every day, our teams work alongside local authorities and businesses to design and deliver sustainable infrastructure.
This organization around core areas of expertise enables us to act across the entire project life cycle, through an integrated approach that combines technical performance, responsible innovation, and strong local roots.
Discover how our strategy is translated into action through our businesses and achievements across France.
Our strengths and assets
Colas has solid credentials to make it a trusted partner of communities worldwide in the fields of sustainable mobility and responsible development.
Recognized collective expertise
The Colas brand, established nearly 100 years ago, is recognized worldwide.
Colas’ success is founded on tried and tested technical expertise and the commitment of 64,000 employees, united around a common culture and shared values.
Today, Colas is an international reference in the field of transport infrastructure and sustainable development projects.
Long-term, local roots
With a dense network of 2,000 local entities, many of which have been active for several decades, Colas works closely with communities.
Public and private customers can rely on local contacts, intimate knowledge of local contexts and teams that are committed over the long term.
Community-focused innovation
At Colas, innovation means understanding and addressing local needs, offering concrete, sustainable, and efficient solutions.
This ambition is supported by the CORE Center, our France-based research facility, which steers the Group's Research & Development efforts in close collaboration with our field teams, our companies and subsidiaries around the world, and our academic and industrial partners.
Innovation at Colas is hinged around four major priorities:
Sustainable products and techniques with a reduced carbon footprint
- Bio-based raw materials with a low carbon footprint
- Low-temperature manufacturing processes
- The integration of recycled materials
- Material savings
Climate-resilient infrastructure
- Sustainable solutions to reduce urban overheating
- Integrated rainwater management (infiltration, storage, recycling)
- Integration of nature and biodiversity in towns and cities
Long-term global performance of infrastructure
- Diagnostics using artificial intelligence with Infracare
- Long-term maintenance contracts with integrated performance criteria
Operational excellence and safety
- Securing and optimizing production, construction, and maintenance operations
- The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to anticipate and optimize the design, construction, and maintenance of structures.