The company safeguards the quality of ecosystems and helps its customers preserve them. Measures designed to protect flora and fauna span a range of services such as treating wastewater, collecting waste, reducing the footprint of mass-transit infrastructure and improving the efficiency of heating networks. Veolia Environnement must also remain vigilant, since the ecosystems themselves are instrumental to successfully seeing through its missions.
Every aspect of human activity has an impact on biodiversity. Protecting this variety of plant and animal life is vital and is one of the key challenges taken up by Veolia Environnement.
Preserving biodiversity
Veolia Environnement's four divisions help preserve biodiversity and reduce environmental pollution. By concentrating and treating wastewater and waste, by reducing atmospheric emissions from centralized district heating networks, and by cutting pollution caused by private vehicles through the development of effective public-transportation solutions, the company helps prevent urban and industrial pollution from contaminating the planet's soil, air and water.
Veolia Environnement takes on board the side effects of its operations, such as the use of natural resources and residual pollution caused by discharge from its activities. At the same time, it factors in the need to protect biodiversity when designing facilities or taking over the running of sites for customers. Its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) reference its main facilities' location relative to areas of ecological interest, for which it sets priorities and implements action plans.
Making use of ecosystems
Healthy ecosystems are also vital to the company's ability to provide a number of services. This interdependent relationship between our business activities and the earth's ecosystems helps us better protect biodiversity. Veolia Water, for instance, works to help municipal and industrial customers reduce sources of accidental or chronic pollution and protect catchment areas. Preserving the quality of water resources is a way of reducing the number of steps needed to treat water.
Nature also lends Veolia Environnement a helping hand, with some tasks carried out by the ecosystems themselves. Every species performs a number of functions that are fundamental to a balanced ecosystem. They provide a vital contribution that the company can harness to provide key services. Ecosystems have the power to regulate air quality and clean water. Examples include the biological treatment of untreated water and wastewater, and the use of ponds or grassy strips for their self-cleaning properties. Biodiversity therefore makes it possible to use simpler treatment processes that are less demanding on water and energy resources.
As an extension of Veolia Environnement's everyday activities, the Veolia Environnement Foundation works to help set up projects sponsored by the company's employees to protect and restore outstanding-yet-vulnerable ecosystems. The Foundation provides funding and exposure for these projects. Each project is chosen on the basis of strict criteria, which include inventory assessment, the effectiveness of conservation measures and international scope.
