East Asian countries—China, Japan and South Korea—are facing rapid urbanization and heavy pollution of their air, soil and aquatic environments. The three countries need to cooperate closely on their environmental challenges, especially as these industrial giants have to comply with increasingly stringent standards and legislation.
China, Japan, South Korea and India already account for almost €1.2 billion in revenue for Veolia. Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, and many leading industrial concerns—Sinopec, SK Hynix, Tianjin Soda, L’Oréal, etc.—have already placed their trust in Veolia to underpin their growth and reduce their environmental footprint.
The GDP of China, Japan and South Korea accounts for 75% of the Asian economy, almost 20% of the world’s.
Resource conservation the Chinese way
China is home to 20% of the world’s population but only 7% of the planet’s fresh water reserves (source in French: french.peopledaily.com.cn). The authorities introduced an action plan to protect the quality of the country’s water resources in April 2015. Against this backdrop, in June 2015, Veolia upgraded the industrial wastewater treatment facilities of China’s leading fertilizer manufacturer, LiuGuo Chemical.
Veolia started operations in China around 15 years ago and won in 2002 the contract for the Pudong business district in Shanghai. Veolia next signed up with the city of Shenzhen in 2003, followed by further commercial, public and industrial successes.
South Korean opportunities
Veolia’s approach to entering the South Korean market first involved developing business with Korean industry. Its situation, following the economic crisis at the end of the 1990s, opened up opportunities, especially when the Hyundai conglomerate was carved up. Veolia won an initial water management contract at a Hyundai Petrochemicals site in 2000, followed by a contract with Hyundai Electronics, renamed SK Hynix. Veolia’s most recent success in South Korea involves one of the country’s largest nuclear sites (Kori Division), operated by Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).
"Veolia helps municipalities and industrial concerns protect their water resources to ensure sustainable development."
Régis Calmels, Senior Executive Vice President, Asia.
Japan’s new energy equation
Following the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in 2011, the Japanese government decided to encourage the development of electricity produced from solar, wind and hydropower, and even biomass. The aim is for these renewable sources of energy to generate at least 22% of the country’s electricity by 2030, compared with just over 10% today (source in French: www.lesechos.fr). Veolia therefore provides the country with its unique expertise in the sustainable and efficient management of energy services. As a result, it was awarded twenty-year contracts to operate two biomass plants in partnership with Takeei, a major environmental services company.
Contribution to our CSR commitments - Health and Safety
Health and safety are a prime concern at all times for all of Veolia’s businesses (commitment 7). Implementation of the safety management system in the company’s Asia zone has resulted in particular in the concerted involvement of management at the zone and country levels. Safety inspections by the management and joint manager/employee inspections are run at the sites. All employees are encouraged to commit to safety by signing the body of shared rules under Veolia’s “Always Safe” banner. The numerous initiatives in 2015 involved 20,000 employees in the zone.
