Combating pollution and accelerating ecological transformation

These priority objectives of the Group environmental performance contribute to 6 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN: Clean water and sanitation (ODD 6), Affordable and clean energy (ODD 7), Responsible consumption and production (ODD12), Climate action (ODD 13), Life below water (ODD 14), Life on land (ODD 15).

In its special report on the consequences of global warming of 1.5 °C, adopted in 2018, the IPCC stated: “limiting warming to 1.5 °C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics, but would require unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society.”

Veolia, as the global champion of ecological transformation, is committed to helping meet the climate challenge by acting to decarbonize our societies and help them adapt to the changes that are already taking place. For 2024, the Group is announcing an ambitious trajectory – the fruit of work done in preparing its 2024-2027 strategic program – to achieve Net Zero by 2050, specifically zero carbon emissions from its activities and the neutralization of its residual emissions.
Our unique expertise and knowhow in water, the main vector by which the consequences of climate change make themselves felt, position us perfectly to help all stakeholders design and implement their adaptation strategies.

WHAT ARE THE GROUP’S ACTION PRIORITIES?

1. Reduce by 50% scopes 1 and 2 emissions in 10 years, and increase by 50% “erased” emissions on scope 4 in particular by:

• Increasing the production and use of low-carbon energies (especially renewable forms) and replace high-emitting fuels with alternative fuels.
• Developing the capture and recovery of biogas from waste.
• Optimizing the energy efficiency of installations in the Group’s various activity sectors.
• Increasing materials recycling, while replacing virgin materials.
• Innovating to decarbonize heat networks & capture, reutilize and recycle biogenic CO2.

2. Deploy adaptation solutions to cope with the extreme, even catastrophic, conditions to which territories are increasingly exposed.

Under the impetus of demographic growth, economic development, industrialization and increasing urbanization, the challenges linked to the management of resources have become multiple and more and more significant.
Veolia is committed to the sustainable management of natural resources by encouraging the circular economy, i.e. the circular economy involves producing goods and services sustainably by minimizing the consumption of raw materials and the generation of waste and pollution as much as possible.

To implement it, a transition economy is needed. Veolia offers concrete solutions:

• Significantly reduce resource consumption of fossil fuels by improving the energy performance of its customers or its own facilities.
• Reuse goods and materials to produce less waste, through the reuse of water or eco-design services for packaging.  
• Produce electricity and heat from renewable resources, from non-recyclable waste or biomass.
• Produce renewable energy sources such as biogas, captured in waste recycling and recovery centers or produced by methanization of organic waste and water treatment sludge. 
• Sort and recycle waste to replace chemical fertilizers and fossil raw materials.

 This is particularly true for water resources which concern:

• access to safe drinking water ;
• overuse of water resources;
• pollution of soil, groundwater and watercourses ;
• destruction of wetlands and the degradation of aquatic environments ;
• resilience of territories to climate hazards

Water is at the center of climatic processes and these issues are now exacerbated by global warming, resulting in an intensification of extreme weather events. Sustainable water resource management is therefore a key line of defense against the consequences of global warming and is at the heart of ecological transformation.

Veolia's proven expertise in the sustainable management of water resources enables it to make ambitious commitments to its customers and to meet the expectations of citizens.

WHAT ARE THE GROUP’S ACTION PRIORITIES?

1. Preserve resources through wastewater reuse and water recycling, which help secure access to water in sensitive areas.
2. Reduce the water footprint of the Group's customers.
3. Promote people's access to essential water and sanitation services.
4. Significantly limit the discharge and transfer of pollutants into the water resource.
5. Collect, manage and recover solid waste for a healthier environment.
6. Recycling of materials, especially plastics.
7. Water recycling for new uses.
8. Reduction of fossil fuel consumption.

The global erosion of environments and their biodiversity is unprecedented (IPBES report 2019) and concerns all regions of the world, at the most local scale. This degradation puts at risk our ability to meet our basic needs: healthy food, clean water, raw materials, etc.

According to IPBES (The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), global biodiversity is experiencing unprecedented decline, mainly due to five major pressure factors:

• changes in land and sea use;
• overexploitation of natural resources;
• climate change;
• pollution;
• invasive exotic species.

While the economic world is partly responsible for the pressures on our ecosystems, the mobilization of its companies is key to inventing the solutions that will enable us to protect, secure and regenerate them. This is the very core of Veolia’s purpose. Veolia’s activities decarbonize, depollute, and regenerate resources. Consequently, they help preserve natural environments (water, air, and soil) and reduce three of the five main causes of biodiversity loss resulting from the activities of the company’s municipal and industrial customers (overuse of natural resources, including water; climate change; and pollution). Veolia offers its clients solutions that reconcile operational performance and planet preservation.

WHAT ARE THE GROUP’S ACTION PRIORITIES?

1. Deploy action plans to protect and promote biodiversity at sites with high ecological stakes operated by the Group (known as 'sensitive sites').
2. Adopt nature preservation and restoration practices everywhere, such as the elimination of phytosanitary products and ecological management across all sites.
3. Innovate for our clients by promoting nature-based solutions and developing biomonitoring tools.
4. Raise awareness and involve all the Group's stakeholders in its approach to protecting the environment and biodiversity.