This was the theme of the first masterclass of "+1, the ecology turned into actions", a stakeholder consultation scheme initiated in 2021 by Veolia, which mobilizes more than 50 of the Group's stakeholders from different backgrounds (employees, clients, shareholders, society, planet) to discuss in a decompartmentalized way, in the service of ecological transformation.
+1, an amplifier of cooperation, ideas and innovation
"+1, the ecology turned into actions" was born of the conviction that greater cooperation between players is essential if we are to meet the ecological imperatives we are currently facing. We urgently need to think of new ways of listening, exchanging ideas and making decisions. Over the past 2 years, the +1 initiative and its operational adaptations have mobilized more than 250 Veolia stakeholders in France and around the world, in order to open up dialogue and encourage players with sometimes divergent interests to work together to implement solutions that are useful and have an impact on the greatest number of people.
The method proposed by +1 is shared as an open source to support companies and organizations wishing to apply it to their issues and contexts within the framework of a contract, a project, a strategy, etc.
Ambition 2023: more cooperative companies and organizations on a daily basis
After two years of the collective’s work, which ratified the +1 method around subjects such as regional resilience and employment in a time of ecological transformation, the system is now being deployed and is operationalized. As part of the preparation of its next strategic program for 2024-2027 and in accordance with the +1 method, Veolia is consulting and working in a decompartmentalized way with its stakeholders in 8 pilot Business Units (Australia/New Zealand, Colombia, United States, France, Italy, Japan, Czech Republic, United Kingdom) as well as with employee representatives from the Group's French and European offices. This method is also being deployed for a contract in Nice, for a Group Business Unit in Ireland, and for a partner, the Cercle Français de l'Eau, which wants to mobilize local players around a new water story.
Cooperation, a source of innovation and transformation
In order to continue working on cooperation beyond the operational variations of +1 currently underway, the +1 collective is continuing its work through regular meetings, notably in the form of masterclasses. During the first masterclass of the +1 2023 cycle, on the brakes and levers of cooperation and innovation for ecological transformation, 4 speakers shared their expertise and best practices during a keynote address.
Martin Duval, co-founder and co-chairman of bluenove, stressed that "we need to mobilize stakeholders to redefine our criteria for innovative projects, which nowadays are still too firmly rooted in the linear economy. Sobriety, sustainability... That is what innovation must now address."
For Julie Jouvencel, Managing Director of SoScience, "it's time to rethink the role of cooperation, which is still too little implemented in companies, even though it is the focus of the UN's 17th Sustainable Development Goal, and a means of solving the other 16. It is a new culture that needs to be integrated.”
Like Timothée Duverger, a lecturer at Sciences Po Bordeaux, who emphasized that "the ecological transition raises the question of progress and technology, which must always be asked with regard to uses. Cooperation is the key to understanding all these dimensions, and companies must play their part", Catherine Ricou, director of Innovation at Veolia, pointed out that the Group "is working in particular on the innovation of scarcity, frugal innovation through circular economy topics. They force us to ask ourselves the question of stakeholders on an ongoing basis in order to create collective value at every stage."
Enriched by these contributions, the +1 collective was then asked to reflect, in sub-groups, on their own projects which could be the subject of a stakeholder dialogue and thus contribute to accelerating ecological transformation.
These exchanges underlined the need for commitment from all actors, and demonstrated the extent to which cooperation and collective intelligence are essential for an ecology not just of intent, but of action.