Implementation

The core of Veolia Water's business is linked to the environment, which is one of the major concerns of sustainable development.

Protecting nature, conserving water resources, taking steps to reduce the ecological footprint of its activities, developing innovative technologies thanks to which it will be possible to obtain good quality water from alternative resources (seawater or treated and recycled wastewater for example). These are some of the principles which underpins Veolia's policy for a more sustainable development.

Consequently, the responsibility of the Veolia Water company can be seen in these ambitious challenges. In order to meet them, a dedicated piloting tool - Environmental Management System - has been developed. It is a set of essential management procedures for improving the impact of Veolia Water's business activities wherever it operates.

Often there is chronic degradation of resources (surface water and groundwater) as well as the risk of accidental pollution.

To begin with, Veolia Water identifies chronic pollution (linked by example to the use of pesticides in agriculture) as well as the risks of accidental pollution of those resources earmarked for the production of drinking water.

Continuous monitoring of water resources then ensures the prevention of any possible threats which could affect it. For example, safety zones placed round drinking water abstraction points are monitored. Sensors sound out the alarm in the event of an incident.

Overused, an aquifer can dry up or begin to deteriorate. Overpolluted, it can no longer be used to produce drinking water.

Abstracting resources without touching this "water-capital" is therefore a necessity in order to protect our shared heritage as well as meet long term water requirements.

It is for this reason that Veolia Water endeavors to conserve water resources. One of the ways it manages to do this is by minimizing abstraction of the resources. This is achieved primarily through responsibly managing demand and by identifying and reducing leaks in the water supply system (i.e. leaks from the mains).

Veolia Water has developed long-term solutions to reduce pressure on water resources.

One of these is the recycling of wastewater. Once it has undergone a specific treatment process, the recycling of wastewater allows an available resource to be continuously reused at a local level for new purposes in agriculture, in industry or in tourism (watering golf courses and sport grounds for example).

Veolia Water's technologies and expertise enables it to use reliable and cost effective solutions to produce drinking water from desalinated seawater. This resource is available in vast quantities but in its original state is completely unfit to drink. Seawater should become one of the main alternative resources in years to come. It is made possible by the reduction of energy costs of the desalination techniques thanks to advances in technology.

Finally, treated wastewater can, under certain conditions, be used to artificially recharge aquifers or water tables (i.e. streamsides) thanks to the filtration power and storage capacity of the earth.

Veolia Water endeavours to control the impact from the businesses that its clients have entrusted it with. It uses its Environmental Management System (EMS) to implement its policies in the areas of the environment and public health.

It is also in this capacity that Veolia Water has a policy of optimizing energy consumption in its facilities. The company endeavours, whenever it is financially and technically possible and sustainable, to produce and use renewable energy at the facilities that it designs and/or manages.

In addition, there have been pilot initiatives on several sites in order to measure the positive impact on the natural environment. This is primarily the case with initiatives looking at protecting and conserving biodiversity or rehabilitating sites.

It is a set of management procedures which enables the Group and its Divisions to achieve its environmental goals.

By using EMS the company can assess and reduce its environmental impact as well as continuously improve its performance in this area. It acts as a springboard for all management levels within the Group to take a progressive approach.

In 2006 EMS was implemented worldwide. Those businesses that have deployed EMS account for 84% of Veolia Environnement's turnover.

Veolia Water's operating services work at a very local level. This is why social dialogue in the operational business units is built up from grassroots level as close as possible to employees and to the ground in order to encourage the involvement of its employees.

At this level, social partners give their response to a great number of issues such as how work should be organized and working conditions as well as how to develop skills and reward individual effort.

Dialogue is encouraged as an inventory is made at Veolia Environnement Group level of all the social initiatives that have either been taken individually or collectively, either emanating locally or on a much larger scale. These initiatives are recorded each year in order that everyone can benefit from the experiences. The best "social innovations" are given due recognition and the best are rewarded by an independent jury.

Veolia Water operates around the world. It encourages the cultural diversity of its employees by recruiting local personnel (employees and management) and training them.

Its willingness not to impose a unique management style leads the company to entrust the management of local companies to managers from the countries where it operates.

Diversity is also reflected by the presence of staff of all different ages within Veolia Water. The integration of the youngest is encouraged by a policy of developing sandwich courses and apprenticeships.

When local authorities undertake to meet the global challenges of sustainable development, they identify along with all of their stakeholders the challenges to be met and those they can respond to at a local level. Managing local public services, Veolia Water is a key partner in the initiatives taken by local authorities in the area of sustainable development.

The very nature of its operations means that it has close ties with the area and by committing on a daily basis to a progressive approach motivates the company to work towards a more sustainable form of development.

Veolia Water contributes to the creation and setting up of initiatives such as Local Agenda 21, the Sustainable Development Charter and Plans Climat Territoriaux in France etc thanks to its managerial, technical, environmental and social expertise.

Water is an essential component in industrial production. Conserving water, recycling water, treating effluent, all these activities require specific skills which are not part of the skills base of these companies.

Veolia Water offers its industrial clients high performance, cost effective, societal and environmental solutions. Veolia Water provides them with all its expertise in water cycle management in order to assist them in controlling their costs, improve the safety of personnel and equipment as well as reduce their environmental impacts. In each case, Veolia Water provides industrial clients with financial, social, legal and regulatory expertise.

Inventory of fixtures, recommendations, drawing up a strategy, guaranteed results - Veolia Water's approach is integral to a sustainable partnership that enables it to share the goals of each of its clients. More than 400 companies have already entrusted the company with all or part of the management of their water cycle.

Veolia Water's relationship with domestic customers goes far beyond just providing tap water.

When providing a service to domestic customers, it uses its expertise to protect the water cycle by treating water to make it drinkable, by monitoring water quality on a daily basis and by collecting wastewater in order to release purified water back into nature. Veolia Water is also committed to providing a quality service to domestic customers. It ensures:

Availability: simplified procedures, extended opening hours, responding and dealing with technical emergencies 24/7:

Information: answering questions on water quality and billing, sending out warnings in the event of an incident or planned interruption to the water supply.

And Solidarity by supporting families and people who find themselves in difficulty and to assist them in finding solutions to avoid them being cut off.

It encourages domestic customers to work towards sustainable development by teaching them how to use water more wisely in order to avoid wasting water and to make them more aware about how to respect the environment.

Local authorities must meet numerous challenges in order to improve cohesion and solidarity with vulnerable people living in their area.

Veolia Water works with them in developing countries as well as in developed countries. It provides its expertise along with social initiatives and ensures that solidarity is an integral part of its water and wastewater services.

The social measures used by Veolia Water are also aimed at supporting highly vulnerable people. They assist them in turning their situation around by helping them control their water consumption or even offering them financial solutions. Specially trained employees provide a personal and unreserved welcome.

In addition, Veolia Water is rolling out more and more water offices to provide better access to disabled people. It has also developed services for the blind (billing in Braille) as well as replacing the need to use the telephone with communication systems specially adapted for the hard of hearing.

As a sustainable development stakeholder, Veolia Water also takes into account the way its partners act in this area. This is why the company intends to encourage subcontractors and suppliers to adhere to the commitments it itself has made in the area of sustainable development.

In a spirit of exchange and dialogue, Veolia Water launched in France in 2006 a continuous improvement approach with its suppliers regarding responsible purchasing.

A "Purchasing and Sustainable Development" charter now informs its relationship with them. It makes provision for sustainable development criteria to appear in all of Veolia Water contracts from now on. These criteria are based on quantifiable and measurable factors.

Suppliers undertake not to use forced or illegal labour, to adhere to environmental protection regulations and to take all necessary steps to reduce energy consumption and the disposal of waste into water, air and into the ground etc.

In order to ascertain that this is happening, Veolia Water will carry out audits in order to initiate among suppliers a continuous progressive approach to the social, societal and environmental aspects of their businesses.