Substainable Development
Around the world the availability of water and making it fit to drink raises numerous social, environmental and financial issues. Solutions for resource management as well as for water and wastewater services are decided upon by national and local public authorities. Moreover, manufacturers also have to manage their water usage in consultation with local authorities.
As water and wastewater professionals for both municipal and industrial clients, Veolia Water is involved in every aspect and at every stage in water management for its clients. This is why Veolia Water chose to make sustainable development an integral part not only of the company's strategy but also in the management of its operations throughout the world.
Consequently, every day Veolia Water endeavours to manage water resources in a sustainable fashion, to facilitate access to water and health for the greatest number of people as well as place its employees and stakeholders at the heart of its water services.
Veolia Water has perfected management tools and customized technological solutions to address these issues. They are currently yielding measurable results.
Taking all possible measures to place water management within the context of sustainable development, Veolia Water is continuously setting itself higher and higher standards in order to improve water services for its domestic customers as well as for its municipal and industrial
Concrete Commitments
Veolia Water gives its full support to the commitments made during major international water conferences over the past few years.
The Group also shares the goal of halving by 2015 the number of people who do not have access to drinking water and sanitation as part of the operations entrusted to it by local authorities.
Veolia Water has also given its own undertakings in keeping with the role that it wishes to play in this area:
Veolia Water is committed to contributing to the process currently emanating from international bodies and to make available its technical, managerial, environmental and social expertise.
Veolia Water is committed to adhering to general ethical principles and the principles of good governance and transparency as set out in the Charter on Access to Basic Services. Presented by France in Johannesburg in 2002, it outlines the necessary conditions for the right of water for all to become a reality for local communities.
Veolia Water is committed to not competing for calls to tender where it judges the tender to be incompatible with the interests of the local communities in question; or if they do not take into account how much these local communities can afford to pay.
Veolia Water is committed to optimizing the efficiency of the water supply systems with which it is entrusted in order to create sound water management. In so doing it also takes into account local and regional factors. Veolia Water has therefore set itself the goal that within the European Union (up to 15 countries) efficiency levels of the water supply systems will be greater than 80 %.
Veolia Water is committed to encouraging local communities to become more involved in the management of public water and wastewater services and to encourage better dialogue with consumers and their representatives.
Veolia Water is committed to continuing its efforts in providing humanitarian assistance and ensuring it is kept totally independent from its business activities.
As a member of the Global Compact which brings together companies, five United Nations agencies, trade unions and NGOs, Veolia Environnement is committed to adhering to the ten principles that cover human rights, labour standards, the environment and the fight against corruption.
