Sustainable Development

 

Antoine Frérot, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Water

Putting the principles of sustainable development at the heart of water management, such is Veolia Water's commitment to its clients. The facts and issues are now known by all: today we must deal with a world in which natural resources, and water in particular, must be preserved for the sake of future generations. As the leading operating company for water and wastewater treatment services in the world, Veolia Water has a responsibility to provide its clients - public authorities and industries alike - with appropriate solutions: protecting resources,taking biodiversity into account, promoting wastewater treatment, developing alternative resources, bringing energy consumption under control and producing renewable energies. Through these actions, we wish to do business in a way that serves mankind: by making it easier for the poor to access water, by providing solutions to the depletion of water resources, ensuring service continuity, developing environmental education and improving security in the workplace, we offer solutions that are ever more respectful of populations.

In fact, Veolia Water's idea of sustainable development is to make a daily commitment to serve the general interest.

Antoine Frérot, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Water

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 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.