Veolia Environmental Services Makes Lasting Commitments to the Environment

Paris, June 5, 2012 - Making a lasting and tangible commitment to the environment is a core ambition for Veolia Environmental Services, the first operator to adopt performance targets for 2015 in the key areas of pollution prevention, conservation of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, combating climate change and environmental awareness. These five areas of work undertaken by the company’s Center of Excellence are equally obligations to achieve results in the area of sustainable development.

Commitment 1: Prevent Pollution

• Analyze the environmental risks at a minimum of 95% of sites and implement prevention action plans
• Ensure 95% sites are certified ISO 14001 or covered by an Environmental Management System (EMS)

Commitment 2: Conserve Natural Resources

• Achieve an overall material recovery rate of 30%
• Compared with 2011, increase by 10% the production of renewable energy from waste
• Apply water consumption reduction plans at a minimum of 80% of sites
• Implement energy efficiency plans at a minimum of 80% of sites
  

Commitment 3: Protect Biodiversity

• Carry out an evaluation and implement an action plan at 95% of sites with significant potential stakes and opportunities on biodiversity
• Include a biodiversity impact evaluation in 100% of our development projects
• Implement conservation plans in the six main countries where we operate

Commitment 4: Combat Climate Change

• Achieve an overall methane capture rate of 70%, the component in biogas that has the highest greenhouse effect
• Calculate the carbon footprint of 95% of our business units and implement emission reduction plans.
  

Commitment 5: Environmental Awareness and Training

• Provide environmental training to at least 90% of our employees
• Train our sales teams in the company’s environmental themes and raise our customers’ awareness
• Increase the proportion of our supplier contracts that include environmental requirements
  

Jérôme Le Conte, CEO of Environmental Services explains, “The Veolia Environmental Services Center of Excellence is a worldwide network for sharing expertise. Its task is to measure and assess environmental performance, identify the best practices and ensure they are shared while still being adapted to local contexts. This concerted and ambitious approach was developed out of the finding that, despite local differences, the strategy implemented by Veolia Environmental Services and stakeholders’ expectations always tend to converge. The reality of this situation underscores the relevance of our five environmental commitments for 2015.”