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Sustainability at Veolia North America

Explore our performance across five multifaceted performance categories: Planet, Clients, Society, Employees and Shareholders
Veolia Strategic program 2027: GreenUp

Explore our performance across five multifaceted performance categories. Click each category to jump to that section and learn more.

A Message from our CEO

"No other company brings together industry-leading service capabilities in water, waste and energy. We have a unique opportunity to help our customers solve their most complex and important environmental and operational challenges. We combine the strength of our technical expertise with a hands-on collaborative approach to innovation and a strong sense of purpose in our work."

Fred Van Heems
President and Chief Executive Officer
Veolia North America

A Letter from Fred Van Heems

This is an exciting time to work at Veolia North America, as we report our progress on achieving our 2023 sustainability goals, and embark on an even more ambitious journey toward the company's 2024–2027 GreenUp strategy. The next four years will be truly transformational for our organization. 


Leading in water, waste and energy 

No other company brings together industry-leading service capabilities in water, waste and energy. We have a unique opportunity to help our customers solve their most complex and important environmental and operational challenges. We combine the strength of our technical expertise with a hands-on collaborative approach to innovation and a strong sense of purpose in our work. 


Launching our GreenUp 2024–2027 strategy 

Our parent company, Veolia Group, recently announced its 2024–2027 GreenUp strategic program. This aggressive global commitment to sustainability includes bold targets in the areas of decarbonization, waste reduction and regeneration, supported by a $2 billion global investment program. It is exciting to see how GreenUp will fuel our innovation in the years to come. 


Growth in North America 

North America is one of the world's fastest growing markets for environmental services, driven by rising stakeholder expectations and an evolving regulatory environment. Over the last four years, we have more than doubled our size and impact in North America, driven by a combination of commercial growth and the strategic acquisitions of companies like Suez, U.S. Industrial Technologies and Energenix. 


We have set ambitious targets to double our revenue in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, with a focus on decarbonization, resource regeneration and depollution. As we grow our business, we are also expanding our emphasis on building brand recognition, community impact and economic development for the communities in which we operate. 


Developing the environmental leaders of tomorrow 

This kind of growth is only possible with the support of our people. I feel a great responsibility developing the environmental leaders who will shape the future of our planet. Environmental and sustainability leadership has become one of the most important skill sets of the twenty-first century, and it can provide opportunities for people to grow and contribute. 


That is why we invest in training and developing our people. We work hard to ensure that careers in environmental services are equitable and available to everyone. 


A commitment to multifaceted reporting 

As a purpose-driven company, we measure our performance using a multifaceted approach that considers all stakeholders — people, communities, customers, shareholders and the planet. We have organized this year's report to align with our internal measures of success and the reporting of the Veolia Group. I encourage you to read this report as a region-specific supplement to the Veolia Group's global Universal Registration Document 2023, our parent company's consolidated financial and performance report. 


On behalf of all our North American employees, thank you for taking the time to read this report. I can't think of a more exciting time to be part of this team, or to be working to solve the world's greatest environmental and social challenges.


Sincerely, 

Fred Van Heems
President and Chief Executive Officer
Veolia North America

 

A Focus on Closing the Decarbonization Gap

The need for acceleration in our collective efforts to curb the impacts of climate change are clear. In our 2023 survey of 2,000 Americans, 61% said they feel exposed and vulnerable to a deterioration in their quality of life because of worsening climate conditions, while 53% remain confident that the future of humanity is still in our hands, and that meaningful steps can still be taken to reverse and mitigate impacts.

Those meaningful steps fall heavily on companies and governments, but they face a decarbonization dilemma. Organizations have committed to ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, yet competing priorities and practical challenges make it difficult for them to advance their emissions reduction targets.

 

Our Sustainability Strategy: GreenUp

Understanding the need to fill a gap between setting and achieving sustainability goals, Veolia Group launched its new GreenUp strategic program for 2024–2027 to dramatically accelerate our efforts to optimize resource use and address the impacts of climate change. The program focuses on three major contributions to customer performance:

  • Decarbonize. 18 million metric tons of CO₂ eliminated in 2027 (scope 4) and emission reduction trajectory compatible with 1.5°C of warming (scope 1 and 2).
  • Depollute. 10 million metric tons of hazardous waste and pollutants treated in 2027.
  • Regenerate. 400 billion gallons of fresh water saved in 2027.

 

Our strategy accelerates existing solutions and develops new ones to target three major growth boosters.

  • Local energy and bioenergy. Our goal is to optimize and balance energy sources for our customers, boosting the production and consumption of renewable energy.
  • Water technologies and new solutions. We aim to become the water service provider of the future by focusing on the efficiency of solutions like the reuse of treated wastewater, the treatment of water and pollutants like PFAS or microplastics, and the production of drinking water.
  • Treatment of hazardous waste. We intend to accelerate our circular economy solutions to treat hazardous waste, including engineering new solutions to recycle products like lithium batteries, e-cigarettes and solvents.

 

Each year we are committed to releasing a comprehensive report that provides a clear look at Veolia North America's achievement in Environment, Social and Governance. This report is a supplement to the company's global sustainability performance report, released in August 2024.

 

 

Veolia North America 2024 Sustainability Report
Download the Report

Sustainability Performance Data and Indicies

For complete global sustainability and performance reporting data from Veolia and indices to sustainability reporting frameworks, consult Veolia's ESG Performance Summary.

 

 

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