Sustainability Report 2013

Transcription

Resourcing the World
Veolia UK Sustainability Report 2013
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Contents
Welcome to our 2013 Sustainability Report. Veolia is changing the landscape of
resource management and helping to shape the circular economy of the future.
Our approach
Our approach
On the road to a
circular economy
Environment
3
Stakeholder engagement
4
Governance and
sustainability
management
20
Awards and recognition
22
Assurance
22
Global Reporting
Initiative index 24
A unique business
7
Our vision and strategy
9
Talking points:
cities of 2050
12
Commitments and progress 13
16
Marketplace
Changing the landscape of
resource management
38
Talking points:
view from a customer
39
Preserving resources
25
Talking points: working for
a carbon-positive business 26
Tackling climate change
27
Energy recovery
30
Biodiversity
32
Environmental
performance data
35
Workplace
Putting customers first
40
A culture of innovation
Innovation
43
Markets of the future
44
Talking points: why
different perspectives
mean better business
Responsible procurement 47
Community
49
50
Health, safety
and wellbeing 51
A great place to work
53
Learning and development 55
Inclusivity
57
Reshaping the future for all 67
Preserving peatlands
71
From idea to reality
68
Fuel from food waste
69
Reusing water
again and again
72
Powered by biscuits
70
Green energy
from wastewater
73
Innovation
Creating value
for communities
58
Talking points: putting a
price on social value
59
Getting communities
back to business 60
Connected with
our communities
62
Supporting good causes
65
UNITED KINGDOM – 2013 ANNUAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
2
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Our approach
Innovation
Our resource
management
services touch
half the UK
population
Sustainability is not part of our business – it is
our business. We are shaping a better future
as part of our strategy to create access to
resources, and preserve and replenish them for
generations to come.
With 160 years of expertise in the areas of water, energy and
waste, Veolia applies its know-how to address some of the
greatest environmental challenges of our time. To make the
switch from use and dispose to use and recover in today’s
circular economy, Veolia creates and implements innovative
solutions up and down the UK.
Resourcing the world is an ambitious idea. We’re doing it
because being responsible is not just the right thing to do;
it’s the best thing to do for our business. Throughout this
report, you will see examples of how this strategy is adding
value to our business, to the environment and to society.
Community
Since 1990, we
have invested
£1.2 billion in
UK plc, creating
34,000 jobs
Veolia has won the
Queen’s Award
for Enterprise
in Sustainable
Development, the
UK’s highest accolade
for business success
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
On the road to a circular economy
An interview with Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia Executive Vice-President
UK & Ireland
Estelle Brachlianoff
Veolia Executive VicePresident UK & Ireland
How is Veolia changing
the landscape of resource
management?
What are the benefits to the
UK and what challenges does
Veolia face?
2013 was a tipping point on our journey to
become a re-manufacturer, renewable energy
provider and architect of the circular economy.
This makes us stand out from the crowd and
positions us as the champion of sustainability.
It also benefits our customers through increased
efficiencies and cost savings, and helps them to
meet their sustainability targets. With customer
partnerships lasting up to 35 years, going the
extra mile for them is really fundamental to how
we operate.
Since 1990, our capital investment in UK Plc has
resulted in the creation of 34,000 jobs and £3.4
billion of economic benefits and we will invest
a further £1 billion by 2018. As a business that
reaches over half the UK’s population, we are
making a real, tangible difference to society and
the economy.
No challenge is too great for us. We are converting
food and beverage waste into renewable fuels
and compost, transformed wastewater to a level
of purity that it could be used in manufacturing,
and even extracted green energy and plastics from
what was left over. Veolia is also working on the
front line of North Sea gas rig decommissioning
as our country moves towards a more sustainable
economy and we are proud of the work we’ve
done alongside partners like IBM and the London
School of Economics to develop intelligent water
networks and smart cities of the future. We’re
serious about these future markets and invest
over £50 million a year worldwide in researching
and developing some of the world’s most efficient
resource infrastructure technologies.
Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in
Sustainable Development, the UK’s highest
accolade for business success, is testament to
our approach as is our contribution to tackling
some of the most critical challenges of our time
– rapid urbanisation, rising energy costs and
climate change.
We are proud of this contribution, particularly
during a challenging economic year for our
sector which continues to feel the austerity
measures affecting our public sector customers.
At the same time, the commercial collection
and treatment business environment remains
extremely competitive.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
And what about the natural
environment?
These are big challenges.
Can Veolia do this alone?
Our vision, ‘Resourcing the world’, means creating
access to resources and preserving them for
future generations. Despite being the UK’s leading
resource management company, we now only
operate nine out of the UK’s 500 landfill sites –
demonstrating how our business model is focused
on converting yesterday’s waste into tomorrow’s
resource. When it comes to climate change, Veolia
is one of the few net carbon creditors in the UK
government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment
Energy Efficiency Scheme. This means we extract
more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit –
a bit like a forest!
Collaboration is fundamental when we’re talking
about shifting our entire economic system. We
work very closely with government, customers,
suppliers, non-governmental organisations,
industry and academics. You will see examples of
these partnerships throughout the report and in
our stakeholder engagement highlights.
You talk about a circular
economy. Can you tell us more
about that?
The resource industry has a major role to play in
ensuring that all materials are reused not once,
but two or three times. The circular economy
is one where consumed materials can be put
back into the production chain to become green
products and green energy. This use and recover
approach is what Veolia is all about. In 2013, we
created enough energy from refuse to power
nearly 200,000 homes via the national grid,
while in Southwark our district heating system
warms 2,500 homes with energy from their own
waste. Veolia’s contribution to this new circular
economy is self-evident – it now represents
about 20% of our business.
What role can Veolia’s 14,000strong workforce play in this?
We rely on an inclusive workforce in order to
remain at the top of our game. For example, during
the year I called for an end to the ‘glass ceiling’ for
female employees and I am proud to say that at
Veolia 30% of our Board is made up of women.
This isn’t about ticking boxes for us. It’s about
securing a workforce that thinks creatively –
and we believe this comes from a diversity of
perspectives and backgrounds. The contribution
of those who have experienced homelessness or
prison is equally as important as the contribution
of those with university degrees.
I am delighted to report that Veolia was named
Vocational Qualifications Employer of the Year for
England, showing that we value the development
of our employees. Above all of this, the safety
of our people remains our top priority and I am
pleased to see a 12% reduction in workplace
accidents. Going forward, we pledge to create
28,000 more jobs for local people from our
investment programme by 2018.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
How is Veolia bringing
value to its communities?
We have attempted to put a price on the social
value that a business like Veolia can bring
to people in the surrounding area. Working
alongside our client, the London Borough of
Southwark, we estimate that every £1 spent
by Veolia in our waste management services
contract will deliver £2.09 worth of social
value. This value comes from the services we
provide with an additional £28.05 resulting
from every £1 we spend on community projects
such as supporting social enterprises, working
with community groups and giving recycling
education lessons to pupils from local schools.
Through the Veolia Environmental Trust,
£4.7 million was awarded to community
and environmental initiatives up and down
the country.
We’ve been getting more people than ever in our
neighbourhoods ‘back to business’ through our
suite of work and training initiatives that focus
on those at the margins of society. We filled
81 work placements for ex-offenders and the
long-term unemployed, while our apprenticeship
programme went from strength to strength,
supporting 354 apprentices, exceeding our
target of 300.
So what’s next?
Our strategy to resource the world is ambitious
and long term. We will explore even more
untapped markets where we can apply our knowhow to mega resource challenges; we will build
on our own culture of innovation and facilitate
consumer behaviour change towards a more
circular mindset. There’s much to do but we are
driven by our clear vision for a smarter, more
sustainable world.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
A unique business
Our aim is simple – to help our customers reduce costs and improve resource
management. In doing so, we are helping approximately half the UK population
see production and consumption differently.
The UK leader in environmental solutions, Veolia
provides a comprehensive range of water and
waste management services for a wide spectrum
of public and private customers. Last year saw us
merge our water and waste businesses, enabling
us to go even further as one UK operation.
It is estimated that 20% of our turnover is
already a result of a growing portfolio of ‘circular’
products and services and this will increase as
we become an environmental solutions provider
that is resourcing the world.
Our services
WE PROVIDE
Recycling and waste
management
Water and wastewater
management
Veolia is the UK’s leading recycling and
waste management company. From refuse
collection to recycling, waste treatment
to street cleansing, we provide services to
thousands of businesses across the UK.
Veolia Water provides water and wastewater
management services throughout the UK.
As water experts, we understand how to
manage the water cycle and can meet the
challenges associated with providing and
reusing water.
2013 TURNOVER
£1.7bn
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
A unique business
Where you’ll find us
14,000
employees
Headquartered
in London
SERVING
%
of the UK population
SINCE 1990, WE HAVE
Invested
£1.2 billion
in UK plc
Created
34,000 jobs
Generated
£3.4 billion
in economic
activity
BY 2018
we will invest a further £1 billion
By creating access to resources, and preserving and replenishing them for generations
to come, we will support the UK’s journey towards a circular economy – an economy that
is predicted to generate £330 billion across Europe, creating 160,000 new jobs.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
We see a future in which end-of-life resources are transformed back into
products that enrich our lives and can power our homes and industry, and
in which production and consumption go hand in hand. We call this the
circular economy.
Why do we need
a circular economy?
Linear economy
MAKE
In today’s linear economy, we are missing
opportunities to create new products and clean
energy from consumed materials.
USE
DISCARD
We all face challenges of rapid urbanisation,
rising energy costs and climate change. Yet
our society continues to consign precious
materials to landfill.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Circular economy
In a circular economy
nothing is wasted
What is Veolia doing?
Veolia’s role in the circular economy will be as
a re-manufacturer, energy supplier, innovator
in the green economy and supporter of the
natural environment.
Our strategy to resource the world is based on
manufacturing green products and energy, and
helping our customers and suppliers reduce their
carbon impact by providing solutions for the
most complex challenges they face.
Resourcing
the world
As a country we must look at alternative energy
and heat sources; energy from waste is one that is
still not fully realised. We could produce 10% of the
UK’s renewable energy through this technology.
To make the switch from a resource consumption
rationale to a use-and-recover approach in today’s
circular economy, Veolia designs and implements
solutions aimed at improving access to resources,
while protecting and renewing them.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
A different kind of strategy
To show we are serious about this mission, we’ve made public commitments
both financially and with regard to our societal and environmental impact, with
accountability at the highest levels of Veolia.
OUR COMMITMENTS
We will diversify
our business to offer
high value resource
management solutions
to customers
We will partner with
businesses that align
to our vision
We will help society
see production
and consumption
differently
We will invest in
growth markets and
industrial clients
We will establish a
culture of innovation
to secure a diverse
range of talents
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Talking points: cities of 2050
Dr Savvas Verdis
Senior Research Fellow at the
London School of Economics
and Infrastructure Economist
at Siemens
Our cities are slowly unlocking themselves
from unsustainable consumption and spatial
development patterns. To transform our
economy into a circular one, investment is needed
to reduce the payback periods of water, waste
and energy technologies, and plan dense urban
spaces on which these technologies can thrive.
We are still locked in lifestyle choices that are
cheap in the short run but expensive in the long
run. To kick-start our transition to a circular
economy, technology and infrastructure
investments will need to be made, and these are
more likely to succeed in urban areas that benefit
from economies of scale.
“More collaborative consumption
will be achieved as technologies are
implemented by piggy-backing on
existing consumption mechanisms in
urban environments.”
mechanisms in urban environments. For
example, running a waste-to-heat district
network or creating transport-sharing schemes
in densely populated areas.
Markets alone cannot deliver this change, as
the business-as-usual scenario is still cheaper
than the proposed technology-driven one.
Strong government intervention is required to
incentivise new spatial development patterns as
well as penalising polluters at the point of origin.
An example of thinking outside the box and into
the future, the Imagine 2050 report explores
how the delivery of collaborative consumption
technologies can be accelerated.
By looking at two very different scenarios for
the cities of 2050, our joint report with Veolia
argues that more collaborative consumption will
be achieved as technologies are implemented
by piggy-backing on existing consumption
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Commitments and progress
Our strategy is already delivering tangible business benefits as we work towards
becoming a sustainability champion. We’re a better business for it.
Our performance during the year reflects the
initial benefits of our transformation plan and
we are proud to have achieved or exceeded
most of what we planned to. However, we are
also clear that the vision of moving our business,
and our economy, towards a circular economy
calls for targets that push our innovation to new
limits. Therefore, we have not achieved some
of our objectives and this means we can keep
challenging ourselves to do more.
2013 commitments and progress
PEOPLE
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Maintain >
75% brand
awareness
79%
Reduce the
number of
accidents in
the workplace
by 30%
11% reduction
40 grant
applications
for the
Environmental
Trust sponsored
by our people
47 applications
Reduce
Environment
Agency
compliance
classification
scores to <1
Achieved
Create one plan
to improve
organisation
diversity in
management
per region
Achieved
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Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
2013 commitments and progress
PLANET
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Implement 5
innovations
focusing on
environmental
efficiency and
leadership
5 innovations
Maintain
carbon
performance
ratio above 1
1.03 CPR
Implement
biodiversity
action plans
at 95% of
significant sites
100%
Sell 60,000
(30 litre) bags
of compost
63,501 bags
Achieve a 5%
increase in
saved emissions
2.8%
Export 10,000
‘biscuits’ – solid
fuel from waste
5,126 biscuits
Sell 25,000 litres 27,003 litres
of ‘soup’ – liquid
fuel from waste
PERFORMANCE
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Commitment
Performance
Achieve £134.7m
operating
income
£129.9m
Achieve
employee
engagement
score of 71%
62%
Generate
120,000 MWh
of energy for
district heating
schemes
133,651 MWh
Achieve £-7m
free cash flow
£22.5m
Achieve
employee
leadership
score of 70%
64%
Employ 300
apprentices
354 apprentices
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
2014 commitments
PEOPLE
Marketplace
Marketplace
Community
Achieve 85% brand
awareness
Reduce Lost Time Injury
Frequency rate by 10%
50 grant applications for
the Environmental Trust
sponsored by our people
Increase employee
diversity score
by 2% (baseline 2013)
Increase employee
engagement and
leadership scores
by 2% (baseline 2013)
PLANET
Sell 10 million litres of ‘soup’ - Ensure our Environment
liquid fuel from food waste
Agency compliance
classification scores are <1
Sell 174,000 (30 litre) bags
of compost
Become a net carbon
positive busines
PERFORMANCE
Achieve £196.2m operating
cash flow
Achieve £27.2m free
cash flow
Achieve supplier satisfaction
(tier 1) of 64%
Implement and maintain
biodiversity action plans
at 100% of significant sites
Generate 11,550GWh of
energy and 130,000MWh
of heat from waste for
communities
20 new ideas submitted to
the innovation forum
(5 piloted to market)
Increase energy production
at Seafield wastewater
treatment plant by 20%
The 2013 targets and records of progress do not
include Veolia Water, which merged with Veolia
Environmental Services in 2013. The 2014 targets
incorporate Water and Environmental Services as
one organisation.
We deliver on our commitments through
rigorous policies and governance structures.
We’ve publicly set company-wide targets, which
are linked to employee remuneration systems.
And as part of our stakeholder engagement,
we’re also setting sustainability targets for
suppliers, and helping customers measure and
manage their impact.
While the numbers keep us on track, our
performance is best told through the stories
of real people and places, which you will
find throughout this review. For our work in
integrating sustainability throughout our
business in 2013, Veolia won the Queen’s Award
for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, the
UK’s highest accolade for business success. We
also came second in Business in the Community’s
Corporate Responsibility Index.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Our stakeholders are helping us become a better
business. We are working with government,
customers, non-governmental organisations,
industry and academics to address the UK’s
challenges around water, energy and waste.
Having a regular dialogue with our stakeholders
helps to build lasting relationships, opens a forum
for constructive debate, and challenges us to do
better. We try to wield our influence on social and
environmental issues as a force for good through
our position papers.
To focus on the issues that matter most to
our business and to our stakeholders, we
undertake an annual assessment of the
environmental, social and governance risks
and opportunities – a materiality review. In
2013, we asked 273 stakeholders where they
believed we should be focusing going forward.
These areas included long-term thinking and
environmental compliance; innovation and
customer satisfaction; health and safety; and
apprenticeships and engaging schools.
Communities
Getting to know our neighbourhoods
Examples of engagement
• Back2Business work placements and training for those marginalised or excluded from mainstream
employment including ReStart for the long-term unemployed, Welfare to Work partnerships, and
rehabilitation for ex-offenders and homeless clients
• Participated in the Speakers for Schools and Inspiring the Future programmes, which offer career
insights for young children
• Waste campaigns, for example Love Food Hate Waste
• ‘Tiger Tracks’ support with Save the Wild Tigers at St Pancras station, London
• £4.7 million awarded to community projects via the Veolia Environmental Trust
• Partnered with social enterprises at 55% of our household waste and recycling centres
Outcomes
• Filled 54 placements for the long-term unemployed through our ReStart programme
• Facility Open Days attracted over 3,800 visitors across the UK
• We have engaged over 110,000 pupils and 66,000 members of the public on waste and water
awareness and environmental issues since 2010
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Government
Sharing with government and civil society
• Position papers on key issues facing our society and the environment, available to all
• Provided evidence to the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment
and Energy as part of their inquiry into the EU’s contribution to food waste prevention
• Member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation; active participant in its Project Mainstream on the
circular economy
• Worked with a cross-party parliamentary group to create a standardised Social Value framework
• Two graduates seconded to Defra to work on the Red Tape Challenge
• Through PolicyConnect, we are an active member of the Sustainable Resource Forum and of the
Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group
• Developed solutions to help the government tackle challenging waste streams such as radioactive
waste and the decommissioning of oil rigs and shipyards
Outcomes
• We offered our perspective on the Social Value Act: “Calculating social value will be problematic as
there is currently no recognised model to measure it. With this in mind, we urge government to set up
a task group to develop such a model.” MP Hazel Blears is now working with us to move this forward
• Working with The Sustainable Business Partnership to calculate the social impact of our activities
within the London Borough of Southwark has enabled us to consider impacts and outcomes across
project activities, which we can further use in ongoing bids
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Marketplace
In touch with customers and suppliers
Customers:
• Created London’s first energy from waste district heating network
• Customers have shown significant interest in our ‘soup’ and ‘biscuit’ facilities
• Circulated e-newsletters and held webinars
• Improved how we listen to customers
• Held a technology day for private finance customers
• Partnered with IBM on smart cities technology
Suppliers:
• 30 audits of high-risk/high-spend suppliers using Ecovadis
• Quarterly review meetings, supplier questionnaires and action plans
• Free workshops in sustainability and setting CO2 targets
• Shared best practice at ASDA Question Time panel
• Re-certification by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply accreditation
• One of the first companies to sign Business in the Community’s Access Pledge for a fair and
transparent supply chain
• Free, no-obligation site audit to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) minimise waste production
• Shared our experiences at The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme for responsible procurement
Outcomes
• Brand awareness increased by 3% to 79%
• Companies like McDonald’s and Superdrug have all benefited from our better listening training
• Supplier satisfaction scores (tier 1 suppliers) 66%
• CO2 baselines calculated for 10 tier 1 suppliers
• 68 attendees from 61 supplier businesses at our SME sustainability workshop. Over 90% of
attendees identified themselves as CR advocates afterwards
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Workplace
In dialogue with our people
• Employee engagement survey
• Intranet and internal blogs on sustainability
• Board roadshows and Board member site visits
• Poster campaigns and ‘Toolbox Talks’ on health and safety
• Green office programme – increase recycling, improve energy efficiency and reduce water usage
at all our sites
• Innovation forums to capture employee business ideas
• Well-established apprenticeship programme
Outcomes
• Interim employee survey revealed 61% rated Veolia as being on track for delivering on our
engagement plans
• Veolia won Vocational Qualifications Employer of the Year for England
• 354 positions for apprentices
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Governance and sustainability
management
We stand by our belief that a fairly governed business is a successful business. Veolia maintains
its standards of excellence when it comes to effective governance. Operating with honesty and
transparency is fundamental to our licence to operate.
Our Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is made up of seniorlevel employees whose skills and experience
reflect many of the issues in this review.
Sustainability has visibility at the highest levels
of the business and we embed it in our culture
through robust policies and procedures. The
Executive Committee, the highest governing
body, agrees sustainability targets annually as
part of our strategy.
Veolia Executive Vice-President UK & Ireland,
Estelle Brachlianoff, who has overall responsibility
for our strategy, leads the Committee. Personal
development objectives of Committee members
are linked to our environmental and social
performance. An Advisory Board, made up of
academics, politicians and charities, independently
measures progress against targets and provides
guidance on any conflicts of interest.
David Gerrard
Pat Gilroy
Celia Gough
Gavin Graveson
Senior Executive VicePresident UK & Ireland
Chief Financial Officer
C.O.O Industrial Customers
UK & Country Director
Veolia Ireland
Chief Legal Officer and
Company Secretary
Chief Operating Officer Public and Commercial
Robert Hunt
Kevin Hurst
Richard Kirkman
Marguerite Ulrich
Steve Shine
Chief Corporate Officer
Marketing and
Communications Director
Technical Director
HR Director
Chief Executive
Officer - Water
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Governance and sustainability management
Risk
Policies and management systems
We keep a close eye on the risks our business faces.
We define risk as any event that could influence
the achievement of our objectives – for better
(opportunities) or worse (threats). For example,
we need to ensure that our facilities meet the
requirements of current environmental legislation
(technological risk) and that they can process a
certain amount of wastewater over an extended
period (operational risk). We also monitor financial
risk for every contract, taking into account costs
arising from expenses incurred in the complicated
planning process, infrastructure build costs,
operational expenses and plant maintenance
including diversion costs during shutdowns.
Veolia’s financial report gives further examples of
risks and how we manage them.
Our codes of conduct and policies set out Veolia’s
values and ethical obligations. Our policies and
processes help us identify, mitigate and manage
operational risks. These policies are reviewed
regularly to ensure continual improvement.
We involve stakeholders in this review process,
including our trade unions, our staff council and
organisations such as Stonewall that reviewed a
selection of our employee policies for suitability
for lesbian, gay and bisexual members of staff.
Our comprehensive risk register details well over
100 risks that we monitor, ranging from employee
safety and customer due diligence to carbon
quotas and supplier default. These are mapped
onto a matrix depending on their likelihood and
the impact they would have on the business.
We collect data and monitor our impacts
using an integrated management system.
This captures data on environmental, quality,
and health and safety performance, as well as
procurement, finance, fleet and human resources
data. All of our waste management sites are
accredited to ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001,
demonstrating not only our commitment to
compliance, but also to continually improving
our quality, environmental, and health and safety
performance. We will ensure our water sites are
certified by 2015.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Resourcing the world is not about raising our profile; it is our business plan.
However, gaining recognition from expert organisations helps us drive
momentum and challenge ourselves to do more.
“It is an honour to be recognised by Her Majesty the Queen for the work we
have done over the last five years transforming the business. This award
highlights the work all 14,000 members of staff have undertaken to continue
to drive the business forward – for us sustainability is not part of our business,
it is our business!”
Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia Executive Vice-President UK & Ireland
22
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
In 2013, our creativity and innovation inspired others to think beyond waste,
and helped us to win awards. These included:
Queen’s Award
For Enterprise in Sustainable
Development
Vocational
Qualification
Employer of the Year
The Edge Foundation
Four-star rating
and second overall
receives...
Business in the Community
Corporate Responsibility Index
...CBI’s First Women
Business of the Year Award
Big Ticks
Partnership Initiative
of the Year
Workplace Talent and Skills,
Climate Change
Water Industry
Achievement Awards
Four sites achieved...
...Wildlife Trust Biodiversity
Benchmark certification
Gold
Transport for London’s
Fleet Operator Recognition
Scheme
Estelle Brachlianoff receives
23
Our approach
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Innovation
Assurance
This Sustainability Report summarises our
performance for the 2013 calendar and financial
year. The report covers all Veolia water, recycling
and waste management operations across the UK.
Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd (LRQA)
was commissioned by Veolia to assure its webbased 2013 Sustainability Report for the calendar
year 2013.
The report has used the Sustainability Reporting
Guidelines – Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
to Application Level B+. To view the Standard
Disclosures and what Indicators we have reported
please see the Global Reporting Initiative index.
In 2013, the scope of this reporting expanded
to cover Veolia Water, which merged with the
business in 2013.
Global Reporting Initiative index
The Veolia Sustainability Report follows the
Global Reporting Initiative G3.1 Guidelines.
GRI has verified that the report is prepared
according to the GRI Guidelines, at Application
Level B. To view the Standard Disclosures and
what Indicators we have reported, download
our Global Reporting Initiative index.
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Our approach
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Preserving resources
Veolia is finding new ways to create access to
resources, and preserve and replenish them for
generations to come. The precious materials we
recover can be recycled, reprocessed and reused,
again and again.
From providing monitoring systems that save drinking water
to protecting threatened habitats and wildlife, Veolia’s
creative solutions mean that customers can cut their use of
fossils fuels and water, and reduce their waste. This is a vital
contribution to the UK’s journey towards a circular economy
and sustainable development.
By operating fewer landfill sites than our competitors (despite
being the market leader), we are making a vital contribution
towards the UK’s target to reduce the amount of biodegradable
municipal waste landfilled to 35% of 1995 levels by 2020.
To make this happen, we’ve made commitments on pollution,
natural resource preservation, biodiversity, combating
climate change and raising awareness of environmental
issues. In 2013, we made our voice clear on key policy issues
such as the Industrial Emissions Directive, air pollution control
and recycling incinerator bottom ash.
Community
Innovation
We save more
carbon than we
emit, making us a
carbon-positive
business
Converted over
1.8 million
tonnes of waste
into enough clean
energy to power
nearly 200,000
homes
4 more sites have
achieved The
Wildlife Trust’s
Biodiversity
Benchmark
certification
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Our approach
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Talking points: working for
a carbon-positive business
Charlotte Kyle
Senior Environmental
Officer, Veolia
While working at the forefront of carbon and
environmental issues over the past eight years,
I have become increasingly aware of the urgency
of reducing emissions, saving resources and
protecting the environment. The climate is
changing before our eyes, with extreme weather
events already affecting the communities
in which we live and impacts set to increase
significantly in the coming years. We need to act
now to create a safe and sustainable world for
future generations. The clear and present driver
for industry is to save on energy costs, which will
deliver this carbon reduction.
This is an important time, and an exciting one.
There is an opportunity to help build a new
low-carbon world where nothing is wasted and
everything is a resource, reducing the pressure
on the finite resources available to a population
that will reach over 9 billion by 2050. I am proud
to work for a business that displaces more carbon
than it emits thanks to our unique approach
to energy and material recovery. It’s also great
to play a part in how we streamline our own
operations and those of our customers to be
more carbon efficient.
“Agreement of a new global climate
treaty will help facilitate the delivery
of a low-carbon circular economy, and
Veolia will be part of this journey.”
I’m optimistic about the future and hope that a
new global climate treaty can be agreed between
countries at the United Nations Climate Change
Conference in December 2015 to drive forward
the required reductions in carbon emissions. This
is slowly gathering momentum as the UK has
strengthened its carbon targets by cancelling 36
million tonnes of unused carbon allowances in its
first carbon budget (2008–2012), and the US plans
to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by
30% over 2005 levels by 2030 – this is paving the
way for significant global progress. Agreement of
a new global climate treaty will help facilitate the
delivery of a low-carbon circular economy, and
Veolia will be part of this journey.
Let’s make value from sustainable business and
protect our finite environment along the way.
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Our approach
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Innovation
Our business strategy to become a re-manufacturer, clean energy provider and
innovator will reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.
It will also reduce our own exposure to
fluctuating energy prices. By working at the
heart of the water–energy–waste nexus, we
are helping to tackle climate change. We remain
one of the few net carbon creditors in the UK
government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment
Energy Efficiency Scheme, achieving net
emissions of 269,000 tonnes CO2 – emissions
saved from the atmosphere as a result of our
circular economy approach.
Our carbon footprint
Our direct emissions (excluding Veolia Water,
which merged with Veolia Environmental
Services in 2013) decreased in 2013 mainly due
to a 17% reduction in methane emissions from
landfill. Indirect emissions from electricity
consumption remained steady, despite an 8%
increase in the overall waste managed. We
avoided a further 8% of emissions thanks to more
efficient recovery of materials including glass,
plastics and metals.
The Water operations generated 48,500 MWh
of renewable energy from biogas and biomass,
reducing its direct and indirect emissions by over
15,000 tonnes CO2e and exporting some of the
electricity to the national grid.
“Veolia is a business that thrives on helping other companies to reduce their own
environmental impact, so it is great to see them continue to hold the Carbon
Trust Standard in 2013, which was first achieved by Veolia in 2010.”
Darran Messem, Managing Director – Certification, The Carbon Trust
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Our approach
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Greenhouse gas emissions (tonnes CO2e)
Veolia Environmental Services*
2011
1,159,905
2012
26,416
1,202,345
2013
1,133,663
0
50,000
1,069,245
31,837
1,168,953
32,766
1,202,780
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Veolia Water**
2013
134
5,428
36,613
0
50,000
Direct emissions
(scope 1)
Indirect emissions
(scope 2)
Avoided emissions
2011 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2012 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2013 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2013
Veolia
Water**
Direct emissions (scope 1)
(tonnes CO2e)
1,159,905
1,202,345
1,133,663
5,428
Indirect emissions (scope 2)
(tonnes CO2e)
26,416
31,837
32,766
36,613
Avoided emissions
(tonnes CO2e)
1,069,245
1,168,953
1,202,780
134
Direct ‘scope 1’ emissions are those associated with fuel
consumption and positive emissions of carbon (for example
from vehicles, the operation of materials recovery facilities
(MRF) and fugitive methane emissions from landfill).
Indirect ‘scope 2’ emissions are those associated with
electricity consumption at facilities.
Avoided emissions are due to recovering materials for
recycling at MRFs, recovering electricity and heat for export
at Energy Recovery Facilities, and recovering electricity for
export from landfills.
*Veolia Environmental Services’ footprint has been restated
for all years to account for material changes to the conversion
factors provided by Defra for company reporting purposes.
**These are the baseline emissions since the regulated part of
the business was sold in June 2012. Future annual emissions
will be compared against this baseline.
For more environmental data, please visit our environmental
performance data page.
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Our approach
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Innovation
What’s the difference between
CO2 and CO2e?
Making carbon savings
On this page you’ll see references both to CO2 and
to CO2e. CO2 is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas
emitted as a result of burning fossil fuels such as
oil, coal and natural gas. However, carbon dioxide
isn’t the only greenhouse gas, so CO2e – or carbon
dioxide equivalent – is used to measure emissions
of other greenhouse gases.
We are proud to report that the carbon emissions
saved from recovering materials and the export
of energy has exceeded those emitted in all of
our recycling and waste operations in 2013. We
are continually striving to optimise efficiencies in
order to improve our carbon footprint, and this is
demonstrated by the improvement in the carbon
performance ratio from 2011 to 2013.
Carbon performance ratio
The carbon performance ratio (CPR) is the calculation of avoided emissions divided by direct + indirect
emissions. When the CPR is greater than 1, the carbon emitted is offset by the carbon avoided.
1.0
0.90
0.95
1.03
2011
2012
2013
0.5
0
Carbon performance ratio
2011
2012
2013
0.90
0.95
1.03
Recovering methane
from landfill sites
We have adopted technologies to capture
methane generated from landfill sites, achieving
a capture rate of 86%. In order to capture more
methane emitted, at the majority of our internally
operated sites we have deployed systems
which automatically vary the rate of extraction
depending on the quantity and quality of
methane being emitted.
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Our approach
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Innovation
Energy recovery
Our eight Energy Recovery Facilities transform waste into electricity. In 2013,
we converted over 1.8 million tonnes of waste into clean energy and sold
sufficient energy to the national grid to power nearly 200,000 homes. This is
the circular economy in action.
Households heated by
their own waste
Veolia has partnered with Southwark Council to
launch London’s first energy from waste district
heating network. Energy generated from the
South-East London Combined Heat and Power
(SELCHP) facility provides heat to 2,500 homes in
Bermondsey, Southwark.
The pioneering scheme presents a viable
alternative to traditional gas-fired boilers and
will provide sustainable and secure heating for
the five estates in Bermondsey. The network will
reduce carbon emissions by 8,000 tonnes each
year, the equivalent of taking 2,700 cars off the
road. This will equate to long-term energy cost
savings to residents.
1
6
2
Southwark
District Heating
Process
5
3
4
1 Black bags of refuse are collected from Southwark homes.
2 Black bags are taken to the Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility.
3Recyclables are extracted from black bag waste. Remaining black bag waste is decomposed to create
a fuel for energy recovery.
4Fuel is taken to SELCHP.
5Energy recovered by burning the fuel is used to heat water. The rest of the energy in the fuel is made
into electricity and exported to the National Grid where it powers homes and businesses.
6Hot water is piped to Southwark homes near SELCHP.
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Our approach
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Innovation
Energy recovery
District heating by numbers
£7 million investment
in the project
8,000 tonnes of CO2
saved every year
2,500 Southwark
homes benefit from
secure, sustainable
long-term heat
1–2 weeks is the
time needed to turn
the black bag waste
into fuel for energy
recovery
1.2 miles is the
distance from
Southwark
to SELCHP
2 miles is the length
of the pipe network
that is used to
transport hot water
to homes
Find out more about how we are recovering energy from waste in our animation.
Clean energy for Scottish Water
We’ve been working closely with Scottish Water
at Seafield, which treats the wastewater for
nearly 1 million people in Edinburgh. The plant is
now around 75% self-sufficient in electricity from
biogas with the aim of reaching 100% in 2014.
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Our approach
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Biodiversity
Many of our operating sites offer important
habitats for wildlife. Using our own tried and
tested tools, we are implementing biodiversity
action plans at all of our sites with significant
ecological interest.
Our approach emphasises working in partnership
with local environmental associations and
communities. A collaborative approach enables
us to target the most threatened species, work
more efficiently and add credibility to our
efforts. For example, we continued our long-
standing partnership with The Wildlife Trust
and distributed biodiversity kits containing bee
‘hotels’ and beetle logs, as well as ladybird towers
and bird boxes, to schools around the UK.
In 2013, we identified sites around the UK on
which to use our own biodiversity diagnostic
toolkit. From this, we have created biodiversity
action plans to ensure that flora and fauna
flourish at our sites.
“We are pleased to award Biodiversity Benchmarks to four of Veolia’s sites.
They demonstrate true commitment to protecting and enhancing fauna
and flora in the areas where they operate, which is vital if we are to have an
environment that we can all enjoy long into the future.”
Colin Preston, CEO, Shropshire Wildlife Trust
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Our approach
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Biodiversity
A triple win for estuary habitats
Wastewater used in power stations
Power stations use large volumes of water as boiler feed. This water has to be produced to an even higher
standard of purity than drinking water. Veolia has designed, built and maintains a system to take treated
wastewater from a nearby sewage treatment plant and clean it to the level that is needed for boiler
water feed. With financial benefits for the sewage works, the power station and Veolia, this innovation is
a triple win. It also reduces discharge into the local estuary, supporting this fragile habitat.
Buzzing about new team members
Beehives installed at Veolia sites
Bees and other insects pollinate the majority of our fruit and vegetables. Without them, it is estimated
that it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops.
We are helping to protect bees by installing beehives at our facilities, such as the six hives located at our
facility in South-East London, and our hives in Pitsea.
This helps with the vital conservation of bee populations, providing a safe haven for bee colonies while
providing us with some Veolia honey!
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
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Community
Innovation
Biodiversity
More biodiversity benchmarks
Standards of excellence in wildlife conservation
Four of our sites, Pitsea, Coalmoore, Smalley Hill and Croft Farm, have achieved The Wildlife Trust’s
Biodiversity Benchmark certification. This is awarded to companies that manage land to the highest
standard to ensure that it attracts a diverse range of wildlife. Veolia hosts free tours for specialist groups
and local schools to see wildlife such as water voles, great crested newts and lizards.
UK’s largest green roof
Attracting wildlife and soaking up carbon
We’ve installed a green roof on our wastewater treatment works in Peacehaven, in partnership with
Southern Water. Equivalent in size to three football pitches, this is the UK’s largest green roof and one of
the largest in Europe. It is planted with grasses to help it blend into the surrounding landscape.
Our Chineham Energy Recovery Facility in Hampshire was also designed to blend in with its local
surroundings. The roof features heath plants that attract local wildlife, including insects and butterflies,
which in turn attract birds.
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Our approach
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Environmental performance data
All data in this section is for Veolia Environmental Services since the water business became part of Veolia
in 2013. The exception to this is the emissions data which incorporates data from the water business.
Energy
Direct energy consumption
(CO2e)
2011
2012
2013
Diesel fuel used in fleet
112,200
110,242
106,325
Diesel fuel used in plant
23,558
22,737
22,968
CO2 is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas emitted as a result of burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal
and natural gas. However, carbon dioxide isn’t the only greenhouse gas, so CO2e – or carbon dioxide
equivalent – is used to measure emissions of other greenhouse gases.
Indirect energy
consumption (kWh)
2011
2012
2013
Electricity consumed non-renewables
23,290,660
27,021,020
27,219,610
Electricity consumed renewables
35,145,740
42,186,190
46,333,210
Total electricity consumed
58,436,400
69,207,210
73,552,820
Emissions
Our carbon footprint has been restated for all years in order to account for material changes to the
conversion factors provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for company
reporting purposes.
Emissions (tonnes CO2e)
2011 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2012 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2013 Veolia
Environmental
Services*
2013
Veolia
Water**
Direct emissions (scope 1)
1,159,905
1,202,345
1,133,663
5,428
Indirect emissions (scope 2)
26,416
31,837
32,766
36,613
Avoided emissions
1,069,245
1,168,953
1,202,780
134
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
CO2 is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas emitted as a result of burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal
and natural gas. However, carbon dioxide isn’t the only greenhouse gas, so CO2e – or carbon dioxide
equivalent – is used to measure emissions of other greenhouse gases.
Air (tonnes)
2011
2012
2013
Landfill gas captured for
flaring and gas utilisation
358,709
369,915
388,057
Capture rate of landfill gas
83.7
84.68
87.65
Direct ‘scope 1’ emissions are those associated with fuel
consumption and positive emissions of carbon (for example
from vehicles, the operation of materials recovery facilities
(MRF) and methane emissions from landfill).
Indirect ‘scope 2’ emissions are those associated with
electricity consumption at facilities.
Avoided emissions are due to recovering materials for
recycling at MRFs, recovering electricity and heat for export
at Energy Recovery Facilities and recovering electricity for
export from landfills.
*Veolia Environmental Services’ footprint has been restated
for all years to account for material changes to the conversion
factors provided by Defra for company reporting purposes.
Veolia Environmental Services has been reporting the carbon
footprint for all its activities since 1999, and Veolia Water
since 2008. The carbon-footprint methodology is based on
the Veolia measurement and reporting protocols, which
are consistent with the guidelines of the Global Reporting
Initiative, the International Accounting Standards of
international financial reporting, the greenhouse gas (GHG)
measurement and reporting transport protocol developed by
Entreprises pour l’Environnement and Veolia Environnement,
the International Panel on Climate Change methodologies
and the GHG Protocol of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development. Where applicable, the UK’s
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and
the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s conversion
factors for company reporting have also been used.
**Baseline emissions since the regulated part of the business
was sold in June 2012. Future annual emissions will be against
this baseline.
Waste
Waste handled (tonnes)
2011
2012
2013
Total waste collected
4,475,500
4,848,337
4,705,110
Total waste received at
composting facilities
165,940
194,170
203,470
Total waste received
at incinerators
1,679,310
1,861,840
1,864,870
Total waste received
at landfills
4,651,930
3,312,060
4,108,000
Total hazardous
waste treated
337,680
339,970
338,090
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Our approach
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Innovation
Recovered materials (tonnes)* 2011
2012
2013
Paper and cardboard
438,650
500,540
481,400
Plastics
59,550
69,750
94,730
Glass
145,390
160,970
197,400
Ferrous metals
45,990
36,940
39,500
Non-ferrous metals
5,490
5,740
6,190
2011
2012
2013
Solid source separated
materials collected by
municipal contracts from
households
780,130
932,500
915,040
Solid source separated
materials collected by
commercial contracts
168,350
258,130
290,150
Water (cubic meters)
2011
2012
2013
Potable – mains water
1,028,358
1,200,422
1,220,606
Non-potable –
groundwater
12,546
21,507
7,924
*Output from sorting and transfer only
Collected recyclables
(tonnes)
Water
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Changing the
landscape
of resource
management
Community
Innovation
Brand
awareness up to
79% (against our
target of 75%)
Rapid urbanisation, rising energy costs and
climate change are three of the greatest
challenges of our time. Our strategy as
re-manufacturer, clean energy provider and
innovator is helping customers tackle these
issues, shaping a circular economy for all.
Veolia’s know-how
spans the entire
water cycle,
from providing
water services to
cleaning wastewater
and harnessing
green energy
We work alongside our suppliers, customers, stakeholders
and some of the country’s best research talent in a
marketplace that touches the entire UK population.
Our know-how in water, energy and waste is creating
a new perspective on production and consumption.
Our strategy focuses on helping clients with complex resource
management challenges by giving them bespoke solutions
that are profitable and environmentally sound. These
solutions increasingly focus on energy and re-manufactured
products, which already represent about 20% of our revenue.
We invest over
£50 million a
year worldwide in
researching and
developing some
of the world’s most
efficient resource
infrastructure
technologies
38
Our approach
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Innovation
Talking points: view from a customer
Dr Forbes McDougall
Global Solid Waste Leader,
Procter & Gamble
Many types of waste can be put to good use.
It’s what we call ‘worth from waste’ and is part
of Procter & Gamble’s long-term sustainability
vision to cut the consumer and manufacturing
waste we send to landfill – to zero.
When Veolia became our waste-management
contractor for our manufacturing sites’
distribution centres in the UK in 2010, we were
looking for a partner we could trust to enable
our sustainability vision and be a key player in
helping us find solutions to a range of complex
challenges. Back then P&G’s beneficial reuse
rate (reuse, recycling and recovery) for waste
materials stood at a respectable but uninspiring
66%, and we wanted Veolia to help us raise
the bar and realise the true worth of all waste
streams across all of our sites. There were
many different materials and waste streams
involved. In partnership with local P&G sites,
Veolia reviewed and analysed all of them and
recommended potential solutions. At the Reading
aerosol manufacturing plant, for example, it was
essential to be able to recycle every component of
the aerosol cans. The solution is comprehensive
– the propellant gases are extracted, the metal
“We were looking for a partner
we could trust to enable our
sustainability vision and be a key
player in helping us find solutions
to a range of complex challenges.”
cans are recycled and the organic liquid is
processed for secondary liquid fuel, which can
be used as an alternative fuel source in the
energy-intensive cement industry.
Used cardboard boxes were another material
that was seen to have potentially more value
than simple materials recycling. Veolia sourced
a supplier to sort, palletise and transport these
boxes to enable the recovery of more value via
P&G’s reuse programme. For other types of
waste, it helped that Veolia had the capability
to recycle or recover energy from materials
through their own network of local facilities.
The result of our collaboration and innovation
is that P&G’s Reading manufacturing facility
has achieved zero waste to landfill status,
as have most of our UK sites, and our overall
beneficial reuse rate for all UK sites this year is
97%. Veolia was a key enabler of this – providing
a comprehensive service that considered all
waste streams and investigated environmentally
friendly and innovative alternatives to disposal.
39
Our approach
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Marketplace
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Community
Innovation
Veolia brings pioneering resource management solutions to customers up and
down the country. These infrastructure services are highly specialised and often
the first of their kind.
Ensuring our customers always come first
is fundamental to our growth strategy.
New-business wins, customer retention and
industry awards are testament to the innovation
and seamless service we offer. In 2013, Veolia
Environmental Services achieved an overall 3%
increase in our independent brand-awareness
study. Our scores for innovation and corporate
responsibility both increased by 5%, indicating an
improved public perception of us as an innovative
environmental service provider.
“Veolia continues to provide a reliable and effective level of service across London
Luton Airport. Their in-depth knowledge of the history and infrastructure is
invaluable in providing support in many areas across the site.”
London Luton Airport, Veolia client
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Our approach
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Innovation
Working together in 2013
Helping SMEs cut their landfill tax
Giving smaller businesses a hand
In 2013, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK threw away £463 million in landfill tax by
sending waste that could have been recycled to landfill. Working together with these businesses,
Veolia offers a free, no-obligation site audit to show how to minimise waste production, what
materials a business can recover and how to increase recycling participation, as well as identifying
resale or reuse opportunities for recycled materials.
London Luton Airport: water and wastewater services
Water savings taking off
Water management is part of London Luton Airport’s climate change strategy but across the airport
the capacity, condition and serviceability of water assets and infrastructure, as well as water quality
and usage, were largely unknown.
Our contribution? Our work included a comprehensive programme of maintenance and asset
management, responsibility for the customer service and billing of around 100 tenants and meter
points, flood risk mitigation and environmental compliance.
Unaccounted-for water, including leakage, has been reduced from more than 40% to around 12%. We
now forecast shortages in system capacity and respond immediately to any network problems. Customer
enquiries, complaints, technical support requests and emergency response have also improved.
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Our approach
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Ministry of Defence (Gibraltar): seawater desalination
Ensuring a secure, quality water supply
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) needed an uninterrupted supply of 1,200m3 of drinking water and
960m3 of filtered seawater to serve our Armed Forces. The original plant had become too hazardous
to access and the bespoke plant required a new location. Security and quality of water supply were of
paramount importance.
Our contribution? Veolia designed and constructed a new seawater desalination plant in a gorge
next to the existing plant, allowing easy access and integration with the infrastructure. This longterm project provides the MoD with a sustainable water supply that complies with environmental
regulations as well as their own strict security and reliability criteria. The recovered energy has been
increased by 40%, giving the MoD a significant cost saving.
Partnerships built to last
In partnership with customers
Our contracts with customers have lasted up to 35 years. We work side by side with them to develop
sustainability goals and identify areas for improvement, helping meet or exceed targets ahead of time with
help from our tailored behaviour-change campaigns.
Working collaboratively with each customer through a ‘consultancy’ approach is critical to enabling us to
deliver bespoke, tailored solutions, as laid out in our vision. Customers like McDonald’s Restaurants and
Superdrug have all benefited from these bespoke services. See more stories from our customers.
42
Our approach
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Community
Innovation
Innovation
Inventing new ways of bringing green products,
clean energy and water to our customers requires
thinking outside the box. Veolia invests over
£50 million a year worldwide in researching and
developing some of the world’s most efficient
resource infrastructure technologies.
Our customers benefit from our creative thinking
– whether it’s decommissioning an oil rig or
providing technical services, our innovative
technologies maximise the value that can be
extracted from precious resources and give them
a new lease of life so they can be used again and
again. Veolia’s know-how spans the entire water
Food peelings can be transformed
to liquid fuel
HOWjWE’RE INNOVATING
Renewable power with every flush
HOW WE’RE INNOVATING
cycle, from providing water services to cleaning
wastewater and harnessing green energy.
Our experts collaborate with industry on ideas
to reduce costs and improve efficiency. From
airports and retail giants, to local shops and
small businesses, Veolia’s culture of innovation
is making a tangible difference to our customers
and society.
Looking ahead, we aim to use our innovation
forum to put new innovation projects into practice
each year. This will enable us to develop solutions
for more complex issues for our customers.
Recycling every last drop
Anyone at Veolia can submit an
idea to improve our business
Veolia is demonstrating that it is
possible to bring waste back to life
Pro-Grow is helping preserve
fragile peatlands
43
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Resourcing the world means scanning the
horizon for opportunities to create access to new
resources while preserving existing resources.
Anticipating future challenges and responding
innovatively means we can offer the latest
specialist technologies to our customers and
access growing markets of the future.
Our business strategy is based on accessing
high-value resource management opportunities,
including complex and sensitive waste streams.
Some of the ideas that enable us to target new
markets derive from employees across the
business through our innovation forums.
A new life for oil and gas rigs
A sustainable new market
The UK decommissioning market for redundant North Sea gas and oil rigs is worth £16 billion. This market
is a true test of Veolia’s technical and industrial capability. We have an impressive track record both in the
North Sea and Africa and we have existing contracts to decommission and recycle over 60,000 tonnes of
materials from redundant plants.
The scope of the project is huge and requires careful planning and engineering to move, safely dismantle,
recycle and dispose of the structures, in line with Environment Agency expectations.
44
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Future gazing
Cities of 2050
Have you ever imagined living in 2050 and how the world may look? We know that, by 2050, 70% of the
world’s 9 billion population will be living in cities, and so it’s important for us, the UK’s leading sustainable
business, to understand these challenges and to provide future solutions.
We joined forces with the London School of Economics to create our own ‘tale of two cities’ based on
collaborative and individual approaches to the future city. Our technology team imagined the home of
the future and came up with innovative ideas for daily life, including taking ultrasonic baths, living in
binless homes and growing our own plastics!
To find out more watch our animation or see our talking points.
Intelligent networks for smart cities
A new offering for water customers
Cities and networks of the future will constantly communicate with each other. These networks will be
Veolia’s future marketplace.
We’re working alongside IBM to produce innovative tools and services for our water utility customers.
Our smart network technology, Veolia Integrated Intelligent Operations (ViiO), manages the network
‘intelligently’, predicting and identifying problems before they affect customers or the environment.
By developing and installing ViiO in our own networks at Tidworth, Wiltshire, and those of our clients in
Lyon, France, our partnership with IBM is helping to create a greener, smarter world.
45
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Radioactive waste
Applying our know-how to sensitive waste
We offer incineration services for low-level radioactive waste and Naturally Occurring Radioactive
Materials (NORM) produced by the decommissioning of the UK’s nuclear licensed facilities and from
on- and offshore facilities in the oil and gas sector.
Permitted to accept a full range of alpha, beta and gamma radionuclides, our state-of-the-art, High
Temperature Incinerator at Ellesmere Port offers the best overall environmental option for the clean and
complete thermal destruction of these materials.
46
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Responsible procurement
We want to bring others with us on the journey
towards a sustainable, circular economy. With
an annual procurement spend of £769 million to
over 7,700 suppliers, our corporate responsibility
extends far beyond our own operations.
We will only work with suppliers that meet
our social and environmental standards, as
laid out in our procurement policy. Where a
supplier is particularly high risk, we carry out a
rigorous audit of its environmental, social and
ethical policies. In 2013, we carried out 30 such
assessments through a specialist sustainable
supply chain auditor, the highest number of
audits to date.
Wherever possible, we do business with small,
local suppliers. We work collaboratively with
them to develop action plans to improve their
environmental, social and business performance.
During 2013, our team worked with 10 tier 1
suppliers to calculate their CO2 baselines and
to estimate cost savings of ‘greening’ their
products or processes.
Working side by side
with suppliers
Our annual corporate responsibility supplier
workshop in 2013, attended by 61 supplier
businesses, demonstrated that sustainability
can be a cost-neutral or cost-positive strategy.
Following the event, over 90% of participants
identified themselves as advocates of corporate
responsibility (CR).
We continue to be registered with the Chartered
Institute of Purchasing and Supply’s corporate
certification scheme, testament to our robust
processes, strategies, policies and procedures.
Supplier satisfaction
Levels of supplier satisfaction have been gradually
rising and exceeded our target of 64% in 2013.
47
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Supporting smaller,
local businesses
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) currently
comprise over 89% of our supplier database and
receive over 49% of the £769 million we spend
each year. We prioritise working with local SME
suppliers in the areas where we operate in order
to boost local economies.
We want anyone, anywhere, to be able to do
business with us. Veolia was one of the first
companies to sign Business in the Community’s
Access Pledge for a fair and transparent supply
chain for smaller businesses.
A special relationship with
social enterprises
Social enterprises are businesses that reinvest
their profits back into the business or the local
community. They have a strong presence in
the UK’s most deprived communities with
half the enterprises employing people who are
disadvantaged in the labour market. We form
long-term partnerships with these organisations
in order to support them and extend the positive
impact they have on local communities.
For example, we provide materials to Elixir Group
in Merseyside, which trains vulnerable adults
to reprocess plastic materials and electrical
equipment. In Birmingham, we supply everything
from furniture to bicycles to the Jericho
Foundation so they can be remade, restored
and resold by people who have experienced
homelessness and long-term unemployment. We
are currently partnering with social enterprises
at 58% of our household waste and recycling
centres and we plan to increase this in 2014.
We shared such experiences with other
large businesses at The Prince’s Seeing is
Believing programme, which brought together
procurement professionals to look at new ways
of making supply chains more open to SMEs
and social enterprise. Going forward, we will
be calculating the number of social enterprises
throughout our supply chain, and discovering
how we can support them further.
“Veolia’s innovative two-way approach has encouraged us to make changes
to our practices, helping us become more competitive – last year the business
grew by 27%.”
Veolia supplier John Dickson, Managing Director of NBC Environmental Services Ltd
48
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Every day 14,000 people at Veolia work
together to create smart solutions to
resource management. Building an
inclusive culture of innovation begins
in our communities and continues
through our renowned learning
and development programmes. By
encouraging people from different
backgrounds to join our workforce, we
can become more responsive to future
challenges and opportunities.
We lay out our commitments as a fair and responsible employer to our
workforce in our position statement. Our people strategy shows how
we will become an employer of choice by up-skilling employees, driving
a culture of performance and having a customer-focused agenda.
Our longstanding work on skills is rooted in our community
investment and is fundamental to our vision of an inclusive
workplace with a diversity of perspectives. We engage our people
at all levels through our learning opportunities and we never
compromise when it comes to their health, safety and wellbeing.
Vocational
Qualifications
Employer of the
Year for England
12% reduction
in workplace
accidents
354 apprentices
in placement,
against our
target of 300
49
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Talking points: why different
perspectives mean better business
Richard
Chapman-Harris
Diversity Advisor,
Working with Veolia it is clear to me that valuing
its people and attracting the best talent is
fundamental to competing in the future. Veolia’s
holistic approach to equality, diversity and
inclusion puts it in a good position to capitalise
on the skills and perspectives of its people.
Diverse businesses are successful businesses.
As Veolia has focused on changing its core
business model to become more innovative,
it has positioned diversity and inclusion at the
core of these developments. By prioritising areas
requiring attention, such as the representation of
women across the company, Veolia supports the
entire workforce. In a recent YouGov survey, 33%
felt that greater job flexibility would make them
more productive and 43% said that it would help
them with stress.
Benefits such as these will help Veolia stay ahead
of the game in thinking ‘outside the box’ as it
develops technologies to transform waste and
wastewater into products and energy. Estelle
Brachlianoff, Veolia’s Executive Vice-President
UK & Ireland, welcomes change and positive
“Veolia’s holistic approach to equality,
diversity and inclusion puts it in a
good position to capitalise on the skills
and perspectives of its people.”
development, highlighting the value of “new
faces and ideas”. Marguerite Ulrich, the Human
Resources Director, is passionate that “people
come in different colours, shapes, sizes and have
very varied beliefs and values. But this is what
is so exciting as each individual person brings
something unique to a business.”
Through Veolia’s membership with Opportunity
Now, Business in the Community’s gender
equality campaign, we are supporting the
worldwide Diversity and Equal Opportunity
action plan, which focuses on four priority
employee categories: women, older workers,
ethnic minorities and disabled people. With
Opportunity Now’s focus on gender equality and
female representation throughout the workforce,
we are proud to be guiding Veolia towards
gender equality through our gender and race
benchmarks. Veolia is engaged in our benchmark
to audit and assess the work it is carrying out and
this will help shape future, collaborative action.
50
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Health, safety and wellbeing
As we are the country’s leading resource management company with a range of
waste, water, energy and industrial sites, health and safety plays a fundamental
role in how we operate.
In 2013, we saw a 12% reduction in workplace
accidents. We are proud of this but we want to
see zero accidents. With over 90% of workplace
accidents caused by unsafe actions, our approach
goes far beyond compliance to changing
behaviours and attitudes. Each year we run a
number of initiatives to raise awareness including
‘toolbox talks’ which are held regularly at depot
level, and seasonal campaigns to address key
issues like ‘slips, trips and falls’ every winter.
We are also training employees in behaviour
observation techniques to encourage colleagues
to be safety aware. Going forward to 2016,
WorkSafe, our workplace behaviour campaign,
will highlight safe behaviours to all employees.
We partner with expert organisations on this. For
instance, in conjunction with Transport for London
and Cycle Confident, we have delivered safe urban
driving training to over 600 drivers across the
London region. The course focuses on vulnerable
road users, including cyclists, and is the first
accredited course in the UK to include practical,
on-road cycle training for drivers. It also counts
towards the 35 hours of Certificate of Professional
Competence training that professional lorry
drivers need to complete in 2014.
51
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Health, safety and wellbeing
Helping smaller enterprises
in site safety
Our approach to health and safety extends
beyond our own employees to support other
businesses in our neighbourhoods. Veolia is
proud to be an active board member of the
government’s Estates Excellence (EE) initiative.
EE targets industrial estates with poor accident
histories, ill-health statistics or high fire risks. Its
collaboration of businesses ‘adopt’ small and
medium enterprises for six weeks to benchmark
their performance, and provide training in
site safety and occupational health support.
Participation is entirely voluntary and all services,
including training, are provided free of charge.
Employee wellness
We run wellness programmes, available to all our
people, to encourage healthy lifestyles. These
include a cycle2work discount scheme, access to a
confidential helpline for personal or work-related
issues, our welfare clinic including physiotherapy
services, and a health check which gives
employees the opportunity to have their pulse,
blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked.
12% reduction
in workplace
accidents
38% reduction
in Lost Time
Incidents
34% reduction
in the number of
days lost due to
individuals being
injured at work
36% reduction
in RIDDORs
(Reporting of
Injuries, Diseases
and Dangerous
Occurrences)
“The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by Veolia and their active
involvement at board level demonstrate true partnership working.”
The UK Government Health and Safety Executive
52
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Our employees work most effectively in an open, dynamic and stimulating
environment, where individual progression and personal welfare are prioritised.
Veolia engages employees by offering inclusive
learning and development opportunities and
creating safe and healthy workplaces. Although
there was not a full employee engagement survey
in 2013, we carried out a ‘temperature check’
survey to ensure that we are moving in the right
direction in four key areas: diversity, leadership,
continuity, and health and wellbeing. We have
created action plans based on the responses,
which came from over 62% of employees, to
ensure improvements are in place at site level.
Deliver the
best service
Build a
customerfocused
agenda
Why talent is key to
business growth
At Veolia, we see all employees as talented and
we do everything we can to nurture these talents.
Tapping into the strengths that motivate and
energise our people is how we ensure engagement
and business growth:
Develop
employee
skills
Create a
culture of high
performance
53
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
In 2013, employee satisfaction continued to rise
but we saw declines in engagement levels and
leadership scores. Employees are telling us we
need to listen more, celebrate our successes and
move more quickly on responding to changes.
We will be focusing on these areas in 2014, with
a view to meeting our target of increasing our
employee engagement and leadership score by
2% relative to 2013.
Leading the way towards a circular economy
requires a culture of innovation at Veolia. We
have dedicated Change Leaders to make this
happen around the business, as well as Innovation
Managers to enable employees at all levels to share
ideas. We give all our employees the opportunity
to pitch ideas through our Innovation Forums.
54
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Learning and development
Being a re-manufacturer and innovation leader means applying the right skills
to do an outstanding job. By bringing out people’s true potential, we are better
able to serve our customers, improve employee retention and become a more
attractive employer.
Our commitment to learning and development
is clear in our position statement and in our
results. In 2013, Veolia was named Vocational
Qualifications Employer of the Year for England,
with 59% of employees undertaking at least one
day’s training (up 2% from 2012) as a result of over
£5 million of investment.
Our suite of Back2Business initiatives begins in the
community and supports those from marginalised
groups. We are particularly proud that our
apprenticeship programme helped 354 people gain
accredited vocational qualifications in 2013, our
highest figure to date. Recruiting apprentices not
only offers employment and skills development
opportunities to address youth unemployment
and skills development at a national level but also
helps build an inclusive and innovative business.
55
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Learning and development
Veolia comes out on top
Campus Veolia is our dedicated centre for staff
training, learning and development. Upholding our
continued commitment to the government’s Skills
Pledge, a key focus for the Campus is providing
qualifications and training to all Veolia employees.
In 2013, 1,166 employees completed or were in the
process of completing a qualification, bringing the
total awarded NVQs to date to more than 8,000
144,640 hours
of training given
to employees
Ben’s story
Apprentice
I left school at 17 after deciding that A Levels
were not for me. I knew nothing about Veolia
until I spotted an advert in a newspaper
promoting apprenticeships. I had always
wanted to get into engineering.
employees. We are on track to reach our target of
all our 14,000 employees being trained to at least
NVQ Level 2 by December 2014.
Education charity The Edge Foundation named
Veolia Vocational Qualifications Employer of the
Year for England in 2013, testament to our longstanding commitment to developing our people.
354 apprentices
in placement,
against
our target of 300
After a successful interview, I was offered a
position on the apprenticeship scheme. My
training began with a three-day induction at
Campus Veolia, which led straight into two years
working at the training facility in Ratcliffe Power
Station combined with study at Loughborough
College and time on site.
Since starting the scheme I have gained a double
distinction in a BTEC National Diploma Level 3 in
Mechanical Engineering, a Performing Engineering
Operations Level 2 in Electrical Maintenance and
I have almost completed my NVQ Level 3. I have
enjoyed all aspects of my apprenticeship training,
and I am really enjoying my time working with the
team and learning new skills.
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Inclusivity
At Veolia, diversity does not mean simply ticking
boxes. We believe that a variety of perspectives,
backgrounds and experience will help us build a
more innovative and responsive business.
Veolia has made inclusivity one of its key strategic
priorities, starting at the executive team level. Our
Executive Committee currently comprises 30%
female and 16% Black Asian and Minority Ethnic
members. We want to improve these ratios and
are working with partners like Stonewall, the
Employers’ Network for Equality and Inclusion, and
Business in the Community’s gender campaign,
Opportunity Now (see our talking points on this).
The Fortune 500 reveals that businesses
with the highest representation of women in
management are among the highest financial
performers with returns on equity of over 35%. So
we are proud that 38% of graduate applications
and 31% of apprenticeship applications are now
from women, and 83% of women at Veolia stay in
employment after maternity or adoption leave –
all well above the industry average.
30%
female Board
members
We employ people from over 90 nationalities,
some of whom may have come from
marginalised pockets of our communities
through our Back2Business programmes.
Inclusivity is championed by our Executive
Vice-President, Estelle Brachlianoff, who has
promoted careers within the industry on
platforms as diverse as Responsible Business
Week, the Institute of Civil Engineers and the
London Business School. We want the sector to
become more attractive to new recruits from all
backgrounds, as it is viewed as the innovationdriven catalyst for the circular economy.
In 2014, we will be focusing on the quality, depth
and diversity of our management team. We are
also working towards a plan to improve diversity
and inclusion at a regional and national level.
16%
Black Asian and
Minority Ethnic
Board members
“Despite significant workforce challenges such as a large non-office-based
workforce, Veolia is committed to finding innovative solutions that work for its
business and people.”
Hayley Parker, Client Account Manager, Stonewall
57
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Creating value
for communities
Doing business in healthy communities
makes our business stronger. It means a more
productive workforce, a future pipeline of
skilled individuals, a resilient supply chain
and a thriving customer base.
Creating opportunities for all individuals in society,
regardless of background and skills, is a responsibility
we take very seriously at Veolia. This isn’t simply about
being a good neighbour and providing a good service to
our clients. We go further – through skills development
in the wider community, support for local projects and
volunteering by employees.
In 2013, we worked with our customers to put a price
on the value we add in our communities. The results
were impressive.
Community
Innovation
We estimate that
for every £1 spent
by Veolia in our
contract for waste
management
services in
London Borough
of Southwark, we
deliver £2.09 worth
of social value
81 placements
for ex-offenders
and the long-term
unemployed
£4.7 million
awarded by
the Veolia
Environment
Trust
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Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Talking points: putting a price
on social value
K evin Hurst
Marketing and
Communications Director,
Veolia
We work hard to maximise the social value
we create both directly, as a major employer
and taxpayer, and indirectly, as a result of our
infrastructure projects. Measuring that value
is not always straightforward and we need a
consistent way to do it.
So we welcome the Public Services (Social Value)
Act, which came into force in January 2013.
We think it will help local authorities consider
economic, social and environmental wellbeing
when commissioning and procuring services.
But we believe that more needs to be done.
There needs to be a consensus on how to
measure these kinds of impacts, so that like-forlike comparisons can be drawn. That’s why we
worked with Hazel Blears MP to co-ordinate a
parliamentary roundtable on the issue.
“Our approach is not yet perfect but
it’s a start in showing that it’s possible
to measure social value, which we
hope will inspire others to do the same
so that we have a positive impact in
our communities.”
We’ve also started putting our ideas into practice
alongside the London Borough of Southwark, one
of our customers. We discovered that for every £1
spent by Veolia, we deliver £2.09 worth of social
value for Southwark residents. On top of this were
indirect benefits (through community projects),
bringing an impressive £28.05 of social value for
every £1 spent.
This is the first time that a major infrastructure
project has tried to measure its social impact in
such detailed financial terms. Our approach is
not yet perfect but it’s a start in showing that it’s
possible to measure social value, which we hope
will inspire others to do the same so that we have
a positive impact in our communities.
59
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Getting communities
back to business
To help society see production and consumption
differently, our business strategy relies on people
who think differently. We are committed to
finding and supporting those individuals from our
communities, regardless of their backgrounds.
There are over 2.3 million people unemployed
in the UK, of which 900,000 are aged between
16 and 24. We are playing our part in addressing
this alongside other societal challenges like
rehabilitation of ex-offenders, homelessness and
student employability. Our contracts provide
employment and training for over 14,000 people.
As part of our plans for growth, we pledged in 2013
to invest £1 billion by 2018 – which will indirectly
create 28,000 more jobs for local people.
Our approach
Supporting
skills
development
of young
people
OUR INITIATIVES
Getting
people
into work
Rehabilitating
communities
Boosting
the economy
IMPACT
60
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Getting communities back to business
Veolia’s Back2Business initiatives
As well as providing jobs, Veolia’s Back2Business strategy aims to attract and develop the skills Veolia needs now
and in the future:
Veolia’s Back2Business
initiatives
As well as providing jobs, Veolia’s
Back2Business strategy aims to
attract and develop the skills Veolia
needs now and in the future.
Apprenticeships
Accredited vocational
qualification for job seekers,
including school leavers and
those not in employment,
education or training.
354
apprentices taken on
exceeding our
target of 300
ReStart
Darren
Due to a family break-up
tied up with losing his job
as a painter and decorator
during the downturn,
Darren found himself
suddenly without work and
living in a tent for seven
months. It was only when
he spotted a Business
Action on Homelessness
leaflet that things started
looking up.
After a two-week
placement with Veolia,
Darren’s impressive
commitment to the job
eventually landed him a
full-time position at one
of our recycling facilities.
“It certainly worked for
me,” smiles Darren.
A 2–8-week work experience
programme for long-term
unemployed and those not
in education, employment or
training (NEETs).
54
positions filled
in 2013
Rehabilitation
Permanent employment
opportunities for ex-prisoners.
27
Homelessness
positions filled
in 2013
Working closely with social
enterprise groups and charities like
Business Action on Homelessness
to boost life chances – through
work placements that aim to grow
confidence, introduce new skills
and improve prospects.
61
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Connected with our communities
We want to have a positive and welcoming
presence in our communities. From open days
at our sites to classroom sessions in schools and
employees giving their time – there are many
ways we connect with our communities.
We deliver education and outreach programmes
to the local community. Since 2010, we have given
recycling education lessons to over 110,000 pupils
from local schools as well as a further 67,000
members of the local community.
22 open days
at our sites
across the UK,
attracting over
3,800 visitors
In 2013, Veolia employees contributed over
9,200 hours to local community projects.
Our volunteering policy gives employees the
opportunity to take a paid half-day volunteering
with a community or environmental project
of their choice. Not only does this equip
our people with transferable skills such as
project management, communication and
teamwork, it also gives a helping hand to local
neighbourhoods.
9,200 hours
of employee
volunteering
62
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Helping people understand sustainability
Awareness of food waste
Making 1,000 meals from surplus food
Every year in the UK we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food. If we all stopped wasting food, it
would have the same environmental impact as taking one in five cars off the road. To engage people
on this issue, we hold food waste awareness events across the UK. We invited local residents to a
free Big Lunch at Bestwood Country Park in Nottingham. All 1,000 meals cooked for the challenge
were prepared with surplus food from food banks, supermarkets and food markets, helping to raise
awareness of the amount of perfectly good food that goes to waste each year.
Putting old paint back to use
The Dulux dog launches RePaint
Paint is counted as hazardous waste and yet every year roughly 50 million litres end up in landfill or are
incinerated. We encourage residents to bring their unwanted tins of paint to our Household Recycling
Centres so they can be redistributed to families, charities and community groups. The Dulux Dog
opened two new Community RePaint schemes this year. Since RePaint launched in 2010, more than
16,000 litres of free paint have been given to families and groups in need.
63
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Supporting sustainable fashion
Upcycling hits the catwalk
Almost a third of the clothes in our wardrobes haven’t been worn in the last year and 350,000 tonnes
of clothing goes into landfill in Britain every year. We supported Estethica, the British Fashion Council’s
initiative for sustainable fashion by sponsoring an upcycling mentor programme. The winner was Liora,
a young fashion graduate who produced an upcycled capsule collection made from old Veolia uniforms.
Additionally, at Brighton’s Sustain Fashion Show, we sponsored the graduate section showcasing
recycled work by new designers.
Tiger tracks
Visualising plastic waste
Plastic takes up to 1,000 years to decompose. The UK uses over 5 million tonnes of plastic each
year, of which an estimated 24% is currently being recovered or recycled. To highlight the issue, we
commissioned artist Faith Bebbington to create a stunning tiger made from over 300 recycled plastic
milk bottles. It prowled St Pancras International station and raised funds to save tigers in the wild.
64
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
We target our community support at causes
that are important to our employees. By funding
projects through The Veolia Environmental Trust,
we can also combine our resource management
expertise with our financial giving.
In addition to the Veolia Environmental Trust, we
also run the North Thames Trust which provides
grants for projects surrounding our Essex sites.
The North Thames Trust awarded grants to 154
projects during 2013, to the value of £4.6 million.
We support sustainable community and
environmental projects through our regional
Trusts and the Landfill Communities Fund. By
using landfill tax credits provided by us, they
fund community groups and organisations who
are undertaking projects to improve community
facilities and create new ones, and protect and
enhance the environment.
We have also teamed up with Variety, our charity
of the year, as voted for by employees. In 2013, we
raised over £30,000 to support Variety’s work
in providing practical help, specialist equipment
and educational activities for children. This
amount was raised in a number of ways, from
donating 50p to Variety for every employee
survey completed to employee fundraising with
treks through the Sahara Desert and a London
to Paris bike ride. We have also made it possible
for suppliers to donate to Variety by choosing to
round up their invoices to the nearest pound and
donating the difference if they wish.
The Veolia Environmental Trust was established
in 1997 and since then has awarded over £58
million to more than 1,700 community and
environmental projects. In 2013, the Trust’s Board
awarded a total of £4.7 million to 171 community
and environmental projects.
£4.7 million
awarded
by The Veolia
Environment
Trust
Watch a short video about why Variety is our
charity of the year
£30,000 to
children’s
charity Variety
65
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
How the Veolia Environmental Trust is helping
A skate park for all
Urban spaces with a difference
Skateboarders, BMXers and scooter riders in the Bedfordshire village of Wootton now have a great
new cast-concrete skate park, thanks to the Veolia Environmental Trust. Designed with an ‘urban feel’,
it is suitable for all to use, from the novice to the professional.
The project was led by the Wootton Ramps and Riders, a voluntary group of young enthusiasts and
their parents. The group worked with the parish council and the Trust to design the site and make their
dream a reality.
Playgrounds of the future
Sustainable play for the whole community
The Veolia Environmental Trust awarded £23,000 to help build a play area with a difference at Bristol’s
popular Trinity Centre.
The centre welcomes all including refugee families, people from black and minority ethnic
communities, the long-term unemployed and young people who have been disengaged from
mainstream services.
The play area has been a huge success. Made from high-quality, sustainable materials, its unique design
inspires and challenges children and young people, combining fun and exercise. This is part of a wider
scheme to improve and increase Trinity Centre’s outreach to disadvantaged sectors of the community.
66
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Reshaping the
future for all
At Veolia, we’re always looking for new ways
to save our customers time and money, and
help others to resource the world. Our experts
collaborate with industry on ideas to reduce
costs and improve efficiency, but it’s not
just specialists who come up with circular
solutions, through schemes such as our Ideas
Forum, all our employees have the chance to
innovate and suggest ideas that could change
the business – or even the world.
67
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
From idea to reality
We make it possible for all employees to contribute
ideas to global resource management challenges
via our innovation forum, an incubator for creative
ideas and talent. Anyone can submit an idea, and
regional innovation and recycling managers help
people to develop their suggestions.
Employees pitch their ideas to a panel of
experts including our Executive Committee and
representatives from customers like Procter &
Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline. In 2013, the chosen
theme was ‘manufacturing green products’. Ideas
are funded, piloted and scaled up where successful
– empowering our people to shape a better future.
In 2013, eight innovations were taken through to
incubation. These ideas work to close the loop of
our customers’ waste streams, using this waste to
manufacture new products.
68
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Fuel from food waste
Seven million tonnes of food are wasted in the
UK each year. To help to tackle this, we have
identified a way of creating renewable liquid fuel,
‘soup’, from food and beverage waste that can be
transformed into renewable energy and heat.
It is a sustainable alternative to energy crops
or biomass, which displace significant areas of
land for food production. In 2013, Veolia produced
and dispatched 27,003 litres of soup, exceeding
our target.
Getting to this position has involved overcoming
a number of challenges, the greatest being the
levels of contaminants, which we have overcome
through refining our technologies towards our
target of 98% purity. We are proud to report that
the product now has PAS110 status for its
quality control.
When fully operational in 2014, we aim to make
10 million litres of soup in 2014, enough to power
over 500 homes.
69
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Powered by biscuits
We’re always looking for new ways to make use of
non-recyclable ‘landfill waste’ from our customers.
In 2013, we created a fuel product that can be
produced from waste – we call this biscuits.
Producing far fewer emissions than coal, oil and
gas, this green energy helps to reduce dependency
on fossil fuels. We are continually refining the
process and overcoming challenges. For example,
we have reduced the number of broken biscuits
and are currently looking into producing square
bales for ease of storage and transport.
In 2013, we exported some 5,126 biscuits from
our Southwark and Basildon facilities, with very
positive feedback from customers there. In 2014,
we will be opening a new biscuit construction site
in Durham.
70
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Preserving peatlands
Veolia produces its very own nutrient-rich,
peat-free compost from collected household
garden waste. Preserving peat is vital to our
future since it is a finite resource that helps
support biodiversity, carbon storage and flood
management. Pro-Grow is now available at a
number of locations across the UK, and is an
example of how Veolia has involved a range of
internal teams to make innovation a success. For
example, we have adapted our internal systems
and created new marketing functions to embrace
our new role as a manufacturer and retailer.
In 2013, we sold 63,501 bags of Pro-Grow,
exceeding our target of 60,000 bags. We have
set ourselves a target of selling 1 million bags
by 2016, representing £2.5 million of revenue
to Veolia. We will do this by selling Pro-Grow
through commercial retailers, as well as selling
to consumers local to our composting sites
(reducing distribution costs and carbon). We
are also developing a baby Pro-Grow bag for
customers to carry home in inner-city locations
such as street flower markets.
Pro-Grow is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and
potassium, vital for plant health and soil structure.
It improves moisture retention, breaks down heavy
clay soils, and adds humus to light or sandy soils.
71
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Reusing water again and again
Working alongside a leading food producer
in Kent, a region of water scarcity, Veolia has
designed, built and maintains a water recycling
facility. We treat and recycle 72% of wastewater
used by the food factory to stringent potable
water standards. We believe that recycling water
to these standards for reuse in food production is
a first for the industry.
As a result of this innovation, our customer has
seen cost savings and has been awarded supplier
of the year by Marks & Spencer, against 50,000
competitors. The project has also substantially
eased strain on the water and trade effluent
networks, becoming a flagship example of
circular resource stewardship in increasingly
drought-prone regions of the country.
72
Our approach
Environment
Marketplace
Workplace
Community
Innovation
Green energy from wastewater
In the past, wastewater sludge has been seen as
a problem material with no value. In fact, it can
be rich in phosphates and the materials needed
to make plastic. It can also be used as a fuel to
generate green energy.
As demand for these solutions increases,
innovative developments in technology, people
capability and processes will make these
sustainability solutions a key part of the circular
economy and more efficient.
Our bio-refinery utilises Veolia’s know-how to
turn sludge into renewable energy by creating
an efficient ‘sludge stream’. We are already doing
this on behalf of a number of water and sewerage
companies across the UK.
73
www.veolia.co.uk/sustainabilityreport

Sustainability Report 2013

Transcription

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