Veolia's purpose was developed through a long process of diligent work and unprecedented collaboration throughout the Group, involving the company’s management bodies, employees, the Committee of Critical Friends (external experts), customers and citizen panels. Much more than a text, our purpose is an operational tool that guides our strategy and is steered at the highest level of the company.
The text of our purpose
Ecological transformation, that is our purpose
Ecological transformation means acting to reconcile human progress and environmental protection.
We develop and implement locally solutions to depollute our vital resources and preserve them from depletion, solutions to decarbonize our ways of living and producing and adapt them to the consequences of climate change.
All over the world, attuned to local cultures, we strive to improve the health and quality of life of communities.
At Veolia, we tackle economic, social and environmental issues as an inseparable whole to the benefit of the largest number of people.”
What is the definition of a company purpose?
A company purpose can be defined as a text in which a company specifies the way in which it considers environmental and/or social issues in the context of its operations. By explaining how it intends to be useful, it gives meaning to its activities and those of its employees within a long-term project.
In May 2019, the Action Plan for Corporate Growth and Transformation, known as the PACTE Law in France, gave companies the possibility to define their purpose, “composed of the principles which the company adopts and for which it intends to allocate resources in order to carry out its activities”.
Veolia’s purpose
Our purpose is a text that defines how we are useful to society. This text is a compass that guides the activity of our 218,000 employees around the world, over the long term.
It was developed in collaboration with our various stakeholders, approved by our Board of Directors and aligns with our Group’s mission to “Resource the World”. Our purpose is shared with all of our stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, partners, regions in which Veolia operates – so that they may understand its spirit and take part in its effective application.
Key dates
To implement its purpose, Veolia commits on multifaceted performance, which places the same level of attention and requirements on its economic and financial, commercial, human resources, social and environmental performance. It is aligned with the Impact 2023 strategic program.
Veolia produces a shorter version of its purpose with the aim of improving appropriation among all the Group's employees, giving greater focus to its key elements for all its stakeholders and ultimately supporting, strengthening and accelerating its deployment.
The Group commits to new multifaceted performance targets as part of its new strategic program GreenUp 2027.
Several training programs are in place to familiarize our employees with our purpose and multifaceted performance, as well as how they can contribute to this dynamic on a daily basis.
An online training session on our purpose and multifaceted performance is part of the onboarding process for new employees. To inform employees working in the field, the Group organized “Purpose Days” across all 8 geographies from June to September 2023. Led by Group managers and their teams, the Purpose Days helped to highlight the connection between our purpose and the daily activities of our employees.
+ 62,000 employees attend awareness sessions during the “Purpose Days” with + 600 workshops organized.
9 out of 10 employees, when they know our purpose, feel that their work contributes to the purpose (results of the Voice of Resourcers 2023 survey).
Discover how our purpose sets our Group, and our stakeholders, in motion around a common goal.
Our Purpose...
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