COMMITMENT
Build new relationship models and create shared value with our stakeholders
2020 OBJECTIVE
Have established a major partnership based on creating shared value in every zone and every growth segment.
2017 PERFORMANCE
Examples of some major partnerships that have been signed: Danone, IBM, Takeei, EPM, Swiss Re, Huawei, CCSL ou encore Livelihoods
• Dialogue and act with stakeholders
The relationship with our external stakeholders has expanded considerably in recent years with the emergence of civil society, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, consumer associations, social solidarity players, academics, etc. These new players are pushing the perimeter of Veolia’s traditional business lines, leading it to reshape its governance and design its growth on a "co-construction" model.
► Dialogue with local stakeholders in a contractual framework
At the local level, the company's dialogue with elected representatives and local government officials is ongoing, not only in order to ensure compliance with the contract but also in order to make it evolve on the basis of the community’s needs. The management of essential services also requires the acceptance of consumers and of the different players both in terms of the services offered and the price charged.
In addition to the dialogue with the authorities and local governments, Veolia brings its specific expertise and accompanies them in developing strategies for their environmental services.
Veolia is developing new partnership models based on shared value creation. The Veolia Performance Solutions contracts initially signed with several North American cities (PPS – Peer Performance Solution – New -York, Washington) or in Sweden (Findus contract for the incentive management of resources) are examples.
Co-construction with local public authorities are also innovative projects, such as the development of social entrepreneurship incubators (in Mexico, Lyon, Toulouse, and in the Veolia Water Ile de France area).
The Group is also developing mediation actions (e.g. Pimms and Voisin Malins in France), services dedicated to the relationship with consumers and stakeholders.
► Dialogue with representatives of civil society and academia
Our relations with the academic world and civil society are in the form of a dialogue, sharing experiences and exchanging opinions with the scientific, academic and development worlds. This is the role of the Veolia Institute as the Group foresight instrument.
Our relations are also in the form of co-construction in projects encouraging social entrepreneurship. For example, the partnership with the IISS – ESSEC’s institute for innovation and social entrepreneurship - through the Antropia incubator; the partnership with the enterprise and poverty think tank; the partnership with Ashoka; the Grameen Veolia Water social business project.
► Dialogue with development organizations
Veolia continues its cooperation with key UN agencies, bilateral organizations and international donors in order to fulfill the commitments made when joining the Global Compact in June 2003 and help to achieve the international sustainable development goals.
Since 2013, Veolia has been directly associated with the consultations with major groups initiated by the UN in preparation for the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP21 in Paris in 2015) and its organization.
► Participation in multi-stakeholder platforms
Through its participation in networks and multi-stakeholder platforms with both local and international focuses, such as Vivapolis, the Partenariat Français pour la Ville et les Territoires (PFVT), the competitiveness clusters “Eau et Mer Bretagne et Méditerranée”, Conservatoire du Littoral, etc. - Veolia is looking for synergies for developing and improving local territories.
► Dialogue with international, European and national authorities
Veolia actively contributes to discussions, consultations and work on the evolution of the management of environmental services, carried out by international, European and national policy makers, professional associations, think tanks and NGOs. These activities are conducted in accordance with the applicable regulations, in line with its membership of the Global Compact. The Group helps to inform the public authorities and many other stakeholders on the impact and consequences of regulations and public policies related to its business. In 2016, for example, it focused on the dismantling of nuclear facilities, the circular economy and the revision of waste, energy, climate and water regulations.
• Developing responsible purchasing pratices
Our sustainable purchasing policy incorporates social and environmental concerns into the purchasing process and relations with suppliers. The policy contributes to improving Veolia’s economic performance by taking account of the overall cost of products (based on product life cycles) and associated forms of tax relief. It also helps to anticipate risk and engage with suppliers on responsible approaches that support innovation and create value.
Our sustainable purchasing policy focuses on the following areas:
- Engage Group suppliers and assess their CSR performance: sustainable development requirements are progressively being incorporated into contracts through a special clause. This commits the supplier to
o compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
o compliance with ethical rules and social legislation, in particular compliance with all mandatory regulations in terms of laborlaw and ILO Conventions (clandestine work, child labor, forced labor, etc.)
o compliance with the objectives of the current health and safety prevention policy
o compliance with the regulations on environmental protection and the implementation of actions needed to reduce the impact on the environment,
o ensure that its own suppliers and subcontractors comply with the same obligations,
o make available and communicate its commitment policy to Veolia.
At the end of 2017, 57% of active contracts in the Group's supplier contract database were covered by this commitment, compared to 59% at the end of 2016.
In addition, Veolia measures the CSR performance of its strategic suppliers through a system of evaluations. Over the past three years, evaluations concerned almost 48% of the Group's strategic suppliers.
- Integrate sustainable development issues into the procurement process
The Suppliers’ Charter is sent when a consultation is launched. By accepting this charter, suppliers undertake to respect the procurement process, the Group's commitments and to comply with Veolia’s CSR requirements (implementation of corrective action plans if necessary, involvement of their own suppliers and subcontractors in this approach). Supplier risks are identified at the time of the tender by using a risk map for each category of purchases (CSR and economic criteria and purchase issues). The process takes into account the notion of overall cost, which for Veolia is part of good responsible purchasing practices: it provides a long-term vision of the economic, environmental and / or social aspects of a purchase. The product is placed in its environment through its functionality and its life cycle.
- Participate in the development of the local environment
In France, as part of water partnership activities with the GESAT network and in collaboration with the disability mission of the Water division in France, since 2013 the purchasing departments have engaged in a process that promotes the use of the protected and adapted work sector (provision of signed ESAT / EA contracts, use of search engine by category and area, awareness campaigns among purchase applicants, etc.). For the financial year 2017, spending, excluding taxes, in the protected and adapted work sector continued to increase, reaching 8.8 million euros for France. In addition an indicator makes it possible to measure the impact of the expenditure reinvested in the local economy.