"+1, the ecology turned into actions" was launched on 14 September and builds on Veolia's corporate purpose and commitment to achieving multi-faceted performance as part of a continual improvement strategy shared with and for its stakeholders. This initiative will bring together 50 stakeholders (employees, customers, investors, suppliers, NGOs, experts, citizens, etc.) during three sessions led with a supporting hand from Usbek & Rica. The overarching goal is to create a collective driving force to power the ecological transformation.
The ecological transformation represents a radical and proactive change to our production and consumption methods. It implies ecology "on a human scale" and requires all parties to play an active role, whether companies, associations, institutions, citizens or local communities, in implementing the necessary changes.
A consultation process calling on everyone to play an active role in leading the ecological transformation
With this aim in mind, Veolia has created a prototype for consulting with its stakeholders called "+1, the ecology turned into actions". 50 members from a wide array of backgrounds - young people, citizens, NGOs, local communities, companies, investors, startups, employees and experts - will come together to suggest tangible ideas that can deliver a positive impact and be put into practice to serve the needs and interests of the largest number of people.
More than ever, Veolia is sending out a strong signal of its commitment to meet the major ecological transformation challenges facing businesses, communities and citizens. Veolia's corporate philosophy must act as a guiding light for all the Group's business activities in every country and for all its employees through our shared strategy for continually improving performance. As part of this inspiring and clearly action-oriented "+1, the ecology turned into actions" initiative, we wanted to harness the collective intelligence of 50 stakeholders from various backgrounds, as well as leverage the presence and mobilisation of Veolia's Critical Friends and the Group's Executive Committee with the aim of propelling these issues to the highest levels within the company and sharing them extensively with support from the Comité 21 think tank, explains Veolia CEO Antoine Frérot.
10 employees involved in the process
To ensure that the panel of stakeholders is as representative as possible, it features 10 customers, 10 representatives from the Group's financial, community and environmental partners, and 10 Group employees selected according to their degree of motivation: "Being a member of "+1" as a Group employee means being part of a committed team, broadening and enriching their insights into the challenges facing society's different stakeholders, representing the voice of the employees and defending their interests in the process. It also means helping identify courses of action to address the major environmental and societal challenges of tomorrow." The objective for all participants is to get to know each other better, work together more effectively and contribute together in taking the first steps as part of a collective effort ultimately looking to lead the ecological transformation.
Session timetable
14 September, 12 October and 7 December: three sessions will be organised at the REcyclerie venue in Paris (an eco-responsible third place that Veolia has partnered since 2014) and will be hosted with support from Usbek & Rica.
Session topics
- Listen: companies must endeavour to convince, maintain an open mind and establish synergies with other stakeholders in their relations with society as a whole. A real question of balance, the aim is to use potential solutions to foster dialogue and interaction with a view to working together to achieve ecological transformation.
- Decide: value listening, which means converting it into a decision-making tool. The idea is to address the challenges in collective mobilisation, reconciling general and strategic interests, and incorporating stakeholders into the decision-making processes.
- Train: ecological transformation involves rethinking our ways of doing things and innovating, including at work, so that everyone can contribute to the global changes required. This changeover is accompanied by a change in knowledge, expertise and interpersonal skills.
The objective of these sessions will be to submit solutions allowing ecological considerations to be put into action on a daily basis. Recommendations will be set out in a document, so that businesses, decision-makers and civil society can draw strength from them to deliver a more sustainable and balanced impact.
All the resources mobilised and all the results will be shared. This will ensure that, outside the working group of 50, everyone will be able to learn about and embrace the actions identified. This prototype consultation process could be rolled out in other geographic areas and contexts, whether by Veolia or any other stakeholders looking to draw inspiration.
The initiative's partners
Usbek & Rica
Usbek & Rica is an online magazine that explores, questions, sometimes affirms, but above all seeks to engage everyone in a process of forward-looking reflection on issues of identity, climate, governance and our relationship to technology. Although debating and sharing ideas forms the underlying principle of Usbek & Rica, this is a platform that above all wishes to be useful and encourage active participation.
REcyclerie
This former Parisian station was refurbished in 2014 into a third place for eco-responsible experimentation. The REcyclerie educates and engages the wider public with the challenges and alternative solutions of a more responsible and sustainable society. It combines a café/canteen, an urban farm, a repair workshop, a library and a programme of ecologically-aware cultural events. Veolia has been its main partner since its inception.
Le Comité 21
Comité 21 is a French association for sustainable development which contributes to transforming society towards a sustainable model based on the UN 2030 Agenda and the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both a "think tank" and a "do tank", Comité 21 brings together 400 members in a partnership between the public authorities, the private sector and civil society.
