| Veolia is a company founded at the dawn of the | | | | fuel and home services. |
| industrial era and the start of urban development and | | | | The Workforce by grade(2): |
| focused on water, waste, energy management and | | | | - Managers 8.5% |
| transport. As urban development changes | | | | - Supervisory / technical 15,3% |
| continuously, the question for the future is how 8 | | | | - White collar 11,6 % |
| billion of people on the planet and "half of them in | | | | - Blue color / operatives 64,6% |
| urban environments" will impact: water, waste energy | | | | Growth by diversity: Because of the "local" business |
| and transport. | | | | model the company "boasts" a wide-ranging cultural, |
| Looking forward requires first of all looking back. | | | | economic and social diversity. Employing people from |
| The company was founded in 1853 as CGE - | | | | more than a hundred nationalities. |
| Compagnie Générale des Eaux by an | | | | The company is research-intensive with seven (7) |
| imperial decree with the goal to irrigate and offer | | | | major areas of expertise: |
| water supply to urban areas. A few years later | | | | Water: resource protection, water and wastewater |
| (1867) the added business was to clear streets of | | | | treatment. |
| sewage and waste. A century later (1967) the | | | | Energy: energy solutions to reduce consumption and |
| company began operating its first waste incinerators. | | | | combat climate change. |
| New business development was focus on energy | | | | Waste Management: waste treatment and recovery. |
| saving (during the energy crisis of 1973) and in 1986 | | | | Transportation: logistics, electronic ticketing and |
| the first waste drop-off centers arrived. In 1998 CGE | | | | payment, clean vehicles and new services. |
| becomes Vivendi and a years later Vivendi | | | | Analysis: steering analytical research and coordinating |
| Environnement was created to consolidate all | | | | a network of laboratories. |
| environmental activities, which were managed from | | | | Health: assessment of health risks and benefits for |
| different entities: Vivendi Water (Water), Onyx | | | | specific population groups (employees, users and |
| (Waste Management), Dalkia (Energy) and Connex | | | | consumers, and residents near facilities) associated |
| (Transportation). In 2000 the company got listed on | | | | with company activities. |
| the Paris stock exchange by an initial public stock | | | | Environment: steering research programs on water |
| offering and in 2003 Vivendi environment becomes | | | | resource management and protection, environmental |
| an independent company under a new name: Veolia | | | | modeling, and the evaluation of risks and |
| environment. | | | | environmental impacts (LCA). |
| This name (Veolia) is derived from Aeolus, the | | | | Finally the corporate values which show on the |
| keeper of the winds in Greek mythology... The | | | | website: |
| reference to air is heightened by the first letter of | | | | - Customer Focus (... listen ... anticipate and adapt to |
| the name, "V", which is the first letter of the French | | | | client needs) |
| word for the wind ("vent"). The wind, which is | | | | - Responsibility (never forget how our business |
| always on the move, clean, transparent and rapid, is | | | | affects our employees and society) |
| also a force symbolizing all our activities. (1) | | | | - Innovation (continuously improving our |
| What is so unique about this company and the | | | | environmental solutions) |
| environmental business? | | | | - Performance (... financial discipline at every level) |
| Environmental services are most of all local! | | | | - Team Work (... a shared victory) |
| Veolia is committed to conserving the (quality of) | | | | Interesting about these values is first that the |
| "blue gold" (water) of the 21st century and it is | | | | customer is the local client as the environmental |
| focused on greenhouse gas reduction. | | | | business is global but business-wise: local. This makes |
| Some figures, Veolia has: | | | | the solution diverse and the challenge is to scale the |
| - 320,000 employees. | | | | environmental business in such a diversified |
| - EUR32.6 billion in consolidated revenue in 2007 of | | | | "environment." Teamwork is then a key |
| which per division: | | | | success-factor. Performance ... |
| - Transport: 17%, Water 34%, Energy 21% and | | | | The main challenge is the reconciliation of the |
| Environmental services 28%. | | | | decentralized sales effort (local environment business) |
| The energy division is still labeled separately under the | | | | with a more centralized engineering and research |
| name Dalkia. New activities are: wind energy, green | | | | business. |