Environment and biodiversity

Protecting endangered species

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has embarked on a partnership policy with recognised institutions and organisations. Under this policy the Group participates in initiatives designed to conserve endangered species and ecosystems and to evaluate and monitor biological diversity.

In this regard, in 2008 SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT entered a 5-year partnership with Océanopolis Brest, an ocean and marine biodiversity discovery park. The park is an active participant in work related to this theme, through the Strategic Guidelines Committee of the Foundation for Research in Biodiversity and as a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

SITA France, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, has also established partnerships with the:

• National Park of Guadeloupe, to reintroduce the manatee into the bay of Grand-Cul-de-Sac Marin,
• League for the Protection of Birds, to protect the red kite and the shrike,,
• National Museum of Natural History, to showcase biodiversity at its waste treatment facilities.

In addition, the SITA Fund supports the environmental and social initiatives of the riverside communities of SITA UK sites. It has notably funded a score of projects to protect endangered butterfly species, for a total budget of more than £700,000.

Protecting biodiversity by building public awareness

In connection with the partnership with Océanopolis Brest, and with the support of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT helped create the “Heros of Biodiversity” short programs produced by Allain Bougrain-Dubourg. Aired on France 2 and France 3 in 2010, they highlighted the alarming situation of a given species and the exemplary work being carried out to preserve it.

To make the public aware of environmental issues, Lyonnaise des Eaux has opened an educational trail devoted to the biodiversity of wetlands on 45 hectares of the protected site of Pecq Croissy (Yvelines, France). The company has also renewed its partnership with the France Nature Environnement, a federation whose purpose is to inform the general public, school children and also its employees about the preservation of water resources and biodiversity.

For its part, SITA France is opening up its waste treatement facilities so the public can learn about the biodiversity of these little-known places. In fact, for more than five years, SITA France has been busy implementing plans for managing biodiversity, particularly on its non-toxic waste storage facilities, which take up a significant amount of land. This “Biodiversity Trails” operation is aimed at inviting the general public to visit some pilot facilities and learn about the site’s specific species and habitats.

Making the environment a daily priority

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is convinced of the need to explain sustainable development and environmental issues. To enlist universal support, the Group has created the Sustainable developement and me website. On the website, users can find educational content, test their knowledge using entertaining quizzes, and learn how to behave as true eco-citizens.

Last but not least, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is a member and benefactor of the Goodplanet Foundation. Chaired by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the foundation is devoted mainly to raising public awareness of ecological and environmental issues.

This policy includes several actions such as presenting the “6 Billion Others” exhibit in France and around the world. In 2010, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT provided 60,000 French schools with an educational exhibit on water. 

The GoodPlanet Junior Project educates children aged 8 to 15 on the environment and sustainable development during the holidays.