Inventing sustainable growth

Defining new sustainable economic models

Faced with the failure of the present model, which is based on the unlimited exploitation of natural resources, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is determined to be a key player in the development of a new deal and promote a circular economy for sustainable growth.

A circular economy mimics nature to create industrial ecosystems that function almost cyclically, using energy and raw materials efficiently to limit pollution and waste.

The goal is to manage products from “birth to rebirth” by recovering reusable parts, recyclable materials, or energy from waste.

Using resources intelligently

To promote the emergence of a circular economy and prevent the depletion of resources, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT focuses on technological innovation and a series of practical solutions implemented for its customers. The Group has, for example, been the driving force in an ambitious cogeneration project in close co-operation with market gardeners in the French National Federation of Vegetable Producers and an industrial greenhouse constructor, Sovam. The project aims to recover low-temperature energy from incinerators in the Haute-Garonne region to heat seven hectares of greenhouses.

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT also implements a strict policy to continuously reduce the environmental footprint of its water and waste management projects. The policy:

• maximises waste recycling and recovery rates, increasing the proportion of waste recovered in the form of new materials in order to minimise the impact of product life-cycles;
• increases the technical yield of drinking water networks and reduces leaks to prevent wasting of valuable water resources.