Waste services provider Veolia Environmental Services has pledged to achieve a material recovery rate of 30 percent by 2015 as part of a raft environmental performance targets that cover pollution prevention, conservation of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, combating climate change and environmental awareness.
Veolia has also committed to increase the production of renewable energy from waste by 10 percent by 2015, when measured against a 2011 baseline. The company says it is to apply water consumption reduction plans and implement energy efficiency plans at a minimum of 80 percent of its sites by 2015.
The company has promised to analyze the environmental risks at a minimum of 95 percent of its sites and implement prevention action plans. It has also pledged to ensure that 95 percent of its sites sites are certified ISO 14001 or covered by an environmental management system.
In terms of biodiversity, Veolia is to carry out an evaluation and implement an action plan at 95 percent of sites with significant potential stakes and opportunities in biodiversity; include a biodiversity impact evaluation in 100 percent of its development projects and implement conservation plans in the six main countries where it operates.
To combat climate change, the company is hoping to achieve an overall methane capture rate of 70 percent, the component in biogas that has the highest greenhouse effect. It has also pledged to calculate the carbon footprint of 95 percent of its business units and implement emission reduction plans.
Finally, Veolia has committed to providing environmental training to at least 90 percent of its employees; train its sales teams the company’s environmental themes and to increase the proportion of our supplier contracts that include environmental requirements.
All of the company’s goals have a 2015 target date.
In December last year, Veolia’s UK arm was revealed to be one of a number of companies in that country using a computer program to base staff bonuses on their carbon footprint.
Suitability Momentum – or SuMo – by CloudApps can monitor an employee’s carbon footprint, with particular emphasis on their recycling and energy consumption habits. At Veolia and other participating companies, carbon use is monitored by employee or group of employees – for instance, by floor – and rewards are doled out at the end of the year based on set carbon targets.
