A Fascinating Adventure

Founded to bring water to the fields as well as to the cities, from the beginning it satisfied unmet needs, much like a startup today. It gained its footing as part of environmental history, establishing a connection between humans and the first of natural resources. Driven by a pioneering spirit, the company would help to write that history thereafter.

The book you are holding in your hands recounts that history. 

The story is woven over time by ten generations of dedicated women and men, true teams of entrepreneurs. They have tested and developed new solutions based on the learning of their predecessors, spreading their impact through growth. They are pioneers who imagine new solutions, bring to the world what did not exist before and create value where no one else can see it. Solutions that are drawn line by line, from the observation of new needs and often in times of crisis: from the cholera epidemics of the nineteenth century to the intensification of droughts today, passing through resistant typhus epidemics, quarry pollution, or geopolitical tensions around energy. Innovation does not happen without trial and error, with both sometimes necessary to open up new paths. Often, behind a failure, a new development can be hiding. 

In uncovering these developments, different professions have been invented or found within the company. Starting from water networks, Veolia initiated its activities in pipelines and water treatment. Naturally associated with urban sanitation, it then created, acquired, and developed companies for waste collection, treatment, and sorting. It also integrated entities specialized in the production and supply of energy, serving local authorities as well as industries. Thus, from the mid-20th century, it structured a range of solutions for different regions, capable of addressing their challenges in regard to well-being, health, and prosperity. These professions intersect, nurture each other, and intertwine, such as the fight against water pollution leading us, during the post-war period, to go up the Oise River and debut the hazardous waste treatment activities that take place there.

At the crossroads of its three original professions, Veolia has developed an environmental concept that begins at the local level, taking into account the unique characteristics and needs of each region in which it operates. We are the opposite of an outside company that extracts value from the territories where it operates: we bring the best of global expertise to create value locally and enable local regions to overcome their specific challenges. 

This has been the case from the very beginning. Even though its activity was initially limited to the borders of France, it drew on the hygienist movement and scientific discoveries that were spreading throughout Europe, from Britain to Germany, from Spain to the Netherlands, and even from observations made on the African continent. 

Ironically, the internationalization of the group took time. The first attempts at foreign development, carried out at the beginning of its existence, from Venice to Istanbul, prestigious as they were, turned out to be unsuccessful. The company only succeeded in this from the 1990s onwards, by aligning itself with the major geopolitical events of the time: the fall of the Berlin Wall, support for the development of African countries, liberalization of economies in Latin America, China's economic boom, and so on. It was also able to bring expertise to new countries that needed it. With Veolia’s decentralized and pilot-controlled group approach, these countries, from Namibia to the United Arab Emirates, have emerged as fertile grounds for innovative ecological solutions that have the potential to inspire the world.

Veolia, as the global champion of ecological transformation and with the recent merger with Suez, has always maintained a strong local presence. It values good governance and recognizes the importance of involving stakeholders in decision-making. By working closely with its teams, Veolia understands the energy that drives a region and the significance of co-constructing services, forming partnerships, and creating alliances to make a tangible impact. The company's emphasis on the human dimension and the labor-intensive nature of environmental protection professions underscores its historical commitment to its employees and the populations it serves. 

Veolia, from Prosper Enfantin to Antoine Frérot, has etched a distinctive position in capitalist history. It continuously seeks to comprehend society, engage all individuals, and remain focused on company goals—its raison d’être. It seeks to make the most of the market economy: it aims to respond to the needs that it sometimes generates and makes those needs the drivers for creating new services to contribute to ecological transformation. At the same time, it is fully aware of its limits and of the need for regulations, even being the one to call for them. This is what makes a "useful" company, to use Antoine Frérot's words.

Through a gradual accumulation of activities and values, we have built a strong and unified company that is capable of tackling the fundamental challenges facing humanity. These challenges, now referred to as ecological challenges, are crucial for the survival and prosperity of our societies. Our goal is to create a sustainable world and ensure a better future for all. Veolia is dedicated to addressing various global challenges such as water shortages, pollution, resource scarcity, and greenhouse gas emissions. Through its expertise and experience, it is fully committed to depolluting, regenerating, and decarbonizing the world. 

I invite you to delve into this fascinating 170-year journey, constructed under the guidance of the historian Grégory Quenet.

It is a history to which all of you, as citizens, are the heirs. It is through knowing this story that we can continue to be pioneers and to make a difference together.