Suez works with China to tackle tough environmental challenges

With environmental protection becoming a top priority in China, Suez Group, an expert in water and waste management, aspires to be the go-to global leader in the environmental industry. Its CEO Bertrand Camus shares the company's development vision and success stories in China.

What have been some significant moments for Suez in its over 160-year history?

With a long history in water and waste management, Suez has been a part of many great revolutions in our societies, from hygiene and public health in the 19th century to modern urban services in the 20th century. Today, new challenges have emerged. The effects of climate change and growing scarcity in resources call for a new model to generate growth: the circular economy, which has been at the heart of Suez's business model since 2015.

To reinforce its position in the industrial water market, Suez acquired GE Water creating the Water Technologies & Solutions Business Unit in 2017. In October 2019, we launched a new strategic plan to position the group for the challenges of the next decade.

Can you reveal details of the Shaping Suez 2030 transformation plan that was released in early October?

Our ambition is to be the global leader in environmental services, making us the preferred choice of our customers, employees and stakeholders, working together to restore and preserve the fundamental elements of the environment: water, air and soil.

We see opportunities across each of our three business segments - water, recycling and recovery, and environmental technologies and solutions. We will grow internationally and win business based on technology and data-driven environmental solutions.

Our new values - passion for the environment, customer first, respect, team spirit - combined with a culture which revives our winning spirit, will all support this deep transformation.

What are the motives for Suez to unveil such a blueprint?

Given the key trends in our business - the impact of the circular economy on our customers, the emergence of new business models and competitors, combined with a profound shift of people's mindset toward climate change and a need for concrete action - Suez will accelerate its transformation through this ambitious plan.

The Shaping Suez 2030 plan will enhance value creation for all stakeholders - people, municipalities, commercials and industries - with material results as soon as 2021. The plan calls for selectivity in organic growth, simplicity in our way of working and an evolution in the company's culture focused on engagement with our customers and from our employees.

What is the current status of the company's operations in China?

Suez's presence in China for more than 40 years makes the company the preferred partner in helping local authorities and industrial clients develop innovative solutions to climate change and sustainable resource management.

Today, Suez, through its subsidiary, Suez NWS, manages more than 70 water and waste management projects in over 30 cities in China. It is recognized as one of the 10 most influential enterprises leading China's environmental industry.

What are the development focuses of Suez in China for the next decade to 2030?

China has made environmental protection one of its main priorities. With stricter control and supervision of environmental emissions standards, China offers Suez many opportunities to develop:

In the water sector, we identify four main areas - reducing pollution emissions for industrial wastewater treatment; restoring water ecology with projects such as river remediation; treatment and reuse of sewage or sludge and finally smart water, sponge city and other concepts to improve the performance of water management.

The technologies and experience we have within the group are very much aligned to meet these challenges.

In the waste sector, we believe the key areas are - hazardous waste management; recycling of waste material to reuse or produce energy and soil remediation. Once again these are skills that we have within Suez and we are already starting to implement projects in many parts of China.

What kind of role does the Chinese market play in Suez's overall performance?

Suez targets growth in international markets in selected countries where it has a strong presence. China is one of our strongest growth markets. We clearly believe in its great potential and its regional influence.

We are determined to increase our investment in R&D, innovation and digitalization by 50 percent by 2023, so as to bring more innovative and tailor-made solutions to help China as well as countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative achieve their ambitious environmental goals.

Moreover, the quality of our teams and of our local partnerships with industries and authorities is fundamental if we want to continue to be a benchmark employer and partner. They are key to our success.

(China Daily 11/05/2019 page7)