Bertrand Camus, Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ
Philippe Varin, Chairman of the Board of Directors
of SUEZ
The crisis strengthened our convictions, which we enshrined in our corporate purpose in 2020
« In this crisis situation,
SUEZ has emerged as an essential
player. »
In 2020, Covid-19 turned our lives and our societies upside down. If you had to draw one lesson from the health crisis, what would it be?
Bertrand Camus: 2020 reminded every one of us what is essential in our lives. SUEZ naturally emerged as one of the guardians of public health at a global level, ensuring its customers, both cities and industrial companies, could count on continuity of service in water management, sanitation and waste collection and recovery. The Group attracted attention by accelerating its innovations in response to the unprecedented crisis we are proud of our Covid-19 City Watch innovation, which is already in use in over a hundred towns in France and Spain and will soon be deployed in the United States, India and Morocco. This unique solution gives local authorities a closer view of how the virus is circulating in their area by detecting viral markers in wastewater networks, enabling them to plan appropriate health measures in a more targeted way.
Philippe Varin: I would also like to underline the importance of solidarity and civic engagement at SUEZ during the management of the crisis. The SUEZ Foundation supported
third-sector initiatives in France and abroad, and released emergency funds to help projects in developing countries (Action Against Hunger in Senegal and ACTED in Haiti). We have also protected our staff throughout the crisis by deploying a global support plan to preserve jobs and guarantee the salaries of employees on short-time working arrangements. In France and many other countries, the Group has also paid exceptional bonuses to the collaborators on the lowest salaries.
- Joint interview between Philippe Varin
and Bertrand Camus
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