2021: a pivotal year for biodiversity thanks to the COP15
74% of our 2020 revenue falls within
the European taxonomy for
sustainable activities
More than ever, 2020 underlined the need to place people and collaborators at the heart of any organisation. What is their involvement in SUEZ 2030?
B.C: Once again, I want to thank our collaborators, who have demonstrated unfailing commitment to serving our customers throughout the crises of the past year. SUEZ teams have mobilised at every level to ensure the continuity of the essential services we deliver to our customers and implement our strategic plan, of which everyone can be proud. I know I can count on them to stay focused in the coming months and ensure the best quality of service for our customers.
P.V: We have also been able to evaluate staff commitment this year through their record participation in the fifth shareholding offer offer, SHARING 2021. With over 15,000 employees in France expressing an interest in investing, the reservation rate reached more than 52%. Employees strengthened their position and now hold nearly 6% of the capital. This aligns them fully with the group s strategy. An employee shareholder association, ASAS, was also set up to strengthen the bond with the Management Committee and the Board of Directors.
The ecological transition is central to recovery plans all over the world. What role can SUEZ play?
P.V: The Green Deal indicates an ambition to accelerate the transformation of the growth strategy in Europe and across the world. Its goal is to support a modern, competitive economy while ensuring responsible resource use. As a leader in essential environmental services, SUEZ has an important part to play. We are keen that the Group s objectives should always be concrete and aligned with the UN target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
B.C: A whole year ahead of our European obli- gations, we are also very proud that 74% of our 2020 revenue falls within the European taxon- omy for sustainable activities. This figure un- derlines the ambition enshrined in our SUEZ 2030 plan, which involves strengthening our expertise in sustainable development until, ultimately, 100% of our solutions are sustain- able. This is a success for all our stakeholders, particularly at a time when our shareholders and investors want to identify companies that are taking the lead in terms of responsible in- vestment. This focus has also led us to restruc- ture our value proposition around six priority areas: quality of life, local partners, the climate, the planete, the circular economy and the ex- cellence of our solutions.
A year after its adoption, has your corporate purpose made you stronger? How does it resonate with the current situation?
P.V: 2020 coincided with the adoption of our corporate purpose: Shaping a sustainable environment, now . This is a marker of the Group s identity and vocation, and a compass for the future; it guides us in our strategic and operational decision-making and helps us overcome this global crisis with determination. Health and the environment are closely linked,
and the current health crisis must serve as an accelerator towards the environmental transition. In 2021, SUEZ will play an active part in both COP26 on the climate and COP15 on biodiversity, testifying to its commitments. B.C: Indeed, our purpose has more resonance than ever in our current situation it embodies our responsibility to future generations, as does our adoption of the principles of the UN Global Compact. The recent unprecedented public consultation to draft France s Climate and Resilience act proves that the lines are shifting. Essential environmental services are an unavoidable part of implementing virtuous economic development in the context of the environmental crisis that now constitutes humanity s biggest challenge. They have a key role to play throughout the world in fighting climate change and environmental pollution. They will also be central to raising the resilience of our societies.
5