Our Stakeholders

Engaging our stakeholders in the key issues

Increasing dialogue with our stakeholders

By the very nature of our activities, Veolia Environnement makes stakeholder engagement central to the business. All of our operations and services are a part of urban, regional or industrial environments in which we have a diverse number of stakeholders with whom we engage.

Our primary stakeholders are our employees (including unions), our direct clients and end-users of our services or customers, governments, project partners, industry bodies, communities (including community partners) and suppliers. We define stakeholders as individuals or groups that could potentially be impacted by our operations or conversely impact our operations.

We engaged with our stakeholders in 2010 to identify and understand their key expectations of us through our sustainable development reports and other publications, public events, public inquiries and consultative bodies, industry working groups, customer satisfaction surveys and partnerships.
 

Our stakeholder activities centred on the following:

• Explaining and defining what we do and why we do things the way we do (e.g. desalination workshops)
• Seeking views as to how we can improve our services (e.g. community meetings about liquid waste treatment in Melbourne and welcoming over 200 local residents at the Woodlawn Community Open Day)
• Getting involved in debates about key issues, including supporting our clients (e.g. Carbon Price Mechanism and Carbon Farming Initiative discussions with the Australian Government)
• Engaging with the media
• Conducting research and producing education materials on issues relevant to the environment (e.g. the Veolia Environnement Schools program)

While stakeholder strategies exist for the each of the four businesses, Veolia Environnement as a group in Australia and New Zealand reviews its stakeholder engagement approach on an ongoing basis, as it should, as a leading Australian company committed to talking with stakeholders and communities. 

Stakeholder feedback on our sustainable development reporting

Building on the stakeholder feedback we obtained on our 2006 and 2007 Sustainable Development Reports in 2008, we conducted a stakeholder survey of our 2008 Sustainable Development Report. These surveys investigated who was reading the report, what they used it for, what content they wanted and what format they wanted to receive it in. We used this feedback to guide the content of this report.
 

Public policy

 Veolia Environnement contributes to public debate on key issues. In 2010 we made submissions to governments in Australia and New Zealand, independently or via industry bodies, on issues including:

• The increased role for the private sector in public transport in Australia
• Train services in Melbourne, Australia
• Australian tax reform
• Ferry reform in Sydney, Australia
• Australia's Price Mechanism
• Australia’s Carbon Farming Initiative
• Queensland’s landfill levy
• New Zealand's National Infrastructure Plan

Industry memberships

Veolia Environnement and its divisions are members of a wide range of industry associations, state associations and other bodies including:

• Air-Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors' Association
• Australian Industry Group
• Australian Institute of Management
• Australia Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating
• Australian Water Association
• Biomedical Waste Industry Association
• Bus Industry Confederation
• Business South Australia
• Energy Efficiency Council
• Environment Business Australia
• Facilities Management Association
• French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Green Building Council of Australia
• Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
• Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Institute of Hospital Engineers Association
• New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development *
• New Zealand Employers and Manufacturers Association *
• Property Council of Australia
• Southern Waste Strategy Authority
• Sydney Chamber of Commerce
• Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association
• Tourism and Transport Forum
• Waste Management Association of Australia
• Water Industry Alliance
• Water Industry Operators Association
• Water New Zealand *
• Water Services Association of Australia

* Membership to these organisations is through United Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of Veolia Water in Australia and New Zealand.