To support the change towards more sober uses, SUEZ stands out for its approach to behavioural innovation - to support users towards better sorting and more sustainable water consumption - contractual innovation - to change our business models - and social innovation, because environmental players have a role to play in the inclusion and participation of all in sustainable development.
Behavioural innovation
Dem'Eau and Starwaste, behavioural innovation for more efficient uses
Behind every litre of water consumed and every piece of waste produced, there is a user. SUEZ has developed strong expertise in human, social and behavioural sciences within the Lyre research centre (sociology, behavioural economics, social psychology etc.) to understand users and their expectations, analyse their knowledge of the water cycle and recycling issues, and identify practices that need to be changed.
The Dem'Eau programme to construct a comprehensive range of "water saving" products, tailored to the practices of each user category and the realities of each region
Since December 2022, SUEZ has been evaluating the water savings enabled by different solutions for several user categories in various French towns and cities, including the agglomeration of Brive. These include residential customers, schools and tourist establishments, tertiary buildings etc.
The Starwaste programme to support the "jeter moins, trier mieux" (‘throw less, sort better’) initiative.
In January 2023, SUEZ launched this programme to use several pilot territories to measure the impact of prevention actions favouring waste reduction and improved sorting measures. This programme will make it possible to measure the impact of "smart waste meters" deployed from September for the benefit of 16,000 inhabitants of the Grand Montauban. With an electronic chip installed on waste bins, these smart bins use the "My Waste Service" app to inform user of the volume of their waste and their distribution (organic, household, recyclable), but also to compare this data with national and local benchmarks.
Contractual innovation
Performance contracts, "next generation" contracts focused on energy efficiency
Less water consumed and less waste produced: this transformation of uses involves rethinking the economic models of our two markets. For several years now, SUEZ has been a pioneer in devising and implementing new types of contract based on efficiency targets: performance contracts.
The contract signed at the end of 2021 with the communauté d’agglomération du Grand Montauban is the first household and similar waste performance contract in France. It includes a waste reduction target of at least 10% by 2028, including mainly bulky waste, green waste, residual household waste and selective packaging collection.
The contract signed with the Bassin de Brive in 2021 was the first in France relating to water efficiency, which links SUEZ's remuneration to the annual decrease in volumes. It lays forth an ambitious goal: a 21% reduction in the amount of water drawn from the natural environment within 7 years. How does it work? By combining SUEZ's expertise in the area in terms of detecting and repairing leaks on networks, but also in communication and user awareness.
- 31%
Operational since 1 January 2022, the Grand Montauban contract has made it possible to reduce the volume of bulky substances collected in one year by 31%, green waste by 17%, household waste by 7% and packaging by 5%.
Renew Hub
Greater Manchester's Renew Hub, the largest REUSE warehouse in the UK
By being present all over the country, intimately involved in people's day-to-day lives, environmental services can play an important role in inclusion. This is why SUEZ has made social innovation a key distinguishing factor in its range of services both in France, with Rebond Insertion, and worldwide.
The Renew Hub is the largest United Kingdom area dedicated to re-use (5000 square metres), launched in 2021 in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and 9 local authorities in Greater Manchester. The Renew Hub offers a new lease of life to items collected from the inhabitants of Greater Manchester in donation containers found in recycling centres – toys, bicycles, furniture, bric-a-brac etc. – – before being resold in three different shops. Since the summer of 2022, the Renew Hub has also offered a "click & collect" system via an eBay store page.
130,000
items sold in stores or via the eBay page, and more than 20 jobs have been created since the launch of the Renew Hub!
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