Glossary

Capital increase
Increase in a company’s registered capital, by either a new share issue or by increasing the nominal value of the existing shares.
Catchment
The diversion of a water resource. Within the strict sense, refers to any structure commonly used to exploit surface or underground water.
Centre de stockage des déchets (CSD)
French terminolgy, synonym of décharge contrôlée (on parle également parfois de CET, centre d’enfouissement technique).
Civic amenity facility
Often confused with a landfill. A guarded, fenced-off area where local residents can dispose of and sort their recoverable, hazardous or bulky waste.
Clarification
The separation of sewage sludge from water purified by decantation.
Combined sewer system
A sanitation network used to evacuate domestic wastewater and rainwater in the same drain.
Composting
Transformation by micro-organisms (microscopic fungi, bacteria…)or organic waste to a humus-like product in the presence of water and oxygen.
Connection rate
The ratio between the number of people effectively connected to the water and/or sanitation supply and the number of people using it.
Contribution-Distribution
The listing of the company’s shares for trading on the Euronext Paris and Euronext Brussels exchanges was part of the creation by SUEZ on July 2008 of a division that combines all of the group’s water and waste operations for which the Company will be the holding company (the “Contribution”), followed by the distribution by SUEZ to its shareholders (other than SUEZ), proportionally to their interests in the share capital of SUEZ, of 65% of the shares representing the capital of the company following the Contribution, immediately before the SUEZ-Gaz de France merger is completed (the “Distribution”, together with the Spin-off, the “Contribution/Distribution”).
Corporate Governance
The organisation of power within a company to ensure a fair balance between the management bodies, the regulatory authorities and the shareholders. Such governance results from a more marked participation from shareholders in the company decision-making process and the demand for transparency in management. The aim of corporate governance is to gain the confidence of the markets, the analysts and the investors. The governance has become a criterion for determining company value. In France, the principals of corporate governance for listed companies came out of the Viénot Reports of July 1995 and 22 July 1999 as well as the Bouton report of September 2002.
Cristal®
Helps refine water, by combining activated carbon powder adsorption with an ultra-filtration membrane separation. This procedure holds all the particles larger than 0.01 micron, as well as any contaminants caught in the activated carbon powder. Thus, it eliminates tastes or smells as well as the last traces of organic matter, and preserves all mineral salts in the water.
Current Operating Income
"The difference between the revenues and the costs associated with manufacture, distribution and sale of products, as well as the amortisation of the company’s investments. It is an indicator of the company’s capacity to achieve the margin required for its operation and development. Deferred Settlement Service: fee-based service which allows investors to defer payment orders or delivery of securities until the last trading day of the month. It applies only to the most liquid shares. To be eligible for Deferred Settlement Service, the shares must meet the following criteria: - 1. their capitalisation must exceed €1 billion, - 2. the daily volume of transactions must exceed €1 million."