SUEZ Presents Its Concrete Solutions to Protect the Oceans and Launch a Worldwide Beach Cleaning Operation

– 8 June 2017: World Oceans Day

– Speech by Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO of SUEZ, at the UN Conferences in
New York on “Our Oceans, Our Future”

PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#SUEZ4ocean–The oceans cover almost 71% of the surface of the Earth and play a major
role in the way our planet works. They produce 50% of the available
oxygen, regulate the climate, store CO2 and are an essential
resource for mankind.


  • The oceans, an essential resource for life, are today under threat
    from human activity

The oceans are under threat from pollution, 80% of which comes from the
land and human activity. There are 269,000 tonnes of plastic floating on
the ocean surface, and 80% to 90% of this waste is made up of
polyethylene, a plastic used in packaging materials.

The Mediterranean sea is especially vulnerable to land-based pollution
on account of its small size (it makes up less than 1% of total ocean
area), which limits its self-cleaning capacity. Almost 500 tonnes of
plastic, i.e. 250 billion microplastic fragments, threaten the
Mediterranean. Implementing upstream solutions is a priority for the
towns and cities of the Mediterranean area that wish to preserve their
populations’ living environments, region’s attractiveness and economic
activities such as tourism and fishing.

  • How SUEZ is working to protect coastlines

Water and waste treatment experts have an important role to play in the
conservation of the ocean. On every continent, SUEZ develops concrete
solutions
to preserve water resources and to recycle and recover
waste, thereby contributing to the protection of the coastline and
marine ecosystems. For example, in Marseilles (France), SUEZ is working
with the local authority to preserve the area’s exceptional coastline
(which runs for 51 km along the 21 beaches within the city limits) by
deploying innovative technologies that aim not only at preserving the
coastline and the quality of bathing waters, but also at regenerating
marine biodiversity.

SUEZ offers solutions along with NGOs (7e Continent, Expédition MED,
Goodplanet) that act as lookouts, whistle-blowers and help to raise
awareness, take action and inspire public policies. In June 2015, the
Group also became a partner of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission, as part of World Oceans Day.

  • Participation of Jean-Louis Chaussade to the United Nations Oceans
    conferences in New York on 7 and 9 June

This year and for the first time, from 5 to 9 June 2017 in New York, the
United Nations is holding a conference
on the theme of Oceans
, on “how to conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources.” Jean-Louis Chaussade will speak at
two conferences to highlight the need of leading concrete actions to
protect oceans: “A large majority of our solutions play a key role in
the fight against marine micro and macro-pollutants, because they are
part of the complete cycle of water, waste and secondary raw materials.

  • Launch of a global collection of waste on beaches

This year, SUEZ has chosen World Oceans Day to launch a worldwide
mobilisation campaign
for its 84,000 employees by organising
cleaning operations of plastic waste on coastlines and in catchment
areas. Named #SUEZ4ocean,
it aims to gather on an interactive map all the initiatives carried out
locally to reduce, upstream, the pollution of the littoral and marine
environments.

About SUEZ

We are in the era of the resource revolution. In a world facing high
demographic growth, runaway urbanisation and the scarcity of natural
resources, securing, optimising and renewing resources is essential for
our future. SUEZ (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB) delivers wastewater
treatment services to 58 million people and reuses 882 million m
3
of wastewater. SUEZ also recovers 16.9 million tons of waste a year,
produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 TWh of local
renewable energy. Finally, SUEZ avoids 9.5 MtCO
2e
GHG emissions for its customers. With 83,921 employees, SUEZ is present
on five continents and is a key player in the circular economy for the
sustainable management of resources. SUEZ generated total revenues of
15.3 billion euros in 2016.

Contacts

SUEZ
Press
Isabelle HERRIER NAUFLE – Head
of media department
Tel : +33 (0)1 58 81 55 62
+33
(0)6 83 54 89 62
[email protected]
or
Catherine
DES ARCIS –
Media manager
Tel : + 33 (0)1 58 81 54 23
+
33 (0)6 31 00 35 46
[email protected]