Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action

Suez has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 from a 2014 baseline, a target approved by the Science Based Target initiative. The company focuses on transitioning customers to a "use-and-recover approach" through circular economy practices, such as diverting waste from landfills to reduce methane and converting wastewater treatment plants into carbon-neutral "bio-factories." To manage financial risk and guide technology choices, Suez employs an internal carbon price based on the EU ETS and IEA scenarios. By 2017, the company reported a 5.69% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2014 and supported nearly 200,000 jobs worldwide through its activities and supply chain.

• Suez has established several time-bound climate targets: a Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) approved goal to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030 (relative to 2014), a 10% reduction in direct and indirect GHG emissions by 2021, and a goal to help customers avoid over 60 million tons of GHGs via recycling and recovery between 2016 and 2021.
• The company's waste management strategy focuses on reducing methane emissions by diverting waste from landfills. Suez estimates that optimizing landfill sites can achieve a GHG reduction of more than 80% at the landfill level. The cost of CO2 abatement for optimizing landfills in emerging countries is approximately 3 euros per ton, compared to 31 euros per ton for producing electricity from biogas.
• In its water business, Suez is developing carbon-neutral "bio-factories" in Spain and Chile that reuse 100% of produced sewage sludge to generate operational energy. In Spain, the company achieved 79% green energy sourcing in the previous year and produces 13% of its energy needs through solar, hydro, co-generation, and thermal energy recovery.
• Suez utilizes an internal carbon price to anticipate future costs and revenues, primarily referencing the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) and the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook scenario, which anticipates a price of approximately 30 euros per ton of CO2 by 2030.
• As of 2017, Suez reported a 5.69% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2014 (market-based approach) and an aggregated volume of over 500,000 tons of CO2 equivalent from reduction initiatives. The company also supported nearly 200,000 jobs worldwide in 2017 through its activities and supply chain.

APA

Keogh, M. (2018). Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/case-study-suez-tackles-emissions-waste-water-action/

Chicago

Keogh, Megan. Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action. We Mean Business Coalition, 2018. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/case-study-suez-tackles-emissions-waste-water-action/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keogh |first1=Megan |title=Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=20 June 2018 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/case-study-suez-tackles-emissions-waste-water-action/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keogh2018suez, author = {Keogh, Megan}, title = {{Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action}}, institution = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/case-study-suez-tackles-emissions-waste-water-action/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }