Veolia completes the combination with Suez & strengthens its position in North America to transform the delivery of environmental services

Veolia North America is now the leading company for cities and municipalities across the U.S. for drinking water and wastewater treatment systems

BOSTON, March 21, 2022 — Veolia North America (VNA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Veolia Group, announces the integration of its businesses with Suez’s assets in the United States and Canada, following the completion of the combination of the two companies, which was announced earlier this year. This positions VNA with 10,000 employees as the leading water and wastewater treatment company in the US for cities and municipalities.

In North America, Veolia is already active in water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting through its decarbonization offerings as well as resource recovery, including the recycling of wind turbine blades.

The combination of the strengths and assets of the two companies will bring innovation and enhanced resources to strongly support the ecological transformation of the U.S. water sector and to contribute to the country’s 2030 carbon neutrality goals. 

The main areas of transformational innovations will include:

• Water and wastewater treatment: expanded opportunities to create water reclamation and reuse programs that preserve and recycle water resources.
• Waste management: investments in hazardous waste management that ensure the safe and reliable disposal of materials that otherwise would pose a threat to natural resources.
• Energy: expanded opportunities to reduce or avoid carbon emissions and enable energy efficiency for cities and industries working to achieve greater sustainability and resilience goals.

“The creation of a global champion of ecological transformation is a game changer for the environmental services sector. Veolia’s aim is to act as a unique enabler of the ecological transformation solutions and a reliable partner for public and private customers to respond to the environmental emergency,” commented Antoine Frérot, Veolia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In the current challenging context worldwide, Veolia's teams are more than ever mobilized around our primary mission of providing environmental and energy solutions to meet the vital needs of populations in a responsible manner and to continue building a sustainable future.”

“This important milestone marks a new era in the delivery of the ecological transformation solutions to millions of people in communities across the United States and Canada who rely on our services,” said Veolia North America President and CEO Frédéric Van Heems. “The combination of the strengths and resources of the two companies will bring innovation, investments and skills to enhance the delivery of essential services in water, wastewater, waste management and energy — services that keep our vital infrastructure functioning and thriving.”

For existing customers of both Veolia North America and Suez North America, the merger will not result in any immediate changes in how they receive their services. The benefits of the merger will be incorporated over time to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the strong relationships the companies have with their customers.

Under terms of the merger, Veolia North America, which employs more than 7,000 people at more than 250 locations across the U.S. and Canada, will be joined by Suez North America, which primarily provides water and wastewater treatment services. The merger expands Veolia North America’s water portfolio, with an additional 6.7 million water customers — including over 700,000 drinking water customers — served through 67 additional public-private partnerships and six new regulated utilities.