The ESSEC business school Paris's Institute of Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship and Veolia Water yesterday signed a research partnership agreement to analyze, evaluate and develop the social business xperiment being carried out by Grameen Veolia Water Ltd to produce safe drinking water for rural communities in Bangladesh.
Veolia Water and ESSEC's Institute for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship join forces for Grameen Veolia Water Ltd's social business operation in Bangladesh
Coming as it does seven months after the first water production plant came into service in Goalmari, this study will enable a first review to be made, areas for improvement to be identified and the model to be replicated. Research and actions will cover the value chain, the process of setting up the water service, the business model, the resources and skills needed, and the processes of governance and social construction for a new market.
In this region, where most ground water is contaminated with arsenic to a level that is dangerous to health, Veolia Water is seeking to determine the keys to success for the social business model developed by Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank. Mr. Yunus received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for introducing microcredit.
Eric Lesueur, who directs the project at Veolia Environnement and who signed the agreement:
"We are treating this operation as an experiment from which we want to learn as much aspossible about the health, economic and social aspects. This study will enable us toidentify the keys to success for a social business operation and, above all, to be able toreplicate them."
Veolia Water, the water division of Veolia Environnement, is the world leader in water and wastewater services. Specialized in outsourcing services for municipal authorities, as well as industrial and service companies, it is also one of the world's major designers of technological solutions and constructor of facilities needed in water and wastewater services. With 93,433 employees in 64 countries, Veolia Water provides water service to 78 million people and wastewater service to 53 million. Its 2008 revenue amounted to €12.6 billion.
Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE and NYSE: VE) is the worldwide reference in environmental services. With more than 330,000 employees the company has operations all around the world and provides tailored solutions to meet the needs of municipal and industrial customers in four complementary segments: water management, waste management, energy management and freight and passenger transportation. Veolia Environnement recorded revenue of €36,2 billion in 2008.
Contacts
Marie-Claire Camus
Tel. + 33 (0)1 71 75 06 08
marie-claire.camus@veolia.com
Stéphane Galfré
Tel. + 33 (0) 1 71 75 19 27
stephane.galfre@veolia.com
Nathalie de Lataillade
Tel. + 33 (0) 1 71 75 19 28
nathalie.de-lataillade@veolia.com