Since the company was founded in France 160 years ago, Veolia Environnement has grown from a company that provided drinking water to cities in France to a global group providing public authorities and industries around the world with a range of water, energy and waste-management services vital to human development and sustainable growth.

Among all the countries where it operates, Veolia is committed to supporting municipalities and industries in China to adapt, innovate and implement solutions that will have a positive impact on the environment and ensure the sustainability of resources in China.

As the global leader in environmental solutions, Veolia Environnement is committed to helping industries and municipalities to better deal with environmental challenges.

In the field of water management, Veolia is devoted to assisting clients to ensure a highly efficient and sustain-able water use by operating water, wastewater treatment and re-use facilities.

On waste management, Veolia is dedicated to creating permanent solutions for waste collecting, recycling, recovery and treatment to preserve diminishing re-source.

On energy management, Dalkia, an entity of Veolia in association with European Development Fund, provides its expertise to cities and businesses to develop, build and operate more eco-friendly and more economical energy systems.

Veolia entered the water market in China in the 1980s, through its subsidiary specialized in water engineering, and entered the environmental services market in China in 1992.

Drawing on its years of expertise and new approaches in environmental services, Veolia has built long-term partnerships with public authorities, industries and environmental professionals from across China.

"As the economy most open to foreign technologies, China not only is attractive to us, but also treats us in a friendly manner," Antoine Frrot, chairman and CEO of Veolia Environnement said, adding that he was confident in Veolia's future in China.

He also noted that the company would continue to assist China tackling environmental challenges, by offering state-of-the-art technology and value-added services to clients in China.

Today, Veolia manages some 70 waste, water and energy projects in more than 40 cities in China. Innovative approaches and sophisticated technologies have been introduced to address complex environmental issues.

One example in the field of waste activity is the hazardous waste integrated treatment center in Tianjin. It is the first treatment and disposal center in China integrating incineration, physical and chemical treatment, se-cure landfill and resource recycling.

And in Harbin, Dalkia operates boiler plants and a complicated heating network to provide heating to an area of around 7 million square meters in extreme cold.

Veolia has not only brought in advanced technologies and operation expertise but also introduced new business models to the Chinese environmental industry, including various types of public-private partnerships. The project in Shanghai's Pudong district is China's first full concession contract concerning water treatment, water distribution and customer services.

Veolia has partnered with Chinese central authorities, research centers and universities over the past years to conduct studies on environmental and sustainable issues in China. Based on the research results, Veolia has provided advice to political decision makers and developed several high-level training programs to share with Chinese officials and experts some leading environmental protection theories and outstanding practices in Europe.

Veolia is determined to support municipalities and industries in China and, to have the full support from them, in achieving their environmental goals, and to follow the economic and social growth of China as it steps into the new era.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn