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(6) The role of enterprise
General issues affecting IaEd-based po~tut~o?~
(6) The role of enterprise Thierry Chambolle Industrial development need not necessarily be an enemy of the environment. It is pointed out that some of the worst environmental degradation takes place in economically depressed areas. In addition to national and local authorities, firms can play an impo~ant role in improving the marine environment. Thierry Chambolle, Director of Research, Lyonnaise Des Eaux-Dumez, 72 Avenue ga;ie Libert6, 92022 Nanterre Cedex,
Ocean, water, air, soil pollution, acid rains, town developments, traffic increases - Europe has not yet got over these problems. I believe that firms have a major role as economic actors beside political representatives and citizens. We have to find gIoha1 solutions which answer precise problems and face local situations. This means that a firm must have at its disposal all the necessary means and knowledge to counter the environmental problems it has to deal with. These problems require a global approach and not only a sectoral one. We have to integrate, understand and control different levels of the economic production process and to take into consideration environmental implications of our economic development. Of course, a firm cannot and must not act instead of local authorities or national or community administrations, because these make political choices and decisions. However, a company can propose solutions. A group as Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez rallies complementary professions, teams which work in their own field, but which gather for group projects on global planning for environmental protection. Preserving and managing the environment is a position of arbitration. It is essential for a firm to establish durable links with its clients and partners and to have a good perception of needs. For us, the rapid development of Lyonnaise des Faux-Dumez is still based on a fundamental principle: decentralization of responsibilities and autonomy for subsidiaries. Another idea relates to one of the main instructions of the Brussels Commission for environmental protection. I believe it will be in the companies’ interests to act first by themselves to think out the impact of each of their activities. For this, each firm must improve itself in three directions. @ 0
0
Primary training as well as on-going training, Innovation which means research, researchers and laboratories and requires important investment but is the key to success. In this way, we have set up ultra-filtration membranes for drinking water and conceived movable stations for water treatment. Those stations, called Aquachoc, can be carried by a truck or four persons; one of them is still in Kurdistan. Study of physical and biological consequences of the different processes used and their environmenta (immediate and longerterm} impacts.
Jerome Monad, Chairman of Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is Vice President of the European Round Table which gathers 45 European managers from the Community and the European Association of Free Exchange around the theme of the environment. No prevention will now completely remove all pollution, In Europe, what we still call Eastern Europe is ecologically a disaster. The most damaged environments are in countries where the economy and industry are not well developed. I think that is proof that industrial MARINE
POLICY Januaty 1992
63
Generul
issues uffecting
land-based
pollutim
development is not the enemy of the environment: non-polluting industries do exist in rich countries. The more a company is competitive and the higher its performance, the more research and acts to preserve the environment arc important. Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is present in different fields of pollution control and not only water treatment (for which Degremont is the world leader). Its subsidiary, SITA, specializes in collecting and treatment of domestic garbage. It now develops new departments for storage, grading and waste elimination. Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is also an active member of a non-making profit association, called ‘Mediterranee 2000’ and devoted to the restoration of the Herbarium of Posidonia Oceanica. This herbarium, which constitutes the richest and widest benthic stocking of the Mediterranean sea, has disappeared or has noticeably regressed around the main centres of human activities. Our action contributes to the ecological balance of this area: the Posidonia produce oxygen and are essential for the reproduction of other marine species. They are also a proof of a good water quality. In addition to water and cleanliness, energy, heat, and control of polluting emissions can also be mentioned. I would like to insist on two points: (1)
(2)
64
According to the information and economic provision bureau, the Community environmental market could represent 520 billion French francs by the year 2000, as against 300 billion in 1990. I believe this is a chance for Europe to have high performance environmental industries. The second point is related to planning of European territory. The big problem we have to think about and resolve is the dramatic urban increase. Nothing is more worrying in the future than this ‘pump phenomenon’ of very big agglomerations to the detriment of small and medium-sized towns and agricultural areas. European companies have to improve the environment in the urban and rural areas.
MARINE
POLICY January
1992
(6) The role of enterprise Thierry Chambolle Industrial development need not necessarily be an enemy of the environment. It is pointed out that some of the worst environmental degradation takes place in economically depressed areas. In addition to national and local authorities, firms can play an impo~ant role in improving the marine environment. Thierry Chambolle, Director of Research, Lyonnaise Des Eaux-Dumez, 72 Avenue ga;ie Libert6, 92022 Nanterre Cedex,
Ocean, water, air, soil pollution, acid rains, town developments, traffic increases - Europe has not yet got over these problems. I believe that firms have a major role as economic actors beside political representatives and citizens. We have to find gIoha1 solutions which answer precise problems and face local situations. This means that a firm must have at its disposal all the necessary means and knowledge to counter the environmental problems it has to deal with. These problems require a global approach and not only a sectoral one. We have to integrate, understand and control different levels of the economic production process and to take into consideration environmental implications of our economic development. Of course, a firm cannot and must not act instead of local authorities or national or community administrations, because these make political choices and decisions. However, a company can propose solutions. A group as Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez rallies complementary professions, teams which work in their own field, but which gather for group projects on global planning for environmental protection. Preserving and managing the environment is a position of arbitration. It is essential for a firm to establish durable links with its clients and partners and to have a good perception of needs. For us, the rapid development of Lyonnaise des Faux-Dumez is still based on a fundamental principle: decentralization of responsibilities and autonomy for subsidiaries. Another idea relates to one of the main instructions of the Brussels Commission for environmental protection. I believe it will be in the companies’ interests to act first by themselves to think out the impact of each of their activities. For this, each firm must improve itself in three directions. @ 0
0
Primary training as well as on-going training, Innovation which means research, researchers and laboratories and requires important investment but is the key to success. In this way, we have set up ultra-filtration membranes for drinking water and conceived movable stations for water treatment. Those stations, called Aquachoc, can be carried by a truck or four persons; one of them is still in Kurdistan. Study of physical and biological consequences of the different processes used and their environmenta (immediate and longerterm} impacts.
Jerome Monad, Chairman of Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is Vice President of the European Round Table which gathers 45 European managers from the Community and the European Association of Free Exchange around the theme of the environment. No prevention will now completely remove all pollution, In Europe, what we still call Eastern Europe is ecologically a disaster. The most damaged environments are in countries where the economy and industry are not well developed. I think that is proof that industrial MARINE
POLICY Januaty 1992
63
Generul
issues uffecting
land-based
pollutim
development is not the enemy of the environment: non-polluting industries do exist in rich countries. The more a company is competitive and the higher its performance, the more research and acts to preserve the environment arc important. Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is present in different fields of pollution control and not only water treatment (for which Degremont is the world leader). Its subsidiary, SITA, specializes in collecting and treatment of domestic garbage. It now develops new departments for storage, grading and waste elimination. Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez is also an active member of a non-making profit association, called ‘Mediterranee 2000’ and devoted to the restoration of the Herbarium of Posidonia Oceanica. This herbarium, which constitutes the richest and widest benthic stocking of the Mediterranean sea, has disappeared or has noticeably regressed around the main centres of human activities. Our action contributes to the ecological balance of this area: the Posidonia produce oxygen and are essential for the reproduction of other marine species. They are also a proof of a good water quality. In addition to water and cleanliness, energy, heat, and control of polluting emissions can also be mentioned. I would like to insist on two points: (1)
(2)
64
According to the information and economic provision bureau, the Community environmental market could represent 520 billion French francs by the year 2000, as against 300 billion in 1990. I believe this is a chance for Europe to have high performance environmental industries. The second point is related to planning of European territory. The big problem we have to think about and resolve is the dramatic urban increase. Nothing is more worrying in the future than this ‘pump phenomenon’ of very big agglomerations to the detriment of small and medium-sized towns and agricultural areas. European companies have to improve the environment in the urban and rural areas.
MARINE
POLICY January
1992