Anne Le Guennec, CEO of Veolia's Water Tech Zone, believes India is poised to become a significant global hub for manufacturing, marking a strategic shift for industries worldwide. In an interview with Business Today, Le Guennec, alongside Gopal Madabhushi, Senior Vice President of Water Tech South Asia, elaborated on Veolia's advanced strategies for the Indian market.
Veolia, a French environmental services giant with over €44 billion in revenue in FY25, specializes in water, waste, and energy management. Le Guennec, a chemical engineer with 28 years at the company, highlighted Veolia's evolution from providing essential services to leading innovation in resource preservation.
Combining Technology and Sustainability
Veolia's core strength lies in the synergy between its three business lines. "We are the only one working on those three business lines together," Le Guennec stated. This integrated approach allows the company to optimize resource use, minimize waste, and recover valuable materials like lithium or gold from industrial byproducts, going beyond traditional utility management to create value.
The acquisition of Suez six years ago propelled Veolia further into technology. With over 4,500 patents, Veolia is a leader in water technologies, manufacturing and developing innovative solutions. The company integrates digital platforms like Hubgrade for monitoring and optimization, now enhanced with artificial intelligence.
India: A Unique and Fast-Growing Market
Le Guennec emphasized India's unique position. The country's growing awareness of water's critical role, encapsulated by slogans like "No water, no life," aligns perfectly with Veolia's GreenUp strategy. She noted a rapid acceleration in India's approach to environmental challenges, moving beyond mere sustainability discussions to focus on "risk management" and "environmental security."
Gopal Madabhushi highlighted the "China Plus One" strategy, where India is actively pushing for increased manufacturing, particularly in microelectronics. This presents a substantial opportunity for Veolia, which has strong expertise in providing ultra-pure water and wastewater treatment for such industries.
Local Innovation for Global Impact
Despite its complexities, India's fast-growing market allows for the direct implementation of Veolia's latest innovations. Rather than conventional treatments, the company is bringing cutting-edge solutions for hydrogen production water treatment, carbon capture, and transforming biogas into ethanol.
Veolia's facilities in India, such as the Hoskote plant, are exemplary in management, health, safety, and quality. The R&D centre there is a global hub, developing solutions not just for India but for worldwide challenges, including the treatment of micropollutants like PFAS and specialized textile water treatment.
"India has this unique positioning of being at the same time an immense country, a huge country with a fast-growing pace and new development, and a manufacturing hub," said Anne Le Guennec.
Madabhushi underscored the "India for the world" strategy, where Indian innovations like Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) are being shared globally, adapting to diverse environmental regulations. This dual approach of bringing global expertise to India and exporting local best practices solidifies India's strategic importance for Veolia's future.