Capturing CO2 and replenishing the soil

Through its participation in the worldwide ecosystem of research and innovation in agroecological practice, Veolia contributes innovative solutions to increase the carbon storage capacity of agricultural soil and promote the use of organic fertilizers.

Using sustainable techniques to replenish soil

Soil, along with plants and the oceans, plays a major role in capturing and storing carbon in the form of organic matter. In agricultural terms, this matter helps improve the fertility and other properties of the soil. Some intensive farming practices tend to degrade arable soil and erode its organic matter content. Advancing agroecological practices and increasing the use of organic fertilizers sourced from biowaste are key to increasing the organic matter in soil, capturing and fixing atmospheric carbon in the ground.

Veolia is addressing these issues in several ways. For example, it is designing innovative solutions to sequester carbon in agricultural land through its contribution to the “4 per 1000” international research program. Another is through its large-scale reclamation of biowaste for transformation into organic fertilizers such as compost, which is a reliable and sustainable way to replenish depleted soil.

REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES

• Veolia is involved in the QualiAgro research project, which aims to improve the quality of different types of urban compost in agronomic, environmental and health terms, and to increase their capacity to sustain and restore fertility to the soil.

• Veolia supports the international “4 per 1000 Initiative – Soils for Food Security and Climate,” which aims to increase the carbon content of agricultural soil by 4% every year.

25%
of global CO₂ emissions are absorbed by the soil

24%
of soil worldwide is degraded to some degree, including around 50% of agricultural soil

700,000 metric tons
of compost produced annually from waste by our subsidiary SEDE

A multifaceted performance
creating high-impact solutions for all

Ecological transformation also means looking beyond economic and financial performance alone to work on environmental, social, commercial and human resources performance. Multifaceted performance means achieving the perfect balance between all these factors, which for us form an indivisible whole.