When what goes around comes around, even better

For nearly nine decades since its discovery of oil, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played a pivotal role in the global energy market, driving transformative economic growth for itself, the entire region, and the international community.

But even while being an enabler of rapid development based on its hydrocarbon resources, the Kingdom has been a true disrupter in its quest for a sustainable future. The Kingdom has adopted policies, investments, planning and infrastructure in its pursuit of ecological transformation — a term which we define as working to radically change production and consumption patterns to place ecology at the heart of every process.

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is the most decisive and ambitious testimony to that journey. By creatively and responsibly addressing today’s energy and climate challenges, the blueprint has inspired countries and communities worldwide to work toward the common goal of building a sustainable tomorrow.

A key pillar of that goal is creating a robust circular economy — an economic model that flourishes around eliminating waste and maximizing sustainable resources. In fact, it was during the Saudi presidency of the G-20 that the group leaders endorsed the Circular Carbon Economy framework — a closed-loop system based on reducing, reusing, recycling, and removing carbon that addresses climate change while advancing sustainable development and promoting economic diversification.

Against this backdrop, the Kingdom certainly faces a pivotal moment today. It must discard the old and linear model of extracting and processing raw materials that are eventually converted into final products and discarded at the end of their fixed life spans.

Instead, companies, agencies and government institutions in the Kingdom must design waste out of products and services and reduce, reuse, recycle or recover resources to the maximum possible extent. Similarly, consumers must consume differently by prioritizing long-lasting products and leasing over owning.

While other challenges must be mitigated, policies and initiatives have already moved to cover those areas. However, some cities in the Kingdom, for instance, are at greater risk from climate change, as the availability of fresh water and arable land is limited due to the intense focus on agriculture and urbanization.

The authorities have proactively addressed these challenges and sought to diversify aggressively away from oil and develop sectors based on sustainability and innovation, which are the hallmarks of a circular economy.

Some initial focus areas that must receive priority to accelerate this journey include the ecological transformation of the water, waste and energy management sectors and implementing of sustainable solutions in municipal recycling and treating food waste and biohazardous waste.

These are specialized areas where the need of the hour is to build vital and effective public-private partnerships that deliver. And with a 35-year footprint in the Kingdom, Veolia has already become the benchmark company for this ecological transformation, working at the forefront of accelerating and expanding the deployment of existing solutions while simultaneously creating the solutions of tomorrow to build a circular economy.

Veolia’s collaboration with the Saudi government has been vital in initiating transformational change in water, waste and energy, whether as Saudi Aramco’s partner for treating its industrial and nonhazardous waste or managing water and wastewater services in the Saudi capital Riyadh and 22 outlying municipalities.

Among the several other notable initiatives is an agreement with Water Transmission and Technologies Co., a government firm specializing in new technologies and rolling out innovative digital solutions for the water sector, besides exchanging expertise and training.

Another agreement with Saudi Investment Recycling Co. is to develop integrated recycling and waste management solutions in the Kingdom that cover industrial and medical hazardous wastes.

As the extensive scope of the projects above indicates, it is only through meaningful PPPs that genuine and sustainable change can happen at the grassroots.

While preserving the unique environmental character of the region as well as prioritizing the Kingdom’s precious natural resources, partners with the right skills, values and experience can help overcome the economic, social and environmental challenges and deliver a lasting and prosperous future in the Kingdom.

• Pascal Grante, Chief Executive Officer, Veolia Near and Middle East