ESA Social Value Case Study: Veolia Orchard

Veolia is passionate about delivering social value to the communities it works with and within and is focused on bringing its company-wide ambition of ecological transformation to every level at which it operates.
A 2018 study found that one in five children don't know that apples grow on trees. Veolia's Sustainable Schools programme brings engaging, interactive education on sustainability and the circular economy to schools across the country, but Veolia recognised that it could go further.
The Veolia Orchard programme kicked off in 2022, getting 500 apple trees into over 100 primary and secondary schools nationwide in predominantly urban areas.
To deliver the Orchard programme, Veolia teamed up with the community action charity, Groundwork, and also partnered with Tesco to provide 100 bird boxes made from recycled plastics.
The trees deliver social value on numerous fronts, including improving biodiversity at schools, acting as a learning resource for pupils and providing the schools with a supply of fresh fruit. In 2023, the programme is running again, with even more trees available to more schools, and Veolia is excited to watch the programme (and trees!) grow.
Veolia is a member of the ESA. In 2023, the ESA published a Social Value Charter which provides a framework for organisations across the recycling and waste management sector to identify opportunities to create social value.
Social Value Charter: www.esauk.org/application/fil...