GreenUp means accelerating ecological transformation — accelerating the transformation to green our modes of production and consumption. It is pointless to proclaim that our world should already be green. What we need to do is to green for real all the activities that are essential to us, without which we could not feed, house, or move ourselves, without which we cannot live together and live well, without which we cannot project ourselves into a desirable future, which is the cement of any society. That is what GreenUp is all about. Greening, in other words, decarbonizing, depolluting, and regenerating natural resources, making the transition from a worrying before to a reassuring after. Up means we are accelerating because there are needs everywhere, and at Veolia we have many of the solutions. We have devoted the last few years to getting ready, assembling all the skills, resources, and assets that are essential to take the fight where it is required the most and where it is the most impactful and rewarding. Now it's time to green up.
Veolia has taken on a new dimension. We are more international than ever, with a balanced presence on five continents, and in each of our geographical areas we are among the top three. We no longer have a comparable at a global level. This size effect is essential to be able to accelerate the ecological transformation and makes us an essential interlocutor for customers, for regulators, for public opinion, which demands to know what solutions exist and then demands their implementation, and for our partners as well, with whom we work to develop and even finance our projects. The good news is that not only are we big, we are also agile. Collectively we've shown this with the way we've got through COVID with a RecoverAdapt plan, through the energy crisis with a resource plan, and by the way we've delivered on the promises of the strategic plan in record time. These are all our successes, and I would like to say thank you again. There are successes that have put us in the best possible position to deploy GreenUp.
Everyone now understands that when it comes to environmental action, the cost of inaction is higher than the cost of action. Everyone is looking for effective and affordable solutions. For the general public, it is principally a matter of protecting health, quality of life, and purchasing power. For industrial and municipal customers, it is a matter of protecting their license to operate, their operating conditions, their strategic autonomy, and their attractiveness. Solutions therefore present essential services because they respond to our customers' strategic and, I would even say, critical challenges. GreenUp is therefore an ecology that transforms and protects, perfectly positioning Veolia in a market estimated to be worth €2.5 trillion and which is now more dynamic than ever.
With GreenUp, we've made the choice to focus our attention and resources on three growth boosters that match our customers' priorities: need — decarbonizing local energy, which makes it possible to secure supply and control costs; that is bioenergy, energy efficiency, and flexibility. Water technologies — a new solution which guarantees access to water resources and adaptation to climate constraints. And finally, the treatment of hazardous waste, which makes it possible to treat pollutants and preserve human health and ecosystems. In those three areas our offers are already benchmarks, and to accelerate, we must duplicate them with new customers and in new countries. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that these are offers with high value added, which marks the evolution of our business towards more technology, and where Veolia has key differentiating factors. All the group's other activities remain essential — they even have the foundation without which these growth boosters could not develop. In these core activities, namely municipal water, solid waste, and heating networks, we must maintain our operational excellence and keep on innovating.
The ambitions of GreenUp are reflected not only in euros but also in quantified ecological performance targets. GreenUp means making Veolia a champion of decarbonization, with services that will remove 18 million tons of CO2 from customers' carbon footprints in 2027. That's what is called Scope 4. And of course, GreenUp includes our own decarbonization, with a new target for Veolia of minus 50% emissions by 2032. It means making us a champion of depollution, with the disposal of 10 million tons of hazardous waste — all pollutants that will no longer be harmful to health and ecosystems. It means making us a champion of the regeneration of natural resources, and starting with water, we will reduce water extraction by 2027 by over 1.5 billion cubic meters. More generally, our performance will continue to be measured by our multifaceted performance using indicators that have been adapted to our new strategic program.
Innovation must become one of GreenUp's key enablers. The first question I'm often asked concerns resources and financial resources. I can tell you that they will double, with an additional €200 million invested in research, the development of industrial pilots, and the acquisition of new technologies to add to our 4,000 patents. There is also the question of organization. To deliver the innovation expected of the world champion, we can now rely on our network of 13 research and innovation centers in 13 countries and on the seven thematic hubs managed by the zones. In concrete terms, this will be the time for Veolia to accelerate on the treatment of new pollutants such as endocrine disruptors, pesticide residues, or PFAS — an area where our teams in the US are leading the way. Carbon capture, including biogenic carbon, to convert it into methanol or green aviation fuel known as SAF, or the recycling and recovery of strategic metals from used batteries or industrial effluents. I particularly want to emphasize generative AI, which I would like to see all our businesses embrace. It is the biggest game changer of the decade and we have much to gain from it. We already use traditional AI and machine learning in various operational applications such as leak detection or the optimization of energy production, but we have added a dozen test proofs of concept on new applications, and they are underway.
Veolia is a pioneer in the establishment of a special dialogue with stakeholders, and this approach is clearly central to the group's purpose. Along with innovation, it is a second GreenUp enabler. These days, there can be no response to a call for tender without thorough consultation of local stakeholders, often resulting in partnership or consortium. With GreenUp, we must go further — for example, by greatly increasing the co-financing of our projects with our customers, suppliers, or other partners, by fully recognizing the importance of public opinion, which has become our leading proponent. If citizens are aware of the solutions that exist, they can influence the regulatory decisions made by politicians, which are crucial to accelerating ecological transformation.
Our resources have always been Veolia's greatest strengths, and I'm proud and honored to have discovered, with the results of the internal voice of resources survey, that the commitment rate has again reached a record level at 89%. It is to support this commitment that I wanted to set up Veolia Cares, a program offering a common core of benefits for all our employees, everywhere in the world, regardless of local legislation. I'm also proud that you've been subscribing in such good numbers to our SEOA employee share ownership program, and that employees have become the group's largest shareholder, with 7.5% of the capital. Thanks to this commitment by our resources — optimistic, determined, and always moving forward together — we will definitely make GreenUp a success. Of that I'm absolutely sure. You can also count on me, just as much as I count on you. So, for all the work that we've already done and for all that we will accomplish together with GreenUp, thank you.
