Going Above and Beyond to Champion Clean Energy and Renewables

While the world is still dealing with the ongoing disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re also witnessing historic wild fires in North America destroy millions of acres of forest life, blot out the sun, and cast plumes of smoke as far as Northern Europe.

Alongside this horror , Tropical Storms in the Atlantic Ocean have hit their highest number in 50 years. And beyond headline-grabbing catastrophic weather events , the summer of 2020 also saw Arctic sea-ice shrink to its second lowest level on record.

If ever there was a week to have climate change be top-of-mind, this is it.

Like the pandemic, climate change is a global crisis affecting all of us, in every country, business, and community. Everything from manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and energy distribution is being impacted by climate change. It is no longer a corporate social responsibility issue. Addressing the climate threat is a business imperative.

That is exactly why Schneider Electric is committed to sustainably managing our own operations and their effect on the climate, as well as serving as a partner to our customers and community to help them in their journey toward a carbon-neutral future. This commitment has earned Schneider the first ever 2020 Clean Energy Trailblazer Award from The Climate Group’s RE100. The award recognizes the most ambitious companies going above-and-beyond to optimize energy and resources.

At Schneider, we champion innovative and competitive solutions to promote and grow the share of renewable energy in the energy mix. We aggressively manage the decarbonization and clean electrification of our own operations, including our supply chain. But we also work to reduce our clients’ carbon footprints and to address the digital and energy needs of developing communities – a value proposition unlike any other.

Our Operations

We will achieve carbon neutrality in our operations by 2025 and net-zero emissions by 2030. We achieve these goals through energy efficiency, renewable energy sourcing, and fleet and operational electrification. To demonstrate our commitment to these goals, we are what is called a “triple joiner” – a member of The Climate Group’s RE100, the EP100, and the EV100 initiatives. And by 2030, we will achieve 100% renewable electricity – a significant difference since our 2017 baseline of only 2%. You can learn more about all our commitments and progress in our Sustainability Report.

To support our clients to fight climate change, we offer a suite of technologies and services, with a goal to save 120 million metric tons of CO2 on our customers’ behalf by the end of 2020. Through our Energy & Sustainability Services (ESS) business, we advise thousands of global companies on how to measure, manage, and reduce their own carbon footprints. Indeed, ESS is the world’s largest corporate renewable energy advisor, having consulted on more than 100 power purchase agreement (PPA) transactions to date – more than 8,000 MW of new wind and solar power worldwide! In addition to cutting emissions, ESS customers like Whirlpool have seen savings of over $1 million by reducing waste and adopting renewable energy solutions.

Our Communities

Energy and digital are fundamental human rights, and today, one billion people still do not have access to reliable energy. Thanks to our Access to Energy program, we’ve already provided renewable, accessible solutions to 27 million people, invested in 20 companies, and trained more than 261,000 underprivileged people. By 2025, the company aims to train one million people in energy management skills, to support 22,000 clean energy entrepreneurs, and, by 2030, reach 80 million people with clean energy access.

We must all work urgently together to address the climate crisis and energy transition. It is our pleasure to partner with agencies like The Climate Group to advance these initiatives globally, and we are humbled by their recognition of the collective efforts of the millions of Schneider Electric employees, clients, and beneficiaries driving this change.