Bonn (Germany), November 10, 2017 – To mark COP23, Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, is re-enforcing its aim to become carbon neutral by 2030.

At COP21 in Paris in 2015, Schneider Electric announced 10 Commitments for Sustainability. The commitments were aligned with the Planet & Society Barometer, its sustainability scorecard, and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These commitments supported the company’s objectives to make its plants and sites carbon neutral by 2030, and to build a coherent industry ecosystem encompassing both suppliers and clients.

Schneider Electric, which has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts for more than a decade, has made significant progress on these commitments since 2015. Schneider Electric uses 16 indicators from the 2015-2017 Planet & Society barometer to measure its commitment to sustainable development. In October 2017, Schneider Electric announced that it exceeded its barometer target for 2017; a quarter ahead of schedule.

Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice President Sustainability at Schneider Electric said: “COP23 gives us the opportunity to take an active part in mobilizing society – creating awareness about climate change; align with global discussions; and demonstrate that there are current technologies that can have a real impact on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions”.

Schneider Electric’s sustainability efforts are closely aligned with the ambitions of COP23, including climate justice, transition to a new economy, a strong focus on adaptation, and gender and climate change. Specifically, Schneider Electric’s aims to address the following issues when it comes to climate change:

• What is good for the climate is good for the economy: the global demand for infrastructure investments in transport, energy, water, and urban development is estimated at around 6,000 billion US dollars per year over the next 15 years, while 270 billion US dollars per year would be sufficient to develop low carbon infrastructures. Schneider Electric has introduced Science-Based Targets (SBTs) to help companies, as well as its own business, capitalize on the new energy landscape opportunities;

• Access to energy as a fundamental human right: the fight against climate change will not be effective without taking into account the needs of 2.3 billion people who have poor access to energy. Schneider Electric actively promotes access to energy. Energy Access Ventures – a fund backed by Schneider Electric that invests in growing, entrepreneurial businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa addressing the lack of electrification in the region with new technology and innovative business models– has secured commitments of 54.4 million Euros to provide electricity to 1 million people by 2020;

• Providing new solutions for more efficient, more livable and more sustainable cities: for Schneider Electric, a sustainable city is an urban center where infrastructure and energy go hand in hand. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure enables it, its partners and its customers to lead a new world of energy that is more electric, more digitized, more decarbonized and more decentralized.  Electric also uses its EcoStruxure Power, Building and Grid solutions to help its own buildings and data centers to be more resource efficient and profitable;

• Carbon pricing: the introduction of robust, clear and predictable carbon pricing mechanisms, that take into account specificities across regions, along with the adoption of ambitious, long term policy frameworks that favor low carbon solutions and incentivize innovation are essential to reduce CO2 emissions. Schneider Electric has already adopted an internal price of carbon as part of its various programs to reduce its CO2 footprint, which include setting bold energy efficiency targets; introducing renewable energy projects; optimizing logistical operations, such as transportation routes and container fill rates; and eco-design of its products with CO2 considerations front of mind;

• Raising awareness of sustainability is crucial for making the world greener: doing more with less is possible now, but to successfully face climate change, we need to involve and change behaviors across society. Schneider Electric and its Foundation -under the aegis of Foundation de France - are committed to raising awareness amongst its employees, customers, partners a