Connect - Schneider Electric

2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC’S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
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The objective for 2011 was to roll out EEM in 100 factories covering
at least 75% of the Group’s total energy consumption. At the end
of 2011, the target had been exceeded as 160 sites had energy
consumption remote control tools, representing around 90% of
total consumptions.
The Green IT program
Green IT is a program to reduce the energy consumption of
Schneider Electric’s IT infrastructure (data centres, servers, and IT
devices). It also aims to use IT technologies to reduce business
travel using telepresence/HD videoconferencing systems.
The main objectives are:
• optimise the number of data centres and their energy effi ciency
using Schneider Electric products and solutions;
• train all IT employees on best effi ciency and carbon practices;
• ensure that more than 80% of the equipment bought is Energy
Star qualifi ed.
The following measures were implemented in 2011:
• consolidation of three of the main data centres operating the
Group’s SAP platform on a single site with optimised energy
effi ciency (PUE < 1.2), thus saving 240 MWh;
• roll out of a Green IT electronic training module to all IT personnel;
• continuation of a global server virtualization plan, resulting in an
average cut of 40% in electrical consumption.
Actions to reduce emissions linked to freight
Long distance freight
In 2011, the mobilisation of major players in the supply chain and
logistics allow efforts to reduce air freight to be continued in favour
of sea transport for long distance freight. The CO savings made
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by these actions are included in the carbon indicator of the Planet
& Society Barometer 2009-2011. In 2011, air freight tonnage
represented 17% of joint air and sea tonnage, as against 20% in
2010.
Working on the structure of international fl ows – by making use
of the growing importance of European and Singaporean hubs
– has meant that the number of network point-to-point fl ows has
been halved. This has resulted in a mass use of fl ows on maritime
routes that link Europe to Asia and a reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions.
3.3 Eco-Design
Approach
If there is no general legal obligation on eco-design, the pressure
on the use of natural resources, climate change and respect for
biodiversity must encourage the public and private actors to
mobilise around these questions.
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2011 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
Short distance freight
Continual streamlining of the supply chain has allowed important
fl ows in Europe from France to Russia to be transferred from a road
route to a short sea route that is more reliable in terms of delays,
less expensive and more environmentally friendly.
Schneider Electric has taken an active role in the Smartway Europe
initiative concerning road transport, which produces the most
signifi cant portion of the Group’s emissions. Around thirty supply
chain and some shipping multinationals are involved in this initiative
that aims to promote a European framework to address the issue of
CO transport emissions. Schneider Electric is particularly involved
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in the thought process surrounding the development of a tool for
reporting carbon dioxide emissions on a simple shared basis.
The Company is also a stakeholder in the extension of Smartway
Europe launched in Asia under the name “Green Freight Asia”.
Smartway Europe and Green Freight Asia also allow for promoting
good practise in terms of sustainable development in transport and
for advocating the implementation of supranational rules regarding
standardisation of emission measurement methods.
Emission reduction target
A new carbon audit was launched in 2011 at Group level that aimed
to recover – on 70% of our transport costs at a global level – the
greenhouse gas emissions generated by transport. This summary
is based on the information provided by approximately 60 of the
largest transport providers of the Group. The exercise has resulted in
specifi c collaborative meetings with the transporters to understand
better their calculation hypotheses and to start to plan the actions
required to reduce their carbon footprint.
More generally, a working framework was defi ned to detail the
attributes of Preferred Suppliers with whom Schneider Electric
wants to develop the volume of activity. In order to become a
Preferred Supplier, the transporter must be able to measure and
provide information their carbon footprint.
In 2011, training dedicated to greenhouse gas emissions in
transport was implemented in order to emphasise the importance
of this subject in the Group’s strategy, to explain to the teams how
to measure and consolidate the quarterly CO emissions level to
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the network at a global level and fi nally, how to indicate the ways of
reducing CO emissions that are available to the supply chain teams.
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A result of this work, 2011 ended with the decision to include a
freight-linked CO emissions reduction target of 10% within the new
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Company Program for the period 2012-2014.
It is unusual for customers to explicitly specify environmental
criteria for a product but having a “green supplier” is becoming a
prerequisite.
Global customers, particularly in the green construction or transport
sectors or the authorities, need support to implement their
environmental policies, especially to:
• calculate and reduce their carbon footprint;