Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 12 | Page 73

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology Schneider Electric reinforces its intention of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 ///////////////////////////// T o mark 2017’s COP23, Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, reinforced its aim to become carbon neutral by 2030. 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. 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. Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice President Sustainability at Schneider Electric said: “COP23 gives us the opportunity to take an active part in mobilising 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, 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 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. www.intelligentcio.com Specifically, Schneider Electric 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 US$6,000 billion per year over the next 15 years, while US$270 billion 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, capitalise on the new energy landscape opportunities. INTELLIGENTCIO 73