Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced the results of its sustainability impact for 2023, within the framework of its annual financial results communication held on February 15.
The performance of the Schneider Sustainability Impact program for 2023 exceeded expectations, with a score of 6.13 out of 10, higher than the target of 6 out of 10 set for the end of the past year. Schneider also achieved top positions in various independent ratings related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
Schneider Electric’s strong results in a year that proved to be the hottest on record highlight the importance of collective action to decarbonize company operations and value chains, to avoid the worst effects of global warming and accelerate the transition to a cleaner and more just world.
In 2023, the third year of the Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) program, covering the period 2021-2025, Schneider Electric’s solutions for electrification, digitization, and automation continued to reduce customers’ carbon dioxide emissions, helping to avoid and save 112 million tons of CO2.
Significant progress was also made in transforming Schneider Electric’s supply chain. Emissions produced by the group’s 1,000 most important suppliers, involved in a dedicated program, were reduced by 27%, a significant increase from the 10% achieved in 2022. Additionally, 21% of the most strategic partners in the supply chain reached Schneider Electric’s standards for working conditions.
The effort to act responsibly with resources has led to 63% of Schneider Electric’s product packaging no longer using single-use plastics and being made from recycled cardboard. Significant progress was also made with long-standing initiatives to close the energy access gap, which to date have enabled 46.5 million people worldwide to have access to clean and reliable electricity. Moreover, over 578,000 people have been involved in training programs to meet their communities’ future energy needs.
“Our holistic approach to sustainability ensures that all ESG aspects are an integral part of strategies and operations. We are particularly attentive to the impact we have on our entire ecosystem and what we will leave behind. For this reason, we are determined to accelerate our sustainability program in this penultimate year, involving everyone to have a lasting positive effect,” commented Agustin Lopez Diaz, Chief Sustainability and Customer Satisfaction & Quality Officer of Schneider Electric.
On the external ESG rating front, Schneider maintained its position among sustainability leaders in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and the Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World for the thirteenth consecutive year. Additionally, it received high scores from Moody’s Analytics, CDP, and EcoVadis with a Platinum medal.
To underscore Schneider Electric’s commitment to combining performance and sustainability, all these results and recognitions are considered in the short and long-term economic incentive plan for staff. For further details, all the results of the SSI program for 2023 are available in the Sustainability Impact Report Full-Year.
Local Sustainability Objectives in Italy
Within the 2021-2025 Schneider Sustainability Impact program, for the first time, all countries where Schneider Electric operates were required to set local sustainability objectives. In Italy, Schneider Electric has made commitments on three axes of corporate volunteering in environmental, social, and new generation training fields.
The corporate volunteering activity, supported by Schneider through the possibility of dedicating eight paid hours for this purpose, involved 2,187 employees in 72 different events organized by various Schneider locations across the country, benefiting 17 different non-profit organizations over the three years 2021-2023.
Training the new generations is pursued through extensive collaboration with technical high schools (PCTO, training internships) and vocational training centers, a result of a path spanning more than twenty years, as well as partnerships and projects with universities and ITS (Technical Superior Institutes). Between 2021 and 2023, over 5,200 young people were involved, surpassing the target set at at least 4,000, coming from 80 different institutions including high schools, universities, and ITS.