Schneider Electric has opened the Schneider Electric Sustainability School -- a free digital platform for the company's partner ecosystem. The free online training programs are designed to help partners "Strategize, Digitize and Decarbonize," the company said.
Schneider Electric develops digital technologies that allow partners and customers to manage, monitor and optimize energy consumption across homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. The company, based in Rueil-Malmaison, France, has roughly 162,000 employees worldwide.
The newly launched Sustainability School arrives at a key time. The context: Amid a growing commitment to decarbonization, many businesses suffered from a "sizable knowledge and skills gap" that "remains a barrier to progress," Schneider Electric asserted.
Sustainable Tech Partner agrees with that assertion. Among the proof points to consider:
- Environmental sustainability is now a Top 10 business priority for CEOs, according to Gartner.
- Nearly 60% of decision makers are concerned about the strength of their company's sustainability strategy, according to an enterprise survey from CCS Insight and NTT Data.
- By 2025, 50% of CIOs will have specific performance metrics tied to energy consumption, according to Gartner.
Amid those market trends, companies will increasingly rely on "partners with expertise in the field of sustainability to support them in decarbonizing their operations," Schneider Electric predicted.
Sustainability School: Three Chapters to Note
With those needs in mind, Schneider Electric built has organized the online training into three chapters. They cover:
- Chapter 1: Understanding sustainability and the risks involved (available now): Here, partners will learn the basics of sustainability, including the science and jargon behind it and why it is crucial for businesses to take environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) seriously, the company said.
- Chapter 2: Discover how to take sustainable action as a company (launching in Q3 of 2023): Here, participants learn how SMEs can build a decarbonization strategy, including information on easy-to-implement tools that can support them in decarbonizing their own operations and that of their customers, the company said.
- Chapter 3: Leverage sustainable skills to increase business opportunities (launching in Q1 of 2024): This portion summarizes the key knowledge and tools learnt throughout the program – from energy efficiency to decarbonization – to support attendees in putting the theory into practice, the company said.
In a prepared statement about the effort, Sorouch Kheradmand, head of partner sustainability at Schneider Electric, said: “The Sustainability School for partners is our big next move to prove that companies can not only do business that is better for the planet but can also fundamentally improve their performance by doing so. We are proud to announce the launch of our new online courses, which are designed to educate and inspire individuals and organizations to adopt sustainable practices. Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and we believe that education is key to driving change and creating a more sustainable future.”
Schneider Electric: Sustainability Business Strategy and Partner Program
The education tools align with Schneider Electric's corporate mission and purpose, which read:
- Mission: Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.
- Purpose: Our purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.
That mission and purpose extend across the company's software and partner ecosystem. On the software front, Schneider Electric in April 2023 launched Zeigo, a "sustainability software ecosystem built to simplify and accelerate climate action for companies of all sizes." Roughly a year earlier, the company launched Partnering for Sustainability -- an ecosystem effort designed to help partners accelerate customers' net-zero journey. The Partnering for Sustainability effort calls for partners to:
- Electrify operations with clean electrification and digitalization, future-ready products and hybrid electrical systems that are high-performing, reliable and simple-to-use, the company asserts.
- Reduce energy use and carbon footprint by maximizing energy efficiency through smart, digital, connected products and software that enables monitoring, maintenance and optimization of operations, the company adds.
- Replace energy resources within the entire product lifecycle and ensure optimal use of resources, the company notes, the company says.
- Engage a value chain and associated software to optimize operations, increase resilience of supply, and minimize footprint, the company concludes.
Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards
By March 2023, Schneider Electric announced its first annual Sustainability Impact Awards for North America. The six honorees included:
- Amazon Web Services for its manufacturing sector solutions;
- Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) for its cloud-to-edge solutions;
- KB Home for its residential homebuilding practices;
- Faith Technologies Inc. (FTI) for its construction, engineering, manufacturing and renewable energy expertise;
- SOATI for its industrial automation know-how; and
- World Wide Technology (WWT) for its digital transformation and IT modernization skills.
The honorees were selected based on how each company leverages energy and automation digital solutions to electrify their operations, reduce energy supply, increase operational efficiency, and embrace circularity across the value chain, Schneider Electric said.
Schneider Electric Business Performance
The business strategy appears to be treating the company and its partner ecosystem well. The evidence: Schneider Electric's revenues for Q1 of 2023 were €8.5 billion (US$9.1 billion), up 15.8% compared to Q1 of 2022, the company disclosed in April of 2023.
