Schneider Electric Recognised as 2021 Microsoft Sustainability Changemaker Partner of the Year Award winner

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced that Microsoft has recognised it as the company’s 2021 Sustainability Changemaker Partner of the Year Award winner. The award recognises the impact Schneider has had helping its customers set and achieve decarbonisation goals using its flagship EcoStruxure™ software solutions underpinned by Microsoft technologies. 

For the period from 2018-2020, Schneider Electric helped its customers save 134 million tons of CO2 emissions, now reaching 276 million tons saved by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The Group was named the world’s most sustainable corporation by Corporate Knights in February, helping companies to bridge the gap between setting climate change ambitions and achieving them. Using its EcoStruxure™ portfolio of solutions, which are powered by the most advanced evolution of Microsoft Azure, Schneider helps organisations set, achieve, measure and report on science-based decarbonisation targets while positively impacting their bottom line. 

Commenting on the global award win, Chris Collins, Country President of Schneider Electric Ireland, said: “This award underlines the global strength and capability of Schneider’s digital transformation offer.  The critical mass available to leverage analytics directly benefits customers and is delivering real change for customers here in Ireland. Our approach goes beyond technology - working closely with customers and partners to implement real-world solutions for the smart buildings of the future. Designing with energy efficiency, resilience and smart data analytics front of mind means we can provide comfortable, safe environments for people to be in.” 

“Winning the 2021 Microsoft Sustainability Changemaker Partner of the Year Award is great recognition of the work we are doing together to tackle climate change. This is a highly valued partnership, and going forward, we will work on the implementation of a new co-innovate and co-sell solution named EcoStruxure™ Traceability Advisor. This solution will help our mutual customers connect the vast amount of data across their value chain to build a 360-degree resilient and traceable supply chain,” said Philippe Delorme, Executive Vice-President, Energy Management at Schneider Electric. “The future is sustainable, smart, people-centric, and powered by renewable energy, and we are humbled that our mission is shared by our partners, as we continue to expand our product offering and strengthen our 30-year relationship with Microsoft to build a sustainable future together.” 

Other customers Schneider Electric has helped worldwide, together with Microsoft, include JLL, one of the world’s largest owners of real estate. JLL has set bold commitments to reduce its carbon footprint and obtain actionable energy and sustainability data across its investment portfolio.  

Darren Battle, JLL’s Asia-Pacific Head of Corporate Real Estate and Workplace, says: “Thanks to Schneider’s EcoStruxure™ for Real Estate solution, JLL’s new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore uses smart IoT technologies to support the company’s ambitions of creating the workplace of the future. This solution helps JLL improve the well-being of the occupants of the building, reduce energy use by 30%, and increase overall building value in a completely sustainable way.” 

With this award, Schneider Electric was also recognised by Microsoft for developing a comprehensive energy management and sustainability strategy for Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. Schneider Electric implemented its flagship ESG software solution, EcoStruxure™ Resource Advisor, to capture and normalise energy and utility data at all levels of Blackstone’s portfolio, from individual sites to regional cross sections.  

Data from Resource Advisor allows Blackstone to negotiate contracts with utilities and other suppliers, getting the right source of energy at the lowest possible rates. The data is also used to develop sector-specific scorecards, which are automatically updated to drive program participation across critical KPIs. This has helped Blackstone to save tens of millions of dollars on its energy consumption from sustainability efforts and strategic energy sourcing. In September 2020, Blackstone set a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 15% within the first three years of buying any asset or company across its portfolio. Solutions from Schneider Electric are a key component of Blackstone’s success in achieving this goal. 

With more than 15 years of sustainability leadership, Schneider Electric has also committed to achieve net zero across the entirety of its value chain by 2050, and, earlier this year, implemented its Zero Carbon Project, an ambitious new program designed to help its top 1,000 suppliers reduce their emissions 50% by 2025. 

Find out more about the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award HERE