London (UK), 02 September 2025 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced a strategic partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew.
As Kew’s official Energy Sustainability Partner, Schneider Electric, recognised for two years running as the World’s Most Sustainable Company by TIME and Statista, will play a critical role in helping the world-famous botanic gardens meet its goal to become climate positive by 2030.
As a UNESCO World Heritage site with a sizeable footprint, Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings, and high visitor numbers, Kew Gardens faces unique challenges in achieving its sustainability plans and targets.
The partnership will see Schneider Electric take a hands-on role, advising Kew on how to develop and deliver its comprehensive sustainability plan which includes transitioning away from fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions, and optimising energy use across its historic and complex estate at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden based in Sussex.
As part of the agreement, Schneider Electric will provide a dedicated energy optimisation engineer, located onsite and on long-term secondment to Kew, helping to:
Support Kew in evaluating the impact, cost, and priority of energy efficiency, controls, and monitoring projects
Identify, assess, and implement energy-saving opportunities within Kew’s Building Management Systems (BMS) and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) plant
Explore available innovative solutions, such as cost-effective electricity use, battery storage, and microgrid opportunities, at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst
The partnership’s projects will begin in earnest with the arrival of Schneider Electric’s consultant on site at Kew Gardens in September, marking the start of the next chapter in Kew’s sustainability journey.
Rachel Purdon, Head of Sustainability at RBG, Kew said: “We are proud of our commitment to urgently tackling the dual climate and biodiversity crises through everything that we do at Kew. Our partnership with Schneider Electric marks a major step forward in our sustainability journey. Working together we can accelerate progress towards our ambitious goals, including becoming climate positive in less than five years. With Kew’s unique combination of historic buildings, globally irreplaceable collections, and role inspiring diverse audiences to connect with nature, we face complex and wide-ranging challenges. Schneider Electric’s expertise and hands-on support will be invaluable – it will help us deliver real, measurable decarbonisation progress across our sites.”
“Both of our organisations are impact makers, united in our vision for a more sustainable planet. By combining our climate positive partnership, expertise, and energy management and automation solutions, we’re able to take real action to realise a more sustainable future at RBG Kew,” said Kelly Becker, President, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands. “We also have deep experience with helping organisations like Kew advance their energy resiliency, a growing priority across businesses, utilities, and communities worldwide. In Kew’s case, maintaining a consistent energy supply is essential to protecting the world’s largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections for humanity – and we’re honoured to be a part of the solution.”
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About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. In 2021 Kew launched its Sustainability Strategy to become climate positive by 2030. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 100,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
