FEATURE : SUSTAINABILITY
report Scope 1 , 2 and 3 emissions , while also interconnecting customers , partners , and suppliers within an entire ecosystem .
In the future , it is anticipated that this kind of reporting will go beyond to address areas such as resource use in land and water , as well as possible pollution . Circular efforts to reuse , re-engineer and recycle equipment also mean a reduced need for resource extraction , further lessening impact .
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC WAS NAMED AS THE WORLD ’ S MOST SUSTAINABLE COMPANY BY TIME MAGAZINE .
There are already many such instruments covering products . An independent system for Environmental Product Declarations ( EPD ) includes not just the embodied carbon of manufacture , but also extends across the five pillars of Life Cycle Assessments ( LCAs ), and through total cost of ownership . Embracing this facility , more than 80 % of Schneider Electric ’ s product range is now covered by EPDs , in the form of Product Environmental Profiles ( PEP ). While EPDs can vary according to manufacturer and product category , a PEP is a version of an EPD for use with electrical and electronic equipment ( EEE ) and HVAC products following specific category rules .
A recent open letter from the iMasons Climate Accord group , including Schneider Electric , emphasised the value of EPDs as a critical tool in measuring the embodied GHG footprint of digital infrastructure , urging their industry-wide adoption .
There is also a significant movement to include sustainability as part of software development with Sustainable Software Engineering and the Sustainable Software Development Life Cycle ( S-SDLC ).
More transparent and detailed reporting will be part of new regulations , such as the European Energy Directive that required data centre operators to report key performance indicators to the European database by late 2024 , then in May 2025 and subsequent years . Such regulation is likely to see similar measures in other jurisdictions , which will likely inform overall sustainability strategies .
All such efforts will rely on the availability , quality , and reliability of data , but the digital transformation wave of recent years has meant that every business is becoming a digital business and so is more data driven and accustomed to collecting , analysing , and acting upon derived intelligence .
Beyond Just Cost , Responsible Business
A positive social impact first and foremost speaks to the integrity and values of a business , and should be the prime motivator in , and of , itself . However , people are far more aware of these aspects , and so there is also a reputational cost that plays a key part in aligning the company ’ s total cost of sustainability .
A business must be able to bear the cost and thrive while being sustainable . As the previous cited survey showed , despite growing numbers of executives achieving success in implementing sustainability strategies , they still struggle to find investment , and yet , studies now support the idea that companies with strong ESG values and activities also correlate with strong financial performance .
Sustainability must be socially equitable too , ensuring that everyone can participate and contribute as well as benefit . An example is access to energy , where it empowers local communities to thrive socially and economically , but balance the use of renewable energy .
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