Schneider Electric, Eliwell Parent, Tops List of Sustainable Companies

The French digital automation company led the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 list for the first time.

French technology multinational Schneider Electric, owner of Italian HVAC&R controls manufacturer Eliwell, has ranked first on the Corporate Knights 2021 Global 100 index of the world’s most sustainable corporations 

The Global 100 index ranks more than 8,000 publicly listed companies generating revenues over US$1bn. Companies are rated according to criteria like energy and water productivity, but also social measures like taxes paid and how well they pay staff.

Schneider Electric, whose many companies provide energy and automation digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability, has been ramping up its sustainability efforts, with a new Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) program running from 2021 to 2025. This has helped the company climb to the top of the Global 100 index from a position of 29th last year. The SSI program aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and includes commitments to be efficient with resources.

“The ability and willingness to make the world greener and more equitable is not just a moral responsibility – it makes good business sense too,” said Olivier Blum, Schneider Electric's Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, in a statement. “The year 2020, marked by COVID-19, a string of climate-linked disasters, and the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change, reinforced the urgency for action. It has also intensified the appetite from our customers to accelerate their own transitions towards a lower-carbon world. Our solutions can help them achieve their goals, too.”

Eliwell’s contribution

Eliwell, acquired by Schneider Electric in 2014, offers control systems and services for commercial and industrial refrigeration, and air conditioning; it has been a major contributor to Schneider Electric’s environmental mission.

Eliwell has developed a range of what it calls “Environmentally Optimised” devices, which “have been developed with innovative energy saving algorithms to ensure an immediate and measurable return on investment,” said Eliwell. 

Compatible with the propane (R290) and CO2 (R744) ecological refrigerants, these controls are “designed to ensure lower running and maintenance costs, and are produced in conjunction with an active packaging recycling programme,” the company added.

The ability and willingness to make the world greener and more equitable is not just a moral responsibility – it makes good business sense too."
– Olivier Blum, Schneider Electric

By Tine Stausholm (@TStausholm)

Jan 29, 2021, 21:15




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