Schneider Electric has partnered with Global Footprint Network to demonstrate how existing technologies can help to move the date of Earth Overshoot Day. According to Schneider, retrofitting existing buildings, industries and data centres, and upgrading electricity production with renewables alone would move the date by 21 days.
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date in the year by which humanity will have consumed more from the planet, including food, fibres, timber, and absorption capacity for carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning, than the planet’s ecosystems can renew in the entire year.
Schneider Electric believes that adoption of energy efficient and renewable technologies such as its IoT-enabled EcoStruxure platform, could move the date back by 21 days through retrofitting of existing building, industry and data centre infrastructure and upgrading electricity production alone.
To demonstrate how this can be done and to promote new approaches to sustainable business thinking, the company has partnered with Global Footprint Network, the international research organisation that is changing how the world manages its natural resources and responds to climate change. Global Footprint Network’s Ecological Footprint accounts enable to calculate Earth Overshoot Day.
Saving on CO2 through energy efficiency and renewable electricity
According to Schneider, this situation is reversible. The company has calculated that if 100% of existing building, industry and data centre infrastructure was equipped with active energy efficiency technologies that are readily available, and the electric grid was upgraded with renewable capacities, the world could move the date back by at least 21 days.
“Operating on a planet with finite resources requires creativity and innovation”, said Xavier Houot, Schneider Electric’s SVP Global Environment. “We team-up with our customers and partners to unlock the potential to retrofit existing infrastructure, adopting circular business models, and we measure how much this helps save resources and CO2. We work to see our growth path through the lens of the growing need of living within the means of our one planet.”
Schneider’s EcoStruxure is an enabler to move the date
This challenge is central to Schneider Electric’s strategy, which is focused on EcoStruxure, the company’s ecoDesigned, IoT-enabled, plug and play, open, and interoperable architecture and platform, aimed at all power-consuming sectors, including homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure and industries.
“Schneider Electric’s business case is aligned with moving humanity out of ecological overshoot”, said Global Footprint Network CEO Mathis Wackernagel. “Leading companies like Schneider Electric are rising to the challenge of managing natural resources differently, measuring them more accurately, and developing products and processes that use them not only more efficiently, but also reduce their overall use.”
Schneider Electric partners with Global Footprint Network to #MoveTheDate
To drive awareness of Earth Overshoot Day, Schneider Electric has partnered with Global Footprint Network to support its ambition to #MoveTheDate from August 1st to December 31st and beyond.
To promote Earth Overshoot Day, Schneider Electric invited attendees to a digital webinar on July 24th, 5pm CET/8am PST, led by Xavier Houot and Mathis Wackernagel, to discuss new approaches to sustainable business thinking.
The session showcased inspiring examples and concrete strategies. The webinar marked the launch of Schneider Electric’s white paper – Living with Finite Resources: Strategies for sustainable resource utilisation. It presents new direction for business to ensure sustained growth by driving productivity and profitability that also benefits the planet and its people.
