At the One Planet Summit tomorrow, French President Emmanuel Macron, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and UN Secretary General António Guterres, will bring together heads of state and business leaders to discuss how to drive forward the implementation of the Paris Agreement and a swift transition to sustainable economy.

Ahead of the Summit, Schneider Electric and EDF are two of 89 French companies, representing an overall turnover of €1,500 billion euros and six million jobs worldwide, that have signed the 2017 French Business Climate Pledge, affirming “the need to collectively change course, in order to bring about a drastic reduction of global greenhouse (GHG) emissions”. The pledge includes a call for better carbon pricing.

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric has already reduced its energy consumption by 10% every three years for the past decade. Going forward, the company plans to double its energy productivity partly through use of its own technical solutions, such as EcoStruxure™, an Internet-of-things (IoT)-enabled smart technology. Meanwhile, Schneider Electric will transition to 100% renewable power through a wide range of renewable electricity sources at more than 1,000 sites in multiple countries around the world. Its plans include on-site projects such as geothermal and solar energy, off-site Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for wind and solar power, and renewable electricity certificates and green tariffs. The company has an interim target of reaching 80% renewable electricity by 2020.

EDF Group

EDF Group is already recognized for its expertise on batteries for electric vehicles. Now the company will transition its fleets to electric vehicles, starting in France, followed by fleets belonging to the Group’s subsidiaries. At its nuclear plants in France, EDF plans to install solar photovoltaics, make use of its own “smart plug” smart charging terminals, and deploy autonomous electric shuttle vehicles. The Group is also helping its customers to use electric vehicles by developing charging infrastructure nationwide.

ENDS

Contact:

Marie Reynolds, Communications Manager – Business Initiatives, The Climate Group MReynolds@theclimategroup.org Tel: +44 (0) 207 960 2991 Gideon Hymas, Consultant, Maitland Green Communications – ghymas@maitland.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)7584 643 000

The Climate Group is an international non-profit organization, founded in 2004, with offices in London, Beijing New Delhi and New York. Our mission is to accelerate climate action. Our goal is a world of under 2C of global warming and greater prosperity for all, without delay. We do this by bringing together powerful networks of business and governments that shift global markets and policies. We act as a catalyst to take innovation and solutions to scale, using the power of communications to build ambition and pace. We focus on the greatest global opportunities for change. Our business campaigns RE100 (renewable electricity), EP100 (energy productivity) and EV100 (electric vehicles), brought to you as part of the We Mean Business coalition, help companies to reduce emissions, enhance resilience, and boost the bottom line. They champion leadership, encourage the sharing of best practice, and tackle barriers to action.

Visit TheClimateGroup.org and follow us on Twitter @ClimateGroup and Facebook @TheClimateGroup.

Led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, RE100 is a collaborative initiative uniting the world’s most influential businesses committed to 100% renewable power. Renewables are a smart business decision, providing greater control over energy costs and driving innovation, while helping companies to deliver on emission reduction goals. RE100 members, including Global Fortune 500 companies, have a total revenue of more than US$2.5 trillion and operate in a diverse range of sectors – from Information Technology to automobile manufacturing. Together, they represent 155TWh of demand for renewable electricity annually – enough to power Ukraine, Malaysia or New York State. They send a powerful signal to policymakers and investors to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy.

Led by The Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy, EP100 is a global, collaborative initiative of influential businesses that pledge to double their energy productivity. By doubling the economic output from every unit of energy consumed, companies set a bold target, demonstrating climate leadership while reaping the benefits of lower energy costs. Business accounts for around half of the electricity used worldwide. By focusing on energy productivity outcomes, corporates can reduce their own energy demand and significantly contribute to reducing energy demand globally. Furthermore, significantly improving energy productivity worldwide will help get us halfway to the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. It’s critical that businesses lead the way. By doubling energy productivity, corporations are also enhancing their resilience and boosting competitiveness, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating jobs, and improving energy security.

EV100 is a global initiative by The Climate Group bringing together forward-looking companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure, making electric transport “the new normal” by 2030. The transport sector is the fastest-growing contributor to climate change, accounting for 23% of global energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Electric transport offers a major solution in cutting millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, as well as curbing transport related air and noise pollution. With businesses owning over half of all registered vehicles on the road, it is crucial that companies lead the shift to electric vehicles. Through their investment, and influence on millions of staff and customers worldwide, they can address rising global transport emissions. They can also significantly enhance mass demand for electric vehicles. By setting out their future EV purchasing requirements on an ambitious timescale, as well as investing in charging infrastructure for their staff and customers, companies can drive mass roll-out and make electric cars more rapidly affordable for everyone around the world.