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I believe climate change is our generation’s biggest challenge and responsibility. And, despite the odds, I am optimistic we can get the job done.
I say this because I see what my company, Schneider Electric, is accomplishing within its own four walls to be more sustainable, including green product development and the pervasive adoption of energy-efficiency solutions, and what we are enabling our partners and customers around the world to achieve through strategy, technology and effective implementation: benchmark and cut energy use, monitor and reduce waste, and increase the use of renewables. Sustainability is our new critical success factor.
Sustainability measures are universal. They are not just for large companies. We are helping bring renewable energy to the more than 1 billion people living in energy poverty (those who either have no access to it, or who must pay an onerous amount for it), respecting their right to affordable energy access while heeding the demands of the environment. We are also on the front lines of providing energy-efficiency solutions for the home and for the world’s cities, in the cloud and for brick-and-mortar buildings.
The good news is that those businesses investing in sustainability not only find it helps the bottom line while cutting emissions, it delivers top-line benefits as well, driving increased revenues and customer loyalty.
For example, in a recent survey of corporate CEOs commissioned by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), it was determined that sustainable brands perform better than their peers. Additionally, 61% of those surveyed say they have increased profitability through sustainability.
It turns out, sustainability is not only a moral imperative: it makes great business sense. This is a message I will be championing at COP 21.
