Connect - Schneider Electric

2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC’S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
68
In the future, sites with the highest water consumption and the most
exposed sites will be the focus of particular attention and of specifi c
action plans, after the implementation of pilot sites in the major
world regions (America, Europe & Africa, Asia & Pacifi c).
Energy consumption
See the Group’s energy consumption action plans pages 62-64 .
Raw material consumption
Schneider Electric focuses on making its devices more compact
to conserve natural resources so that customers have more
environmentally friendly products to choose from. The Group
has developed design tools for managing thermal and electrical
constraints so that it can optimise the amount of materials required
in production. Each device’s Product Environmental Profi le
(PEP) lists the materials used. To facilitate end-of-life processing,
Schneider Electric chooses materials that are easy to recycle and
clip-together components that are easy to disassemble. Life cycle
analyses and recyclability assessments also help the Group identify
areas for improvement.
For more information on the Schneider Electric global action plan
relating to PEP and to end-of-life instructions, see the Green
Premium chapter on page 64 . Also see the Green Plastic program
on page 64 .
Schneider Electric’s desire to reduce its environmental impact
has driven its focus towards the use of recycled raw materials.
For example, 85% of cardboard used in Europe and 100% in Asia
comes from recycled material. North America is less advanced with
about 50%. With regard to metals that Schneider Electric purchases
on global markets, these include recycled material from recovered
waste. The UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) report
was published in 2011 addressing the situation with regard to metal
recycling rate. On a global level, 18 metals have a recycling rate of
over 50%, among which are lead, gold, silver, aluminium, tin, nickel,
zinc, copper and iron and 34 elements have a recovery rate below
1%, including rare earth elements. The UNEP recommends that
priority be given to product design in order to facilitate disassembly
and recovery of metals at end of life and to emphasise recycling
electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Schneider Electric
participates in the recycling systems via the recovery of its own
waste, with a target of 85%, and the End-of-Life Instructions for
its products.
Management of waste, emissions and industrial
pollution
Waste
Because waste is a major source of pollution but also a potential
source of raw materials, waste management is a priority in
environmental protection.
Most of the Group’s waste is solid waste. Continuous improvement
plans have been deployed to manage this waste. This approach
fi ts in fully with the ISO 14001 approach that all Schneider Electric
production and logistics sites worldwide are required to follow.
The target of the One program 2009-2011 was to recover 85% of
hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2011 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
Because classifi cation systems vary widely from country to country,
the Group does not consolidate global data by category (hazardous
and non-hazardous). Data is processed to ensure local traceability.
In France, for example, hazardous industrial waste accounts for
around 14% of total waste. All waste is channelled to the appropriate
treatment facility.
Schneider Electric notes the quantities of waste produced and
recycled on a six monthly basis and monitors this production per
capita, on a like-for-like basis in order to evaluate its performance
from one year to the next.
The overall eco-production approach helped reduce our production
of waste by 7.1% per capita in 2011 compared with 2010 on a
comparable basis and to increase the proportion of waste recycled
from 82% at the end of 2010 to 84% at the end of 2011 on a
comparable basis.
Conditions of use and contamination of soils
Virtually all Schneider Electric sites are located in urban or industrial
areas and do not affect any notable biotopes. None of the Group’s
businesses involve extraction or land farming.
No substances are purposely released into the soil in the course of
site operation. Workshop fl ooring at risk is given a waterproof seal
using a suitable treatment (resin retention). Hazardous substances
are systematically stored and handled in areas equipped with
retention tanks in compliance with regulations. As a result of
developments in legislation, retention systems are being designed
more and more to compensate in the event of malfunctions or
emergencies, such as fi res.
In 2011 Schneider Electric conducted its annual review of pollution
risks at all manufacturing sites as part of ISO 14001 tracking. No
major incidents were reported in 2011.
Discharge into the water and air
Because Schneider Electric is mainly an assembler, its discharge
into the air and water is very limited. Mechanical component
production workshops are carefully monitored, in keeping with
their ISO 14001 certifi cation. Their releases are tracked locally as
required by current legislation. No major spills or discharges were
reported in 2011.
Emissions of NOx and SOx and particles into the air are monitored
site by site according to their heating activity; monitoring of these
emissions is verifi ed via ISO 14001 audits. Emissions are then
monitored by the site managers with respect to the thresholds
defi ned in local legislation and monitored by the heads of the
geographical areas (see SERE organisation page 61 ). These
emissions are not subject to consolidation at Group level.
The COV emissions have been identifi ed as representative of Group
levels and are therefore included in Group reporting.
Finally, the CFC and HCFC emissions are monitored through our air
conditioners in accordance with legislation. They are not linked to
our industrial activities.