In-Depth
The VELUX Group and Schneider Electric announce an extended partnership

The VELUX Group and Schneider Electric Announce Extended Partnership to Accelerate Lifetime Carbon Neutral Commitment (CNW Group/Schneider Electric Canada Inc.)

MISSISSAUGA — The VELUX Group, a company manufacturing roof windows and skylights, and Schneider Electric, a company involved in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced that the companies have executed a new extended partnership agreement. The agreement will hopefully enable the VELUX Group to reach its company carbon neutral goal by 2030 and accelerate its plans to be Lifetime Carbon Neutral in response to an increasing need to proactively address climate change.

Building on the announcement made earlier this year that Schneider Electric will help VELUX source the equivalent of 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2023 to achieve its RE100 target, under the new agreement, Schneider Electric will develop a global program detailing zero-carbon action plans for each of the VELUX Group’s factory sites to successfully reduce their energy use and scale renewable capacity.

“We, collectively – corporations, governments, and society – must do more to address the climate crisis and reduce our carbon emissions, and we must move faster,” said Jörn Neubert, Senior Vice President of Supply, the VELUX Group. “The VELUX Group is removing operational barriers – and we’ve established a significant, dedicated climate budget – to increase and prioritize our climate strategy and ambitions. We selected Schneider Electric as our partner in this journey because of our shared values and Schneider’s ability to help us develop and realize an accelerated global program. Our partnership will ensure that we move as quickly as possible.”

The broadened focus of the partnership will further the VELUX Group’s ambition to be 100 per cent carbon neutral (scope 1 and 2) by 2030.

“It is our honor to be selected by the VELUX Group as their carbon neutrality partner,” said Christel Heydemann, EVP, Europe Operations, Schneider Electric. “Accelerated climate action is essential for us to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. We know it’s possible – today – to reach a 1.5°C warming scenario through proven decarbonization solutions like resource efficiency, onsite and offsite renewable energy procurement, and quality carbon credits and offsets. We commend the VELUX Group for recognizing the urgency of climate change, accelerating their climate ambitions, and setting the gears in motion to reach net-zero well before 2050.”

The three-year partnership includes all VELUX factory sites. Schneider Electric will develop a global decarbonization program, including the following:

• Energy assessment of all VELUX Group factory sites resulting in the development and implementation of zero-carbon action plans.
• Support of VELUX Group’s Energy Excellence program in accordance with ISO50001, improving energy efficiency activities and expanding onsite renewable heating and electricity capacity to phase out fossil fuels.
• Implementation of a global monitoring system through Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Resource Advisor to measure and analyze energy usage.

VELUX will pilot the zero-carbon action plans at two of the company’s top energy-consuming plants, which represent approximately 25 per cent of all energy used in VELUX production: JTJ Sonneborn Industrie GmbH in Germany and NM Polska Sp. z o.o. in Poland.