APC 2006 Annual Report Download - page 91

Evaluation and
compliance approaches
When the ISO 14001 environmental management
standard was published in 1996, Schneider Electric
immediately initiated a process to certify its sites. The
Group’s goal is to obtain certification for all manufac-
turing and logistics sites within two years after their
acquisition or construction.
As of December 31, 2006, 90.6% of the manufacturing
and logistics sites were certified ISO 14001, for a
total of 192 facilities. The rate in France was 100%.
Newly certified sites in 2006 included the Florida plant
in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the regional distribution
center in Budapest, Hungary; the international distribu-
tion center in Hong Kong; and Schneider Electric
Logistics Asia in Singapore.
An environmental management system has also been
deployed on an experimental basis at non-production
sites, with 13 now certified. These include all the sales
agencies in Germany. In France, the Metz and Stras-
bourg agencies were certified in 2006 and there are
plans to extend the process to agencies nationwide in
2007.
Regulatory watch and compliance is a systematic part
of the environmental management system and is cer-
tified by a third party with the ISO 14001 label.
Environmental
management organization
and training
Organization
The organization comprises:
A corporate Environmental Affairs department.
A skills network.
> Sites: environmental managers in all countries with
significant operations and at all manufacturing and
logistics units.
> Products: an environmental relay in each business
unit who is responsible for integrating environmental
concerns in lineup management and environmental
representatives in each department.
This network has access to a wide range of manage-
ment and experience sharing resources including
directives, application guides, an intranet site and
databases.
Employee training and information
Training and informing employees is a key mission for
country and unit environmental managers. Particularly
emphasized during site certification, training is facilitat-
ed by a 28-module e-learning package that takes
about 15 hours to complete. The modules are fun and
educational, with exercises and tests to ensure that
learners have understood and retained the information
presented.
All employees have access to the package via the
intranet. In 2006, an educational CD-ROM on energy
efficiency was distributed to all of Schneider Electric’s
600 managers worldwide.
Environmental risk
management and prevention
The ISO 14001 environmental management system
covers management of environmental risks. No
Schneider Electric sites are classified Seveso.
Aside from the voluntary prevention measures dis-
cussed above for sites with a soil contamination histo-
ry, no amounts have been paid out in connection with
a legal ruling.
Measures for addressing accidental
pollution with consequences outside the
perimeter of Group establishments
All of the Group’s industrial sites, which are certified
ISO 14001, have organizations in place to prevent
emergencies and respond effectively if necessary. Pre-
ventive and corrective action plans are based on an
analysis of non-standard situations and their potential
impact. This analysis draws in part on hazard reviews
for classified installations.
In France, for example, certain sites that handle large
amounts of chemical compounds, such as Le Vau-
dreuil, MGA and 38Tex, are equipped with balloon-
type containment systems to avoid any pollution
through the water network. Others, like SDE, which is
located next to a river, have floating beams.
Drills are held regularly throughout the year to ensure
that supporting procedures are ready and effective.
A national organization has been set up to track sensi-
tive sites, whose managers systematically receive
training in environmental crisis management. Direc-
tives, procedures and national guidelines concerning
environmental crisis management, historical and cur-
rent operations management, pollution risk prevention
and other topics are available on the intranet. Internal
audits verify that these procedures are applied cor-
rectly.
In France, a soil environment committee meets quar-
terly to validate action plans designed to reduce poten-
tial pollution risks and eliminate any environmental
consequences of past activities at sites under surveil-
lance.
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2006 audited indicators