APC 2012 Annual Report Download - page 44

2012 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC42
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ATTHEHEART OF OUR STRATEGY
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1. Sustainable development
attheheart of our strategy
Social and environmental commitments, governance, reducing
CO2 emissions, launching solutions that respect the planet, social
changes, local and regional positioning, corporate citizenship,
ethics, business and poverty – the challenges of sustainable
development have never been as signifi cant to Schneider Electric’s
customers and stakeholders as they are today.
The Group is committed to meeting energy challenges while
practicing responsible corporate citizenship at all its locations, with
measured improvement plans based on international standards of
corporate social responsibility, with audited results that are shared
transparently both internally and externally.
1.1 Schneider Electric’s approach to sustainable development
Concrete, innovative, human commitment
Responsibility has always been a part of Schneider Electric’s culture.
Since the Sustainable Development Department was founded
10years ago, this commitment has evolved in line with the Group’s
continuing innovation. The Group’s sustainable development policy
initially focused on internal issues, plus initiatives for the professional
integration of French youth; now it also includes solutions that help
meet today’s energy challenges (energy effi ciency and access to
energy) as well as global environmental and societal responsibility.
Schneider Electric’s commitment to offering sustainable and
responsible solutions for its customers aims to:
•bring products and solutions to the market that waste less
energy and promote environmentally sound production and
consumption;
•bring energy to the 1.3billions(1) people who have no access to
electricity and provide sustainable economic development.
Schneider Electric’s corporate commitment means dynamic societal
and environmental responsibility, based on the Group’s employees:
•responsible, ethical governance;
•sites and products that respect the environment;
•employee development;
•policies that support and develop the communities in which
Schneider Electric operates.
From commitment to action
Schneider Electric has set out four principles to put its commitment
into action (details on following pages):
•a continuous improvement process driven by the dynamic
Planet&Society Barometer;
•regular and transparent communication (quarterly
Planet&Society Barometer newsletter);
•open dialogue with stakeholders;
•an approach based on international standards, codes and global
policies.
Schneider Electric uses its global human resources policies (see
pages 70-82 ), external commitments (see pages 47-48 ), ethical
code of conduct and the associated professional alert program (see
pages 57-59 ) to strive for respect of human rights in every aspect:
non-discrimination, abolition of forced labor, prohibition of child
labor, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining,
health and safety, training, remuneration, social coverage, etc.
Schneider Electric extends this commitment to civil society
through its community support and development program (see
pages83-91 ): the right to decent living standards (access to
energy program and Foundation emergency relief programs),
the right to education and training (training program for the
populations at the base of the pyramid and integration program
in France), local economic development (social investment funds
and entrepreneurship support).
Schneider Electric works to share this vision with its partners (see
pages56-57 ), starting with its suppliers by encouraging as many of
them as possible to sign the United Nations Global Compact and
adopt the guidelines of ISO26000.
(1) Source: International Energy Agency – World Energy Outlook 2012.