APC 2015 Annual Report Download - page 101

2015 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC 99
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, AN ECO-CITIZEN COMPANY
The international network of Foundation delegates
The Schneider Electric Foundation focuses on the development and
involvement of the company’s employees in all the initiatives it enacts.
In particular, it draws on a network of 130 volunteer employees,
who are also known as delegates. These delegates, who cover 75
countries, are tasked with selecting local partnerships in the areas
of professional training in the energy sector or the prevention of fuel
poverty, proposing the partnerships to the employees of their entity
and then to the Foundation, and monitoring the progress of the
projects after they are launched. Each project proposed is studied
by the Schneider Electric Foundation and then Fondation de France
on the basis of administrative and fi nancial information before funds
are paid.
At each site, the delegates are chosen on a recognized volunteer
basis, and the selection is made offi cial by a letter of undertaking
that is signed by the site manager and the head of the Foundation
and that has a two-year term.
The delegates also organize local events adapted to the country’s
culture, to better mobilize employee , and inform them of Foundation
activities at their site.
Finally, they organize the Schneider Electric Foundation’s annual
international mobilization campaign, which is known as Communities
Days. This important event in the existence of the Foundation and
the company took place in December2015. These days put local
partnerships in the international spotlight. The delegates also take
over campaigns that are organized after natural disasters.
Programs
Energies, poverty, and commitment are the three keywords that
connect the three major programs that aim to reduce the energy
gap in all corners of the globe.
Training and professional integration in the energy
trades
Since 2009, the Foundation has been supporting the Access to
Energy program to improve energy access in new economies
through the development of vocational training in energy
management trades for the most underprivileged.
To facilitate the integration and professional training of these young
adults, the Schneider Electric Foundation continually encourages
and supports national and international integration associations or
electrical profession educational organizations.
This training and integration program captures 55% of the annual
funding allocated by the Foundation. All of these actions are
monitored and measured on a quarterly basis within the scope
of the Planet & Society barometer through a key performance
indicator. Since 2009, more than 102,000 underprivileged people
have been trained in the energy management sector in more than
25 countries. The goal is to train 150,000 people by 2017 and
1million between now and 2025.
Tackling fuel poverty
In 2013, the Schneider Electric Foundation stepped up its
commitment to contribute to the fi ght against fuel poverty in mature
economies by supporting the implementation of information and
awareness campaigns and supporting actions targeting households
facing this type of poverty.
•multiparty programs that make it possible to better understand
the phenomenon of fuel poverty, to bring about solutions, and to
connect actors;
•projects to support families affected by fuel poverty;
•projects that seek to develop social innovations related to public
housing and its facilities, and to follow up with families.
This program corresponds to 13% of the activities of the Schneider
Electric Foundation.
Spotlight on Ashoka partnerships
To reduce the energy gap in our society, models need to be
examined, innovations must be created, and new solutions must
be proposed along with hybrid models that capitalize on the
strengths of each stakeholder in our society. Ashoka and the
Schneider Electric Foundation are convinced that the best way to
give underprivileged people access to affordable energy is to invest
and to involve social entrepreneurs who create innovations that
contribute to changing the system.
To this end, in September2015, Ashoka and the Schneider Electric
Foundation, under the auspices of Fondation de France, launched
Social Innovation to Tackle Fuel Poverty, a request for proposals in
six European countries: Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland,
and the Czech Republic. In November2015, a selection committee
comprised of national and international experts gathered in order
to review more than 200 applications and select 14 representative
projects from among the proposals; the winning solutions were
those that seemed the most promising for the coming years.
To help the 14 winners with their strategies to broadly implement
their projects, Ashoka will provide 300 hours of mentoring over three
months beginning in February2016. The winners will also benefi t
from inspiring dialogue within a European network of peers, and
visibility they will gain throughout the program. Schneider Electric’s
international employees will be able to contribute their expertise and
skills to the social entrepreneurs’ projects that are chosen as part of
the Schneider Electric Teachers association. All this progress will be
presented at a global Ashoka event in June2016.
Raising awareness about sustainable development
Energy and climate change are at the heart of the issues facing
our planet. Doing more with fewer resources is now possible. By
supporting innovative projects, the Schneider Electric Foundation
voluntarily helps raise awareness among different stakeholders
participating in the challenges of climate change. The Company
invests in emblematic and international programs by making its
knowledge, notably in energy systems management, available
through donations in resources and/or knowledge. Through its
projects and the commitment of its employees, the Schneider
Electric Foundation wants to emphasize:
•the desire to contribute and provide solutions;
Safe, reliable, effi cient, productive and green energy management
solutions are now available and operational, even in the most
extreme conditions. Through its Foundation and alongside
the International Polar Foundation as well as the Fédération
française des clubs alpins et de montagne in the framework of
the new Refuge du Goûter, Schneider Electric contributes to