Dubai, UAE, 30 July 2018:  Schneider Electric believes that adoption of energy efficient and renewable technologies, such as its IoT-enabled EcoStruxure platform, could move the date of Earth Overshoot Day back by 21 days, through retrofitting of existing building, industry and datacentre infrastructure and upgrading electricity production, the company said in a Press communiqué.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date in the year by when humanity will have consumed more from the planet, including food, fibres, timber and absorption capacity for carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning, than the planet’s ecosystems can renew in the entire year, the communiqué said.

According to Schneider Electric, in order to demonstrate how Earth Overshoot Day can be postponed and to promote new approaches to sustainable business thinking, the company has partnered with Global Footprint Network, an international research organisation. Global Footprint Network’s Ecological Footprint accounts enable users to calculate Earth Overshoot Day, the communiqué said.

Schneider Electric has calculated that if 100% of existing building, industry and datacentre infrastructure was equipped with active energy-efficiency technologies that are readily available and the electric grid was upgraded with renewable capacities, the world could move the date back by at least 21 days, the communiqué said.

Xavier Houot, SVP Global Environment, Schneider Electric, said: “Operating on a planet with finite resources requires creativity and innovation. We team-up with our customers and partners to unlock the potential to retrofit existing infrastructure, adopting circular business models, and we measure how much this helps save resources and CO₂. We work to see our growth path through the lens of the growing need of living within the means of our one planet.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mathis Wackernagel, CEO, Global Footprint Network, said: “Schneider Electric’s business case is aligned with moving humanity out of ecological overshoot. Leading companies like Schneider Electric are rising to the challenge of managing natural resources differently, measuring them more accurately and developing products and processes that use them not only more efficiently, but also reduce their overall use.”

According to Schneider Electric, its EcoStruxure platform is an enabler to move the date.  The communiqué said that EcoStruxure works on three key levels:

• Connected Products: In buildings, connected sensors and meters improve the efficiency of networked lighting, heating and air conditioning, help to increase security and optimise the use of space in the building;
• Edge Control: The layer gives users the capability to manage the data from IoT connected products on-site, with day-to-day optimisation of energy consumption through remote access and advanced automation;
• Apps, Analytics and Services: Visualised reporting on energy consumption through interactive dashboards, detection and diagnosis of faults, performance analysis and asset monitoring enable detection of additional energy-efficiency opportunities and transition from curative to predictive maintenance.

To promote Earth Overshoot Day, Schneider Electric invited attendees to a digital webinar on July 24, 5 pm CET/ 8 am PST, led by Xavier Houot and Mathis Wackernagel, to discuss new approaches to sustainable business thinking, the communiqué said.

The communiqué also said the webinar marked the launch of Schneider Electric’s white paper, ‘Living with Finite Resources: Strategies for sustainable resource utilisation’. The communiqué further said it presents a new direction for business to ensure sustained growth by driving productivity and profitability that benefits our planet and its people.