Schneider Electric, Greenly Expand SME Decarbonization Program

Schneider Electric has partnered with carbon accounting platform Greenly to expand its Decarbonization Champion Program globally, giving small and medium-sized partners across the electrical value chain access to emissions measurement, sustainability consulting and operational efficiency support. Schneider estimates the programme provides more than $34,000 (€30,000+) in annual value to each participating partner, while early audits have identified potential yearly savings of more than $178,000 for one manufacturer and $28,500 for another participating business.

 

The Program Links Carbon Measurement With Operational Savings

 

The Decarbonization Champion Program combines Greenly's carbon accounting software with Schneider Electric's SE Advisory Services, giving participating SMEs tools to measure, track and report Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions alongside consulting support to identify opportunities for reducing energy use and emissions. Partners also receive access to Schneider's Sustainability and Energy Tech School, remote audits, strategy workshops, decarbonisation roadmaps, selected technologies and financial incentives.

The structure addresses a practical gap facing smaller companies in large supply chains. Measuring emissions can provide the baseline needed for sustainability reporting, but measurement alone does not show a business where energy or operating costs can be reduced. By pairing carbon data with audits and implementation planning, Schneider and Greenly are positioning the programme around both emissions reductions and financial performance.

 

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Early Audits Put a Dollar Value on Efficiency Improvements

 

Results from initial deployments in the Pacific region provide the first indication of what that approach could deliver. One contractor identified more than $28,500 (AUD 40,000) in potential annual savings following an audit by SE Advisory Services, while a Queensland manufacturer identified more than $178,000 (AUD 250,000) in possible yearly savings.

Those savings were linked to operational changes including improving compressed-air system efficiency, shifting electricity loads and optimising equipment. The figures are opportunities identified through audits rather than confirmed savings already achieved, an important distinction as the programme expands. Even so, they show how decarbonisation work can uncover operating-cost reductions alongside emissions improvements.

 

Supplier Emissions Data Is Becoming More Important for SMEs

 

Schneider's focus on SMEs also reflects the growing importance of emissions information across corporate supply chains. Large companies seeking to understand and reduce value-chain emissions increasingly depend on suppliers for reliable environmental data, which can bring smaller businesses into carbon measurement programmes even when they are not themselves subject to the same reporting requirements as larger companies.

The programme is aimed at businesses including panel builders, contractors and system integrators, where internal sustainability teams and specialist carbon-accounting resources may be limited. Schneider and Greenly are therefore combining software with advisory support rather than assuming that access to a carbon accounting platform alone will be enough for participating companies to build and implement a decarbonisation plan.

 

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Global Rollout Will Show Whether Pilot Savings Can Be Repeated

 

The Decarbonization Champion Program is now being rolled out globally through Schneider Electric's partner network. Its next test will be whether the savings opportunities identified in the Pacific pilots can be repeated across a wider group of SMEs with different operations, energy profiles and levels of sustainability capability.

The programme will also provide a clearer indication of whether combining emissions measurement with operational advice can move supplier decarbonisation beyond data collection. If participating SMEs can convert identified efficiency opportunities into measured reductions in energy costs and emissions, the model could give Schneider a practical route for strengthening sustainability capabilities across its wider electrical value chain.

 

Source: Schneider Electric