A business takes a lot from the society, nature, and its people to thrive and therefore, it is only fair to give them back something in return. CSR is an important success factor for businesses in today's economy. Professor Klaus Schwab - Executive Chair, World Economic Forum – January 2008 opines that companies are obliged to CSR initiatives because they are not only 'engaged with their stakeholders, but are themselves stakeholders alongside governments and civil society.'
Hence, business leaders should lead the way to sustainable development efforts and address ‘paramount global challenges, including climate change.’
In recent years, business has been viewed as prospering at the expense of the broader community. Therefore it has been popularly voted that companies must take the lead in bringing business and society back together.
As echoed by Professor Michael Porter in Harvard Business Review earlier this year, businesses that can foresee the handicaps of future and undertake measures to rectify it in the present will become successful in future. Schneider Electric has done just that.
It forecasts that by 2050 the global demand for energy will double. Come to think of it, the demand for energy which is free in on a constant rise and at the same time, there are around 1.6 billion around the world who are leading a life without it. Schneider Electric is committed to making the most of energy and strives to bring a balance in its distribution and saving energy through innovative products and solutions.
Being the global specialist in energy management, Schneider Electric, is the forerunner in reduction of energy waste while preserving the environment and biodiversity.
This is accomplished through honest and positive interactions with their employees, customers, shareholders, and people. Small steps like water recycle and installation of energy tracking systems lighting control, building management systems, HVAC control to optimize energy consumption can be seen throughout Schneider Electric offices, factories, plants, distribution centers. The Bangalore office has adopted EcoStruxure approach which is measuring the degradable waste to improve the sustainability index.
Similarly, Hyderabad plant changed their packaging of products from wood to combination of wood and environment friendly materials to save trees.
Schneider Electric has lurched ahead in the road to sustainable development. ‘A dynamic and practical approach, sustainable development is part of Schneider Electric's DNA.' It has championed the challenge to reach out to our underprivileged brethren and provide access to energy for the greater good of humanity and make a difference to their lives. A dedicated Schneider Electric India Foundation works to ensure energy is freely available to more than two billion people worldwide who rely on traditional biomass sources due to lack of clean and sage cooking fuels.
It reaffirms this awareness and works towards facilitating energy to all through the following four initiatives:
Electrification of remote un electrified villages using solar powered systems
Establishment of Electrical Training Centres to promote skilled electricians
Student scholarships to help the underprivileged engineering students
Promotion of entrepreneurship for a better life in society
Facilitating electricity to remote areas without grid supply has become an incredible reality with Schneider Electric’s rural electrification program. Till date 265 households in two remote unelectrified villages got illuminated through solar lighting system. Rural employment is a big challenge. Most of the rural youths are school dropouts which results in very slim chances of getting a job.
Also, lack of competitive opportunities leave them very less options but to join primitive agricultural practices. Through the establishment of electrical training centers, the company has given the youth an avenue to learn the skills of an electrician. The latest statistics tell that 1353 number of unemployed youth has been trained out of which 1244 trained electricians have already been provided with employment.
A total of 23 training centers have been established and one Pilot women electrician training center has opened in Chennai. The organization does not stop short by just training the youth. It assists in their start up of business providing access to safe and reliable electricity. Special measures to educate the poor students of remote areas are also undertaken by the company. Paucity of funds is the prime reason why children dropout from schools, which leads to stagnant employment opportunities in future which further lead to lifelong poverty and underdevelopment. In a bid to curb the vicious circle, Schneider Electric aids scholarship to poor students to pursue engineering degree.
The Foundation functions with the help of locals and long lasting corporate sponsorship activities, in addition to energizing the players involved. When it comes to making energy accessible to under privileged people, Schneider Electric has a dedicated BipBop programme that painstakingly puts in continuous efforts to replace polluting and expensive sources of electricity like flashlights, kerosene, and wood-based biomass with energy efficient sources. An acronym for Business, Investment and People at the Bottom of Pyramid, the company is working towards sponsoring vocation electrician training for 4000 people from the “Bottom of Pyramid” by 2012, which will further empower them to support their families and build their future. In-Diya is the company’s innovative product which can illuminate a room better than 11watt CFL and provide backup for 8 hours.
Apart from various recognitions worldwide, the company has been applauded for its efforts in Energy Management. Frost & Sullivan presented the Green Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2011 to Schneider Electric India as a Super Achiever during the Green Manufacturing Excellence Summit 2011, held in Mumbai. This award is a testimony of Schneider Electric propagating and practicing green manufacturing practices which have helped it reduce consumption of resources (raw materials, energy, water, etc) and improve efficiencies in processes.
Writeup by Namrata Ekka
Comments
0 comment