Better Climate: Challenge accepted
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized Legrand for committing to reduce portfolio-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% within 10 years and to work with the DOE to share successful solutions and decarbonization strategies.
As a partner in DOE’s Better Climate Challenge, Legrand is one of more than 50 organizations across the U.S. economy that are stepping up to the challenge and driving real-world action toward a low-carbon future.
“Better Climate Challenge partners like Legrand are committing to decarbonize across their portfolio of buildings, plants, and fleets and share effective strategies to transition our economy to clean energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Their leadership and innovation are crucial in our collective fight against climate change while strengthening the U.S. economy.”
Legrand has been a long-time supporter of climate-based initiatives.
The company said it has taken on projects, large and small, to reduce its carbon footprint including installing occupancy sensors, upgrading lighting systems to LED, deploying solid oxide fuel cell technology and leveraging adiabatic water-cooling towers for key manufacturing processes.
“Climate Change is arguably the greatest challenge facing the world today, and so we fully embrace the responsibility we share with other businesses to aggressively reduce our GHG emissions. This is in fact a cornerstone of Legrand’s corporate social responsibility commitments,” said John Selldorff, CEO of North and Central America at Legrand.
“As a signatory to the Science Based Targets Initiative, we have committed to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We are gratified to have the U.S. Department of Energy’s support and partnership as we pursue these ambitious carbon emission reduction targets,” said Selldorff.
As Legrand undertakes the Better Climate Challenge, DOE will support its efforts with technical assistance, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and a platform for the organization to demonstrate its commitment to being part of the solution to climate change, said the company.
To reach its emissions reduction target, Legrand said, it plans to continue applying industry best practices, achieving year over year absolute energy consumption reduction across its industrial sites, and by deploying renewable energy sources by way of production or purchase of green energy. Additionally, the company said it will complete the transition of its sales fleet to low/no carbon vehicles.
The Better Climate Challenge is the government platform that provides transparency, accountability, technical assistance, and collaboration to identify decarbonization pathways and provide recognition for leadership across the U.S. economy.
Legrand, founded in 1860 and with headquarters in Limoges, France, is a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of “solutions for commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide,” said the firm.