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EMEX 2018: Rolls Royce Capitalizes on Convergence to Speed Sustainability

Published Date
Author Jenna Bieller

For many organizations, corporate energy and sustainability programs are part of the strategy to future-proof their business. The convergence of energy management and sustainability efforts is becoming mainstream.

“Today, we see the topics of energy management and sustainability are inherently linked” ~ Paul Wrighton, Director North West Europe & Nordics of Schneider Electric ESS

At EMEX 2018, Schneider Electric and Rolls-Royce discussed with peers, how becoming an efficient, sustainable business requires a collaborative effort to speed sustainability. Companies attending the session left with a checklist of strategies the company has used to make progress on its emissions reduction goals.  

The Energy Management Exhibition EMEX is one of the largest annual energy management events in the United Kingdom (UK), organized in collaboration with UK’s Energy Managers Association (EMA). It connects energy users with leading experts, policy makers and suppliers of technical solutions. The latest event has taken place from 21-22 November, with more than 4,000 delegates gaining industry insights, sourcing innovations and sharing knowledge.

“Today, we see the topics of energy management and sustainability are inherently linked” says Paul Wrighton, Director North West Europe & Nordics of Schneider Electric’s Energy & Sustainability Services, reflecting on more than 15 years’ of experience in UK’s energy management market. “While technology and energy costs have been our key drivers in the past, there has been a fundamental turnaround recently. Today businesses have an urgent need to carve new paths towards a sustainable, low-carbon future. Sustainability can provide a competitive edge and is even affecting an organization’s license to operate. Consequently, today most of our clients’ enterprise efficiency programs are driven by the need to deliver on sustainability targets.”

EMEX 2018 is another proof point for convergence in energy management and sustainability. One of its leading acts was the Sustainability & Climate Change Theatre, a 2-day program covering effective techniques and opportunities to create a low carbon sustainable future. Moreover, sustainability was discussed in many of the other sessions and only outspoken by the imminent Brexit in EMEX coffee table talks.

A highlight on the EMEX program was a case study shared by Rolls-Royce senior energy manager, Anthony Hatfield. He explained how Rolls-Royce is attaining energy and sustainability goals across their supply chain, with a strong emphasis on collaboration.

“Rolls-Royce’s Green Agenda is driven by the need for a powerful social conscience” Hatfield explained, “The goal is to reduce impact on climate change, inspiring both stakeholders and workforce whilst creating value for Group Property and the wider business”.

Rolls-Royce has committed to reduce facilities GHG emissions by 50% absolute by 2025 on a 2014 baseline. In his session, Anthony Hatfield shared how he has created a core and extended energy & carbon team as a combination of a small internal team, with reliable supply chain partnerships. This collaboration, working with Schneider Electric as a preferred partner, has proven to be a success factor enabling energy efficiency opportunities across 292 global sites. Moreover, it has already contributed to almost 20% GHG reduction so far, which sets the trend line well above target.

Other recommendations shared from Anthony’s case study include:

  • Build a joint governance plan
  • Define common and meaningful targets and KPIs, and track performance jointly
  • Incentivize cross-functional staff and supply chain partners to work as a team
  • Implement a single source of data

Rolls-Royce’s story was received with great attention at EMEX 2018 and subsequently, the company was awarded with the “Highly Commended” award for Energy Team of the Year. For many organizations, corporate energy and sustainability programs are a critical part of their strategy to future-proof their business. However, becoming an efficient and sustainable business requires a collaborative effort from almost all parts of an organization.

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Learn more about energy & sustainability convergence: This How-To Guide provides 6 steps to break down silos of efficiency and sustainability teams, and unlock greater opportunities.