Industrial Automation Global Business Leader with 23 years of experience in Industrial customers in segments as Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Power & Energy, Metals & Mining, Water, Infrastructure, Manufacturing. Irfan holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics & Communication), and a Diploma in Electronics Engineering – Gold Medalist
Schneider Electric is Gold Sponsor of the Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering, which will take place from May 30 to June 2 within the framework of Expoquimia, the International Chemical Meeting of Fira de Barcelona.
Why did a company like Schneider Electric decide to collaborate in the organization of an event like the Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering?
Chemical Industry is going through transformation and our customers are looking at New Processes, New products, and New Geographical focus. There is lot of efforts in creating sustainable Chemical Value chain right from the feedstock to Processes and then to End Products to achieve net zero goals. All this leads to our customers asking for more Innovative solutions that can support sustainability goals, driving Efficiency, plant safety and reliability.
As a Company where Sustainability at our core, we strongly believe that we can bring valuable contribution as a Technology company where our solutions cover wide spectrum of Software, Automation and Energy Management. We are driving Chemical segment specific solutions and initiatives that can be shared with the wider audience
What do you think could be the main contributions of the Congress?
This congress can provide a platform where in all stakeholders in the Chemical business drive towards common Sustainability Goal through the learnings
The Congress can also facilitate the networking and sharing of the info/presentations from all participants for future reference and follow-up
This can also be potential avenue to explore new business ideas and possible collaborations
The main objective of the Congress is to present solutions in order to meet the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Is Schneider Electric a company committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
In terms of our own operations, we at Schneider Electric have very ambitious goals, to achieve carbon neutrality in our operations by 2025 and to have net zero CO2 emissions by 2030 (without offsets). This is being achieved through a comprehensive set of initiatives to optimize energy efficiency across our operations, process electrification, renewable energy supply and the replacement of more than 14,000 company vehicles with electric vehicles (under the EV100 initiative). In addition, we aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2030 (in line with our commitment to the RE100 initiative). We are also committed to phasing out SF6 gas from our products by 2025 and investing €10 billion in sustainable R&D. By 2040, we aim to have an end-to-end carbon neutral value chain and by 2050, a completely net zero CO2 emissions supply chain.
At the business level, despite the complex geopolitical and environmental context, at Schneider Electric we know that it is possible to create an industry of the future, with unprecedented levels of efficiency, resilience and sustainability, by leveraging new technologies and adopting a new strategy through Electricity 4.0. Companies must rethink our relationship with energy to make it sustainable and smart. Being sustainable means being more electric and being smart means being more digital. Electricity 4.0 represents the convergence of electric and digital, and at scale can make the electricity system greener and smarter.
In industry, electrification can be a game changer. A recent IEA study estimates that electrification has the capacity to deliver 70% of the total potential energy savings in the industrial sector. The range of opportunities is wide: high-efficiency cooling systems, pressure recovery technologies, optimized configuration and control of pumps and fans, and the replacement of hydraulic or pneumatic equipment with electric actuators, among many other technologies already available. In the short term, the combination of digital technologies and software could bring up to 30% energy savings in industry, according to the International Energy Agency, and in most cases with payback periods of less than two years.
What are the traits that characterize Schneider Electric as a leading company?
Schneider Electric is a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation with a presence in more than 130 countries. Schneider Electric’s goal is to enable the maximum use of our energy and resources by uniting progress and sustainability. The multinational company drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading energy and process technologies to maximize the efficiency and sustainability of companies. Schneider Electric has been in the Corporate Knights 2021 Global 100 for 12 consecutive years, being recognized as the world’s most sustainable company in 2021. In addition, in 2023, the company received the World Economic Forum’s “Lighthouse” award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Schneider Electric’s commitment to society is also specified in its Foundation. What are the activities carried out by the Foundation?
The Schneider Electric Foundation supports initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable development goals and best practices. In 2012, the Foundation created the global volunteering platform, VolunteerIn, with projects focused on energy poverty and child support. Following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, Schneider Electric’s main objective was to safeguard the safety of all our people. To this end, the Foundation launched a series of initiatives such as the relocation of employees and financing of accommodation, a donation fund, the organization of a solidarity supply chain and the donation of electrical equipment for the restoration of the power supply, among others.
