- The initiative will support industry-linked companies in the process of decarbonising their supply chain, thereby reducing carbon emissions across their global supplier base.
According to World Bank estimates, global demand for vital minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel is expected to increase by between 40 and 70 percent by 2030, a sector that currently generates about 2.8 billion tons of carbon emissions annually.
In this context, Schneider Electric, a leader in digital transformation, energy management and automation, recently launched Materialize, an initiative designed to support companies associated with metals and metals production in decarbonising their supply chain and thus reducing carbon emissions across their global supplier base.
An extension of Schneider Electric’s suite of decarbonisation initiatives, Materialize is a program developed by the company’s sustainable business consulting firm to harness the potential of large-scale renewable energy procurement. This is with the aim of facilitating the transition of the entire value chain towards sustainable sources, accelerating the implementation of decarbonisation and software projects, as well as improving suppliers’ access to high-level solutions, such as power purchase agreements (PPA).
Barbara Fry, Executive Vice President of Industrial Automation at the company, expressed her excitement at the launch of the Materialize program: “We have a proven track record of working with customers to achieve their sustainability goals, and this program will accelerate work in this sector. Educating suppliers within the sector’s broader value chain On the importance of their operating models in closing the gaps Net zero ambition is vital if we are to decarbonise the sector. “Materialize” will see the industry take decisive steps to lead the way.
Reducing emissions is a complex challenge due to the nature of the value chain itself, the availability and reliability of data, as well as the difficulties in quantifying Scope 3 emissions for the sector.
In this context, suppliers face barriers such as lack of decarbonisation expertise, costs and availability of solutions, so, through Materialize, experts from Schneider Electric’s Sustainable Business Division will collaborate with hundreds of industry suppliers, using digital technology platforms to guide them. In removing such barriers.
Heather Edney, CEO of Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG), commented: “Through collaboration and innovation, the partnership between GMG and Schneider Electric seeks to take the mining supply chain to the next level, moving operations towards more sustainable outcomes. “The embodiment will be effective.” “In spreading knowledge across the industry and creating clear pathways to make it more sustainable.”
Other Schneider Electric programs include Energize, a collaborative effort in the pharmaceutical industry with more than 500 participating supplier companies, and Catalyze, which targets semiconductor companies. Both initiatives seek to engage thousands of suppliers simultaneously in rapid, measurable actions to reduce Scope 3 emissions, and are part of Schneider Electric’s Zero Carbon project, which provides resources and guidance to participants, encouraging them to achieve ambitious decarbonization goals through action. Plan to make it happen.
“Measuring Scope 3 emissions puts the focus on supply chains and reinforces the importance of circularity. A very important measure that, through Materialize, will help promote circularity in the sector and beyond. This is something we support,” says Kunal Sinha, Global Head of Recycling at Glencore.
The program also has the potential to work with industries outside the sector, becoming a pathway to decarbonise their supply chain ecosystems, by identifying material suppliers that prioritize sustainable, low-carbon production methods.
To learn more about the Materialize program, visit https://sustainabilityse.com/materialize
