On April 29th, the Atma ESG event was held at Schneider Electric's flagship facility, bringing together experts from Schneider Electric, EY and Graebel to discuss the growing importance of sustainability in global mobility programs. The event provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities organizations face when integrating ESG strategies into their mobility practices.

The event comprised 3 discussions led by Stephen Park, Sanjala Hari and Alister Stewart of Schneider Electric, while Tammy Allman and Monique Dawson from EY shared their expertise on sustainability tax and the findings from the recent EY mobility survey. Calvin Chin represented Graebel and provided an insightful update on Graebel’s sustainability journey.

Top 10 Takeaways

• 1.     Sustainability is becoming a core focus for organizations, with ambitious targets and supplier engagement.
• 2.     Global mobility plays a key role in driving sustainability initiatives, managing carbon footprint, and promoting sustainable relocation practices, especially those in carbon-intensive areas such as household goods shipments and business travel.
• 3.     Transparency and data collection are essential for identifying vulnerabilities, improving processes and collaborating with suppliers across the organization’s value chain.
• 4.     Integrating ESG strategies into global mobility programs requires a holistic approach, addressing regulatory developments, DEI, environmental, social, and employee value.
• 5.     Collaboration and knowledge sharing across the mobility industry are needed for driving positive change and shaping the future of sustainable mobility practices.
• 6.     Schneider Electric aims to engage 50% of its suppliers to reduce emissions by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2040 across the entire supply chain.
• 7.     While many organizations have an ESG strategy, only around a third have actively engaged global mobility in focusing on ESG within their programs, according to EY.
• 8.     Adopting a carrot-and-stick approach to obtain data from suppliers can help. incentivize them to provide necessary information while setting clear expectations and consequences for non-compliance.
• 9.     Graebel's ESG journey serves as a role model, incorporating both long and short-term goals such as commitment to the Climate Pledge and aiming for net-zero emissions.
• 10.  Events like the ATMA ESG event provide a platform for discussing best practices and challenges whilst enabling collaboration and knowledge sharing to drive positive change in the industry.

Best Practice Sharing from Schneider Electric

Sanjala Hari, representing Schneider Electric's sustainability business, emphasized that sustainability is part of the company's DNA. She highlighted Schneider's commitment to engaging 50% of its suppliers to reduce their emissions by 2025 and to become carbon neutral by 2040 across the entire supply chain. Hari also mentioned that Schneider Electric has set targets to reduce waste and water intensity, with a primary focus on carbon and energy due to the nature of its business.

Schneider Electric's sustainability efforts are not limited to its internal operations. The company also supports its vendors and clients in achieving their sustainability goals. Hari introduced Schneider's three-pillar approach to sustainability: strategize, digitize, and decarbonize. Schneider’s approach is to also measure emissions, set targets and create roadmaps, whilst providing digital solutions for data management and decarbonization.

The Schneider Electric team shared their own experiences in implementing sustainability practices within their organization. Stephen Park discussed the company's global hub strategy, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of employee relocation by strategically placing talent in key locations. Alister Stewart highlighted the importance of embedding sustainability into the company's culture and decision-making processes, from hiring practices to supplier selection.

EY on Sustainability Tax

Tammy Allman highlighted the increasing need for transparency across the entire value chain, particularly in areas such as DEI. She emphasized the importance of accessing data across the supply chain to identify vulnerabilities and address them proactively. While this may lead to increased costs, Allman stressed that individual country landscapes differ, and organizations must navigate these complexities to achieve their sustainability goals. She posed a critical question to the audience: "Does your organization have the right capabilities and responsibilities to deliver your sustainability goals?"

Monique Dawson referenced the EY mobility survey, which revealed that while 77% of organizations report having an ESG strategy, only 35% have actively engaged global mobility in focusing on ESG within their programs. The survey also identified the top ways in which mobility is helping to drive sustainability, including managing carbon footprint, contributing to organizational sustainability targets, and promoting sustainable transport.

Dawson discussed the key trends shaping the future of sustainable mobility, such as regulatory developments, diversity and inclusion, environmental impact, social license to operate, and employee value proposition. She emphasized the importance of encouraging partnerships, measuring the carbon footprint of each location, and quantifying scope 3 emissions to drive progress in sustainability.

Graebel’s Sustainability Update

The event also featured a presentation by Calvin Chin from Graebel who shared details on Graebel's ESG journey, emphasizing their long-term commitment to the Climate Pledge and their efforts to reduce carbon intensity. Graebel aims to achieve net-zero emissions for scopes 1,2, and 3 by 2040. Chin also discussed Graebel's initiatives, such as the Graebel Sustainability Partner Program, which engages suppliers in adopting best practices for sustainability.

Against a backdrop of changing regulations and different stages of companies on their respective ESG journeys, the ATMA ESG event provided a platform for mobility industry leaders and team members to share ESG best practices, discuss challenges and explore solutions to drive sustainability in global mobility programs. As organizations increasingly recognize the importance of ESG factors in their operations, events like these are key in enabling collaboration, knowledge sharing and driving positive change in the industry.