REXEL 2014

Activity and Sustainable
Development Report

04

Commitments

For Rexel, sustainable development is an essential part of the Energy in Motion company plan that has been in effect since 2012. Faced with the socio-economic challenges of access to energy, the energy transition and the fight against climate change, the Group, along with the entire industry, has a major role to play.

The climate change challenge

Le défi climatique

CLIMATE CHANGE IS UNDERWAY AND REPRESENTS AN IMMENSE CHALLENGE FOR OUR PLANET. Governments, as well as companies and individuals, are accountable. The Rexel Group is a firmly committed and active contributor to meeting energy challenges. This includes:

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

THE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE, FROM KYOTO TO PARIS

The Climate Change Conference, dubbed “COP21,” will be held in Paris in December 2015. Twenty years after the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, government representatives will have to reach a new agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This agreement is essential, but it must be accompanied by the involvement of civil society in proposing and developing solutions.

THE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE, FROM KYOTO TO PARIS

In 2014, Rexel demonstrated its commitment by joining the founding members of the “Solutions COP21” network, which brings together public institutions, NGOs, and companies that feel they have solutions that can alleviate climate imbalance: solutions involving energy, mobility, construction, ecodesign, telecommunications, etc. These solutions, many of which concern energy efficiency, will be presented at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, alongside the official meetings.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY,
A MAJOR SOURCE OF ENERGY SAVINGS

According to a 2014 report from the International Energy Agency, energy efficiency is not only one of the primary means of reducing CO2 emissions, but the leading “hidden fuel” and an energy source of its own. Thus, by 2020, 49% of the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming could be supplied by energy efficient solutions.

31,7

Bn Tons CO2 e

31.7 BILLION TONS CO2 E EMISSIONS WORLDWIDE,
INCLUDING 8.3 BILLION PRODUCED BY CHINA,
5 BILLION BY THE US AND
3.5 BILLION BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

(Key Figures on Climate France and Worldwide, 2015 Edition, « CDC Climat Recherche »).

The energy efficiency offer

The energy efficiency offer

In light of the continually growing demand for energy worldwide, energy management has become a central issue for the future of our planet. The potential energy savings that could be achieved worldwide is around 80% in energy production and buildings, particularly through consumption control and eco-efficient solutions.

Energy efficiency lies at the heart of the strategy chosen by Rexel, whose mission is to support its customers wherever they are in the world, and to enable them to create value and optimize their business activities by providing them with a range of innovative and sustainable products and services in automation, technical expertise and energy management. Consumption control is the safest, fastest and most effective means of conserving natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions.

MEASURE, REGULATE AND OPTIMIZE
ENERGY CONSUMPTION

In 2014, Rexel implemented energy efficient solutions for electricians: energy auditing and home automation installation software, a tool for calculating return on investment, a financial services offering, etc. Sales of Rexel’s energy efficient solutions reached approximately €1 billion in 2014. Rexel thus contributes to decreasing energy consumption and increasing energy savings for its customers around the world.

MEASURE, REGULATE AND OPTIMIZE ENERGY CONSUMPTION


RAISING AWARENESS

AN IMPORTANT INTERMEDIARY

RAISING AWARENESS

An intermediary between manufacturers, electricians and end-users, Rexel acts as a catalyst and accelerator in consumer adoption of energy efficient products and services. As a global actor committed to fighting climate change, the Group pays particular attention to reducing the environmental impact of its buildings and transport. Rexel has also developed a range of innovative solutions to address the challenge of climate change from two different angles: energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy sources.


Rexel is conscious that to achieve a zero carbon economy we need to transform the way we consume electricity. This is why the company is developing a range of awareness-raising initiatives aimed at end-users.

Pascale Giet, Senior Vice President Communication and Sustainable Development and Rexel Foundation Vice-Chairman

MULTIPLE CHANNELS OF INFORMATION

Rexel helps inform professionals and individuals through multiple channels: trade fairs, electrician training programs, customer studies and surveys, an online magazine focused on energy efficiency, websites such as the Energeasy Solar portal, which also enables residential customers to simulate the solar energy production potential of their rooftops and offers them a five-year production guarantee, etc.

MULTIPLE CHANNELS OF INFORMATION

By publishing the book Energy 3.0, which discusses the digital revolution in the energy sector, Rexel CEO Rudy Provoost personally has contributed to this awareness-raising initiative. Created in 2013, the Rexel Foundation for a better energy future also participates in building and disseminating a knowledge base on the topic while encouraging social innovation, notably through its social entrepreneurship support platform.

For example, the Rexel Foundation published a study on the feasibility of developing carbon schemes in the field of energy efficiency in Latin America.