Renewable energy initiative provides education, aggregate PPAs to Walmart’s US-based suppliers, 84 of whom have joined the program since its launch last year

SEOUL-- July 28, 2021 -- Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced that it has received a Top Project of the Year Award from Environment + Energy Leader for its Gigaton PPA(GPPA) supply chain renewables collaboration with Walmart. The GPPA Program, a first-of-its-kind, aggregated approach to collective renewable energy contracting, was recognized by judges as a top example of the exemplary work being done in the fields of energy and environmental management.

Transitioning to renewable energy is one of the biggest levers companies have for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The groundbreaking GPPA Program is a renewable energy initiative that supports Walmart’s Project Gigaton, which aims to avoid one gigaton(one billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide from Walmart’s global value chain by 2030. The GPPA Program brings together Walmart’s US suppliers to go to market for renewable energy as a cohort, democratizing market access and enabling decarbonization and climate action.

One Environment + Energy Leader Awards judge said of the GPPA Program: “I wish I could give a higher score on this project as it is a gamechanger in the world of renewable energy.”

The GPPA Program is designed to both educate Walmart suppliers about renewable energy procurement and accelerate adoption by giving suppliers who may not otherwise be able to participate in access to utility-scale power purchase agreements(PPAs). The GPPA Program utilizes Schneider Electric’s NEO Network™, a digital collaboration platform and global community of more than 400 corporate renewable energy purchasers and solution providers. Since the GPPA’s launch in September 2020, 84 Walmart suppliers have joined the program. To date, approximately 50 suppliers have completed onboarding training and are advancing through the education phase.

“Two major challenges exist for companies looking to leverage renewable energy for decarbonization: market access and an understanding of the complexities of renewable procurement. The GPPA program was designed to reduce or eliminate both of these barriers,” said John Powers, Vice President, Global Cleantech and Renewables, Schneider Electric. “Our collaboration with Walmart is a demonstration of how partnership pays in the race against climate change. This award is an acknowledgment of how businesses can work together to increase access to supply chain decarbonization solutions at scale.”

The Environment + Energy Leader Awards program recognizes excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, and in projects implemented by companies that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line.

“With a very experienced and critical judging panel and a strict set of judging criteria, entrants faced an extremely high bar to qualify for an award in 2021,” said Sarah Roberts, Environment + Energy Leader publisher.

Building on the success of the GPPA Program and other supply chain solutions, Schneider Electric earlier this year announced an enhanced global supply chain decarbonization service designed to help organizations address the significant emissions volume in their value chains. Schneider Electric itself has a commitment to reducing carbon emissions from its own top 1,000 suppliers’ operations by 50 percent by 2025. The company was recognized in January as the most sustainable global corporation by Corporate Knights.

To learn more about Schneider’s supply chain decarbonization service, visit https://perspectives.se.com/supply-chain-decarbonization. To learn more about the company’s renewable energy advisory services, visit www.se.com/ess.