Schneider Electric: Harnessing Data for Green Construction

Energy management giant Schneider Electric has announced a strategic partnership with One Click LCA, a Finnish software provider that facilitates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

With this new partnership, Schneider is hoping to advance decarbonisation efforts in the building sector, an area where it has a large amount of corporate custom.

The main thrust of the collaboration will see Schneider share EDPs for more than 50,000 of its electrical products on One Click LCA's AI-powered sustainability platform, making it easier for customers to assess the sustainable impact that Schneider can deliver.

It will also help to address an ongoing challenge in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, where mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) components have historically lacked comprehensive environmental data.

For a long time, AEC professionals have struggled to fully assess the embodied carbon of their construction projects because of this lack of knowledge.

Data-driven sustainability

This partnership between Schneider Electric and One Click LCA will give architects, engineers, designers and sustainability experts the insights they need to make data-driven sustainable design decisions during construction projects.

With Schneider Electric's electrical products EPD now widely available on the One Click LCA platform, professionals can confidently incorporate the environmental impacts of their electrification choices into project life cycle assessments.

This capability allows for further mitigation of MEP carbon emissions in construction projects.

"By sharing this extensive amount of EPDs for our electrical products on One Click LCA platform, we are making it easier for professionals in the AEC industry to select the most sustainable products," says Sorouch Kheradmand, Global Head of Sustainability Partnerships at Schneider Electric.

Setting new industry standards

Beyond immediate practical applications, the partnership may help Schneider to set a new standard for information sharing in the industry.

Panu Pasanen, CEO & Founder of One Click LCA, is full of praise for the initiative, noting its industry-leading nature.

"Schneider Electric is leading the way in the MEP industry by making an extensive amount of EPD data for their product available on our platform,” he says. 

“Contractors and engineers need a clear understanding of the impact of all their materials to build sustainably. 

“We hope that significant advancement from Schneider Electric will inspire others to share their EDP data more broadly."

Critical climate challenges

Addressing the carbon footprint of buildings is one of the most important, yet most difficult aspects of the global pursuit of sustainability.

When factoring in construction, use and maintenance, the built environment accounts for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions—a staggering amount.

A significant portion of these emissions stems from embodied carbon in construction materials and equipment, including electrical systems.

By providing detailed environmental impact data for electrical components, Schneider Electric and One Click LCA are enabling more accurate whole-building carbon assessments, which is a truly invaluable service.

The availability of this data comes at a time when countries around the world are imposing stricter regulations on the built environment and related reporting requirements.

Increasingly, construction professionals are asked to document the carbon footprint of their projects, which makes easy access to reliable EPD data essential.

As a global industrial technology leader with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider is perfectly placed to help scale these improvements.

The integration of Schneider Electric's product data into One Click LCA's platform is effective immediately, giving AEC professionals instant access to environmental impact information for thousands of electrical products.

This collaboration marks another milestone in the ongoing digital transformation of the construction industry, where data-driven decision making is becoming increasingly central to sustainable building practices.

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