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Schneider Electric Triumphs at 2011 Gigaton Awards hosted during UN Climate Change talks

Dubai-UAE: 18 December, 2011 - The Carbon War Room (CWR), the Gigaton Throwdown, and the World Climate Summit today awarded Schneider Electric with the Gigaton Awards for 'Outstanding Business Leadership in Action' for its phenomenal contribution to the reduction of carbon usage.

Selected from among 25 global companies that were nominated for the awards, Schneider Electric was acknowledged for its leadership in energy efficiency and the development of the Smart Grid. The evaluation was based on an assessment of performance on a range of metrics, including disclosure and reductions in the volume and intensity of emissions over the last year. The recognition is designed to inspire and challenge businesses to operate in the most carbon efficient manner possible.

Schneider Electric's solutions focus on two key areas for tackling the energy challenge. In addition to offering products, systems and services that augment energy efficiency, the solutions emphasise on improving the energy infrastructure through mandating the use of environmental friendly installations. This is achieved through a range of solutions including Schneider Electric's 'SmartGrid' that ensures the balance of energy production and consumption in a complex environment.

Jigar Shah, CEO, Carbon War Room, said: "We applaud Schneider Electric for its outstanding contribution to raising industry standards in corporate carbon reduction and sustainability. Carbon War Room looks forward to seeing the ripple effect the winner's achievement will inspire."

Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development for Schneider Electric, said: "Carbon is not only an environmental issue but a business imperative. As the global specialist in energy management, we focus on fostering energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions for our customers, while leading by example in implementing these solutions across our own sites. Not only is our approach beneficial for the planet but also a fantastic business opportunity. We are honoured that the Gigaton Award Academy recognizes our day-to-day efforts towards achieving greater sustainability."

As part of the judging process for the awards, company data was taken from the Carbon Disclosure Project's Global 500 Report, which examines the carbon reduction activities at the world's largest public corporations. This information was then analysed by the CWR and its partner, Greenstar, along qualitative and quantitative criteria specific to their sector.

Winners were then selected by the 21-seat independent academy that included jury panellists such as Yvo de Boer, Former Director-General of the UNFCCC; Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC); Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin; Kevin Conrad, Special Envoy and Ambassador for Environment and Climate Change, Papua New Guinea, and Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, as well as senior executives from top global companies, politicians and NGOs.

Powered by Carbon War Room, the Carbon Disclosure Project and Greenstar, the 2011 Gigaton Awards were presented by the Gigaton Throwdown, the World Climate Summit and Greenbiz, and sponsored by Siemens, Ernst & Young and NedBank.

For more information, please visit www.gigaton-awards.com.

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About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centres/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company's 110,000 plus employees achieved sales of 19.6 billion euros in 2010, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy. www.schneider‑electric.com/company

About the Carbon War Room
The Carbon War Room harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to unlock gigaton-scale, market-driven solutions to climate change. Over 50% of the climate change challenge can be addressed today -- and profitably --under existing policy and technology conditions. We seek to facilitate a better flow of capital to entrepreneurial solutions that make economic sense right now. For more information, visit www.carbonwarroom.com.

About the Gigaton Throwdown Initiative
The Gigaton Throwdown Initiative inspires companies, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and investors to think big about solutions to the climate crisis. Founded by Sunil Paul in 2007, it sponsors research and awards to educate and inspire the private sector to achieve climate stability. For more information visit: www.gigatonthrowdown.org

About World Climate Summit
The World Climate Summit is a new, open and collaborative framework for business, finance and government leaders to accelerate solutions to climate change until 2020. It is a global platform facilitating large-scale collaboration between businesses, financiers, philanthropists and governments on regional, national and global solutions to climate change.

www.wclimate.com/world-climate-summit/wcs-2011

For further information, please call:
Schneider Electric
Sakina Tazun
Tel: +971 4 7099 624
Email: sakina.tazun@schneider-electric.com

APCO Worldwide (Jiwin Public Relations)
Mathilda Saad
M: +971 55 6999 890
Tel: +971 4 361 3879
Email: msaad@apcoworldwide.com

© Press Release 2011