Siemens Canada employees at its head office in Oakville can use provided electric vehicles or charge their own at no cost.Provided
Sustainability is ingrained into everything Amy Geisberger does at Siemens Canada Limited, both internally driving the company toward its goal of net-zero emissions and externally working with its partners.
“Our diverse portfolio covering industry, buildings, electrification and mobility, along with financing solutions, positions us uniquely to empower our customers in achieving their sustainability goals,” says Geisberger, sustainability manager.
Siemens has a proven track record. Since 2019, the company has reduced carbon dioxide emissions in its global operations by 50 per cent. And it spends approximately €6.2-billion (about $9-billion) globally on research and development each year to generate new inventions that drive innovation.
“Sustainability is embedded into our strategy, our technology and our portfolio,” says Faisal Kazi, president and CEO of Siemens Canada. “We not only help our customers address their sustainability challenges and opportunities, but we are also committed to our own goals, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.”
Geisberger is focused on decarbonizing Siemens’ factories in Canada. She and her colleagues developed a road map to achieve net-zero emissions at factories in Concord and Peterborough in Ontario, as well as Drummondville, Que. After installing Siemens’ Enlighted LED light fixtures at the Peterborough facility, along with a network of light sensors and an analytics platform to monitor environmental and occupancy changes, the company has generated energy savings of 500 megawatt hours, worth about $70,000 per year.
Siemens’ experts are not only working to decarbonize their own facilities but are also providing comprehensive solutions for their customers.
“We’re driving decarbonization, energy efficiency and resource efficiency, and we know we cannot tackle climate change on our own,” says Kazi. “Together with our trusted partners, we can deliver end-to-end solutions for any organization’s sustainability journey.”
Siemens Canada strives to inspire its partners by implementing best practices and helping others get there, says Kazi. Siemens’ Robust Eco Design approach enhances the environmental performance of a product throughout its life cycle. At the Peterborough factory, products are now made smaller to reduce materials and shipping, and built using a modular design, so instruments can be broken down and separated for recycling.
Globally, Siemens is putting all its products through a life cycle assessment to determine how much carbon is emitted creating each product. The information gathered will be used to develop new ways to produce the product more sustainably. “We are looking at how we can reduce emissions and the environmental impact as much as we can, from cradle to cradle,” says Geisberger.
Siemens is also committed to educating future generations about green energy technology. “We’ve started an initiative aimed at educating high school students about renewable energy and microgrids,” says Geisberger. “We’re trying to get them excited and provide them with a hands-on learning experience.”
Through its Net Zero Classroom program, Siemens installed a Smartflower microgrid in a Saskatoon high school and plans to introduce more in schools across Canada. The Smartflower microgrid generates 2.5 kilowatts of energy, enough to power a classroom. “What’s cool about the Smartflower is that it follows the sun to maximize energy generation,” she says.
At Siemens Canada, some seemingly small actions are having a noticeable impact. At its head office, there is a no-plastic bottle policy and water dispensing machines were installed. Close to 30,000 plastic water bottles have been saved so far. And every year, the company holds tree-planting events across the country. Since 2012, they have planted more than 17,500 trees.
“We’re a company full of energy and digitalization specialists, and so it’s not surprising that tackling efficiency and decarbonization is something our folks are passionate about, pushing us to be better and innovate at every turn,” says Geisberger.
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.