(Yicai) July 7 -- [Editor's note] With the implementation of international environmental, social, and governance standards, industrial development has entered a new era.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the ESG concept. At this important historical juncture, the United Nations Global Compact, the Center for Asia-Pacific at China International Communications Group, and Yicai jointly launched the 'ESG+20 Sustainable Development Leadership Interview Series.' This series explores the insights, achievements, and leadership of Chinese businesses in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility through dialogues with 20 entrepreneurs and on-site visits.

In this episode of the 'ESG+20 Sustainable Development Leadership Interview Series,' we spoke with Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric, who is a true expert on China. Tricoire lives in Hong Kong, speaks Chinese, and has a deep understanding of and insightful perspective on the Chinese market.

Headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, France, Schneider Electric focuses on energy management and automation. It was one of the first companies to join the UN Global Compact, the world's largest sustainability initiative, in 2003.

When searching for Schneider Electric on the UN Global Compact global website, 14 results come out. This is because not only the company's global headquarters but also its 13 subsidiaries across 13 countries submit their ESG reports on a yearly basis.

"We think that in a company, the difference is made on the field," Tricoire said. "It's made on the ground at the level of the countries.

"Of course you have corporate organizations, but actually, their role is to empower field organizations and country organizations to make the things real on operational in the countries," he noted, adding that the world is global but is also different in terms of culture, technologies, and languages.

"What's most important is not to be big, what is important is to be fast and reactive, and that can be done only if you are immensely local," he explained.

"When you are a company, you actually cannot win alone," Tricoire stressed. A company is linked to its suppliers, customers, communities, and shareholders, and all of them have to act as a team to succeed together, he added.

Schneider Electric has been promoting the concept of sustainability to its supply chain partners in China and actively encouraging them to join the UN Global Compact, according to Tricoire.

"In the field of decarbonization, we have a very special global project, called The Zero Carbon Project, where we work very closely with our 1,000 top suppliers," Tricoire said. About 270 of these suppliers are from China. Schneider Electric brings them the methodology, approaches, and technologies, aiming to decrease their carbon emission by 50 percent this year.

This is not a long-term objective, but a very practical one, as The Zero Carbon Project has already helped suppliers to cut carbon emissions by an average of 42 percent, and this process has brought them advantages in efficiency and market competitiveness, Tricoire pointed out.

China is a leader in many technologies for sustainability, including electric vehicles, solar panels, and batteries, so Schneider Electric is sharing its vision with China and Chinese companies to build a world that is more electric and more efficient with green electricity, Tricoire concluded.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione