Companies news

Schneider Electric partners Global Footprint Network to spark conversations for Earth Overshoot Day 2020 with new e-book

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when all of humanity uses more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year.

According to calculations by Global Footprint Network (GFN), an international sustainability think-tank, we are currently using 1.6 Earths. This means that if we continue at this pace globally, on August 22nd, we will have consumed more water, overharvested forests, and emitted more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ecosystems can absorb for a full year.

In business terms, we will exceed the Earth's annual resource budget by August 22nd.

Schneider Electric (SE) has partnered with GFN for the third consecutive year to raise awareness about this issue by providing a business case for the adoption of strategies that can help reduce consumption without any loss in productivity or comfort.

GFN and SE estimate that if all existing buildings and industry infrastructure around the world were equipped with current off-the-shelf commercial technologies, the date of Earth Overshoot Day could move back by at least 21 days.

All of this and more are covered in their joint e-book (link), “Strategies for One-Planet Prosperity”, which presents the framework for companies to remain relevant in a world increasingly shaped by climate change and resource constraints.