Nexans’ First Climate Day

Nexans organized its first Climate Day on September 22nd in Paris at the GoodPlanet Foundation. With world-renowned experts, the event put the issues of climate change, energy transition and sustainable electrification of the planet in the center of the discussion.

As climate change accelerates, while the energy transition is underway, the question of the sustainable electrification of the world is pressing upon us ever so urgently. This is the reason why Nexans has organized its first Climate Day to search for answers to the planet’s call for sustainable electrification.

One of Nexans’s objectives is to bring together leaders of diverse opinions to discuss the major issues that lie ahead of us in the electrification of the world. The company does not have the answers to all of these questions alone. This is why this inaugural Climate Day allowed debates to begin to structure collective thinking around the responses to be provided. Yann Arthus-Bertrand, an environmentalist, activist, journalist and photographer; chairman of the GoodPlanet Foundation,  gave a very humanistic vision of the ecological question before Mark Lewis, Global Head of sustainability Research at BNP PARIBAS Asset Management, explained why investors are turning more and more to companies that are engaged in renewable energies.

“Through the organization of this Climate Day, Nexans is asserting itself not only as an actor but also a thought leader of the energy transition for a sustainable electrification of the world. This electrification of the world raises a number of challenges and paradoxes that must be overcome,” said Christopher Guérin, CEO of Nexans.

Edouard Lecerf, Deputy general director of the BVA Institute, presented the results of a general public survey, comparing French, English and American public opinions followed by a roundtable discussion among Christopher Guérin, Chrystel Heydemann, Executive vice-president, France Operations Schneider Electric, Mark Lewis, and Emmanuel Fagès, Partner in charge of electrification issues at Roland Berger consulting firm. The debate was based on an unprecedented global study by Roland Berger on the paradoxes that the electrification of the world raises.

The five paradoxes are:

• 1. Climate change affects populations who are not decision-makers (young people and emerging countries)
• 2. The regulatory framework is not harmonized and carbon prices vary between different regions of the world
• 3. Social acceptance and willingness to pay of customers are low
• 4. Investments in infrastructure renewal to secure supply are low
• 5. The network is neither configured nor sized to be managed and adapt to these changes

The highlight of the event was Nexans’ commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. Nexans unveiled its detailed roadmap of achieving this goal before it formalized a partnership with the French skipper Fabrice Amedeo, who takes part in the world biggest solo sailing race Vendée Globe Challenge. Fabrice Amedeo will sail  around the world non-stop and without assistance.

Several members of the Nexans Executive Committee Nexans seized this opportunity to present the company’s actions in areas of product recycling to minimize environmental impact; the offshore wind energy market and the key role that Nexans plays; the asset management offer to address ageing grid infrastructure to support energy transition; the electrification of remote rural areas or African countries; and the Nexans Foundation.