Powering towards our 2050 sustainability goal

Our Vernier site in Switzerland is a great example of what we can achieve to reduce scope 1+2 GHG emissions and how our efforts are paying off. 

As early as 2007, Vernier was pioneering in our commitment to sustainability, achieving 100% renewable electricity for the site. Since 2010 we have generated our own electricity on-site, thanks to 1,428 square metres of roof solar panels, which produces the equivalent annual electricity consumption of 77 households, partially covering our site’s electricity needs. 

More recently we have been working on an exciting lighting project initiative: replacing 46 luminaires around the site perimeter, we were able to reduce the electricity consumption by 93%, while reducing light pollution and improving safety.

We also developed an online platform to monitor energy consumption. The project is the result of a grid collaboration between the energy and engineering teams and the groups’ support functions. It identifies over-consumptions and corrects them. Thanks to this initiative we were able to optimise the heating in the production sheds, for example, saving 21 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. 

Since 2015 these collective efforts have seen a cumulative electricity saving of 2.3 GWh, equivalent to the annual consumption of 3,000 people, and thermal energy savings of 9.1 GWh equal to 1,649 tonnes of CO₂. The latter represents the annual emissions of 118 people in Switzerland.

Vernier’s energy consumption monitoring contributes to a sustainability culture in the workforce, raising awareness and stressing the value of energy management.