Raising awareness of energy management issues
Thanks to its pivotal role in the value chain, its expertise and its commitment to the energy transition, Rexel is an effective advisor not only to all its stakeholders but to all civil society as well.
Improving knowledge
One of the goals of the Rexel Foundation, created in 2013, is to increase knowledge about energy progress. It therefore allocates part of its resources to supporting research programs on new development models for energy efficient solutions, behavior studies, or new equipment in home automation, heating, ventilation, etc.
Block-scale retrofitting
Since 2016, the Foundation has participated in an applied research program on the efficiency and reproductibility of block-scale retrofitting in Oakland, CA, led by the University of California, Berkeley. The project aims to test the hypothesis that a full retrofit led in tandem with all the stakeholders of a neighborhood is more efficient than house-scale retrofitting. Rexel’s US subsidiary Platt is a member of the steering committee and brings its expertise, knowledge of the market and of feasible technical solutions to this pilot program.
Skills sharing
Rexel shares its market knowledge, its experience in energy efficient solutions, and its sustainable development commitments with installers and all of its energy industry partners.
Participating in professional associations
Rexel is a member of the Afep (French Association of Large Companies) and participates in professional associations such as Perifem, the FDME (Federation of Electrical Wholesalers), the NAED (National Association of Electrical Distributors) and the EUEW (European Union of Electrical Wholesalers) in order to connect, share and help advance the profession’s practices. The Group also contributes to more specialized think tanks such as EpE (Companies for the Environment) and Agrion, an international network of professionals who work on sustainable development and energy topics. The Rexel Group earmarked approximately €1.02 million for associations and professional organizations in 2020. This figure is consolidated at Group level each year.
Supporting installers
Rexel is increasing initiatives to assist installers in adapting to market changes and develop their business.
Rexel Expo
Rexel Expo, which was held for four consecutive years in France between 2016 and 2019, is an opportunity to gather information and share knowledge and is open to independent contractors, installers, manufacturers, integrators, local government and influencers. Special emphasis is placed on innovative solutions in the housing, commercial and industrial markets.
More about Rexel Expo Paris 2017 here
Developing the Group’s employees’ expertise
6,000
employees trained in energy efficiency in 2018
250
experts dedicated to energy efficiency, spread across 23 countries
Rexel invests in developing its employees’ expertise in these key areas. Energy efficiency is now an area of expertise for Rexel’s sales force and is an integral part of its offering. Employees’ skills, whether at branches or head offices, add to the quality of services rendered to customers. To help improve employees’ skills, Rexel has developed since 2013 an internal expert community dedicated to energy efficiency with the task of training and raising employee awareness as well as contributing to developing relevant solutions. It is made up of around 250 experts spread across 23 countries and extends to emerging economies.
Energy efficiency training is the cornerstone of skills improvement. Today, 6,000 Group employees have benefitted from such a training. Several dozen training modules from the Rexel Academy, Rexel’s learning platform, are devoted to energy efficiency, with various levels of expertise and specialization, and cover numerous products. In every operating country, training is adapted in accordance to local regulations and market specifics.
Training electricians
In order to improve access to energy progress, the Rexel Foundation contributes to training electricians in developing countries. For the past several years, the Foundation has led these projects in partnership with the Schneider Electric Foundation, public authorities, and local organizations, particularly in China, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Supporting vocational training in the electrical industry in Thailand
The Rexel Foundation is joining with the Department of Skill Development of Thailand’s Ministry of Labor to train 300 electricians.
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Helping to modernize vocational training in Vietnam’s electrical industry
With support from the Rexel Foundation, the IECD will train 720 young Vietnamese electricians with a focus on energy efficiency.
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Outfitting the tool library at a community workshop in La Courneuve
The Rexel Foundation and Bizline provide free supplies to a community workshop opened by the French non-profit “Les Compagnons Bâtisseurs.”
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Raising awareness among middle and high school students in priority education zones about careers in the electrical industry
The Rexel Foundation and the Teknik Foundation are joining hands to co-construct innovative teaching modules
Furthering public debate
COP21 is the 21st Conference of the Parties on climate change organized by the United Nations.
At COP21 in December 2015, the Group positioned itself as a key actor in energy efficiency and climate change among major players from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society. Rexel organized several events during COP21 in Paris, and worked toward an ambitious climate agreement: in signing the manifesto “French companies commit to the climate,” as well as “Company proposals for COP21 in Paris” coordinated by the AFEP, the MEDEF and the Cercle de l’Industrie, Rexel also made a positive contribution to the debate by participating in the Yale Climate Change Dialogue, the Business & Climate Summit, and through the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development).
Sustainable Energy for All
Following the partnership signed in 2015 with the United Nations Foundation, the Rexel Foundation supported the initiative Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL). This global network of energy access professionals brings together energy suppliers and stakeholders from 170 countries in order to work toward meeting the objective of universal energy access by 2030. Within this framework, and under the aegis of the Clean Energy Solutions Center, the Foundation co-organized a series of three webinars in 2016 on the topic of energy efficiency, aimed at public institutions and NGOs.
Raising public awareness
Raising awareness among the public of the issues involved in the energy transition is also one of Rexel’s missions. The tools made available to installers or end users are a means of popularizing energy efficiency solutions, their environmental advantages, and their profitability. The Group’s participation in COP21 was also an opportunity to reach a wide audience. For its part, the Rexel Foundation leads awareness-raising projects among vulnerable individuals and families: civic service missions as part of the Mediaterre project by Uni-Cités, or fighting fuel poverty in working-class neighborhoods with the VoisinMalin association.
“In the industrial sector alone, around 300 billion euros in energy efficiency investments could save 450 billion euros in energy production by 2040.”
World Energy Outlook 2016
