Transforming buildings into sustainable, high-performance assets — how GIGAMEDIA and Rexel accelerate decarbonization

What are smart buildings and why are they so critical to the energy transition?

Worldwide, buildings account for around 30 percent of energy consumption and emissions. To make a difference, we need to rethink both the materials used in construction, and the way buildings are designed and used day to day. That’s where smart buildings come in. Connected, automated building management systems help building managers and owners achieve significant energy reductions – not only by improving the way energy use is monitored and controlled but also by boosting the efficiency of their electrical networks.

The International Energy Agency estimates that digitalization and smart demand-side management can reduce energy consumption by 10 percent. That’s on top of the 30 percent savings made through high-performance construction and renovation, and further savings from energy-efficient equipment, like LED lighting.¹ And if you look at the network infrastructure for smart buildings, we can increase efficiency by using Ethernet cabling systems (Power over Ethernet, or POE). These supply low-voltage DC power directly to devices, reducing AC/DC conversion losses by 20 percent on average. It all adds up.

Installers and integrators need product solutions and technical support to design and install smart, high-performing, and genuinely sustainable building systems. The combination of Gigamedia’s expertise in data and communications and Rexel’s know‑how in energy efficiency, supported by the OPEN tool, provides a well‑designed solution to design, size, and install interoperable, optimized systems.

You’ve been leading GIGAMEDIA for about three years now. How have you seen demand evolve for sustainable solutions?

GIGAMEDIA provides datacom products and services to clients in the commercial and industrial markets, ranging from major companies to large installers and small offices. We specialize in smart buildings, enabling companies to become more energy efficient, sustainable and high-performance through their networks, servers and systems. Since arriving at GIGAMEDIA, I’ve seen a major shift in demand for sustainability, especially among our largest clients and in continental Europe.

A few years ago, customers focused above all on product quality and compliance, but today many of them have very precise environmental, social and governmental (ESG) criteria: recently, we responded to a request for proposal that assessed suppliers 50 percent on their sustainability performance! It’s becoming a must-have – not only for customers and partners but also for employees who want to work for a responsible company with a meaningful purpose. That’s one of the top questions candidates ask. What drives us is the belief that the more connected a building is, the more energy efficient it will be.

GIGAMEDIA has been certified EcoVadis Platinum since 2024, which means you’re among the top 1 percent worldwide for sustainability performance. How did you achieve this?

Three years ago, we launched our GO4BLUE ESG program with a mission to support our customers daily on their construction sites while controlling the social and environmental impact. As part of Rexel Group, a global leader, we wanted to set an example with a very business-oriented 360° program committed to respecting the environment, helping create a better world through our business, and meeting employees’ needs. So we’re covering all four areas assessed by EcoVadis – the environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. This comprehensive approach helped us achieve Gold in 2023, our first Platinum in 2024 and our latest Platinum score (83/100) in 2025.

Why the name GO4BLUE?

Well, “GO” underlines the real momentum we want to build through concrete action, “4” refers to the four main pillars of sustainability, aligning with EcoVadis and Rexel’s Planet, People, Partners and Ethics & Compliance, while “BLUE,” our brand color, enables us to reinforce a sense of belonging and engagement among our teams and across the value chain. Precisely, all our managers have received sustainability training, and 100 percent of our suppliers have signed our Sustainable Supplier Charter. This involves regular auditing and, if necessary, corrective action to meet our standards.

How else have you involved suppliers and customers in your ESG approach?

There’s been a real change in mindset in the last few years: what some suppliers once viewed with reticence is now seen as an opportunity to develop action plans that will help them meet market demand and accelerate growth. We’ve been cooperating on aspects like optimizing supply-side transport and making detailed product environmental data available to clients. Today, about 600 of our products, representing about 20 percent of our revenues, have a “Product Environmental Profile,” as we call it in France. That’s no mean feat. This kind of data is crucial for companies to meet their climate goals. In addition, we’re using tools like the Rexel Carbon Tracker to help end-users measure the environmental performance of their buildings.

Can you share a few initiatives that demonstrate your commitments?

Although the core of our business is developing integrated solutions, we’re doing a lot to reduce the environmental impact of our products. For example, last year, we cut out 100 percent of secondary (outer) packaging and switched from plastic to eco-recycled primary packaging. Believe me, this is revolutionary! The next revolution will be in changing mindsets to offer our clients eco-designed products and local refurbishment/reuse/recycling solutions that don’t necessarily exist today. We’ve also made changes to the way we run our operations. For example, we’re switching all our commercial vehicles to electric. And we’ll be looking to set precise targets across all areas of our ESG performance.

How will Rexel’s Sustainability Shapers program help?

It’s important for a company like GIGAMEDIA to be visible as a sustainability leader that understands clients’ needs and can help them urgently accelerate their ESG progress. We also want to demonstrate our strong partnership with Rexel Group and other Shapers. As leaders, we must have an ambitious vision for sustainability and we must make it concrete to make a real impact.

¹ Perspectives for the Clean Energy Transition: the Critical Role of Buildings (IEA, 2019).