RUEIL-MALMAISON, France — Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, has received a 2026 Better Practice Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings and Better Plants Initiative. The annual awards recognize partners advancing innovative, industry-leading approaches to energy and resource management.
The company’s winning initiative, “Circularity Highway – Unlocking Waste Reduction at Scale,” standardizes the reuse of excess and obsolete inventory across North America. The program expands a pilot launched at five sites and is scaling across additional equipment facilities and distribution centers.
The approach uses a dedicated digital tool to identify reuse opportunities and match inventory with demand across facilities. Standardized processes are being deployed to convert, harvest, and reintegrate products, reducing reliance on raw materials and improving operational efficiency.
In its first nine months, the initiative strengthened supply chain resilience by avoiding scrapping significant volumes of copper, steel, and aluminum, lowering material demand and associated emissions.
The work reflects how energy technology is reshaping industrial operations, combining electrification, automation, and digital tools to optimize both resource use and performance. By embedding intelligence into supply chain decisions, Schneider Electric is advancing a more efficient, connected, and resilient industrial ecosystem.
Programs like the Circularity Highway demonstrate how digital innovation can turn waste into value while supporting broader sustainability and business goals. More information about the awards and recognized partners is available on the DOE Better Buildings Solution Center: https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/better-project-and-better-practice-awards
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