Advancing Trust Standards for Industrial Sustainability and Decarbonization

Why standards matter for industrial sustainability

Global sustainability transitions are accelerating in every industrial sector. As companies move to electrify their operations, decarbonize supply chains and adopt circular material practices, the need for credible validation of environmental performance continues to grow. Stakeholders, customers, regulators and investors increasingly depend on trusted, science-based standards to evaluate sustainability claims and help prevent greenwashing.

Third-party certification plays a key role by:

• Establishing harmonized benchmarks across markets
• Improving transparency and comparability for procurement and regulation
• Supporting visibility throughout the product lifecycle
• Enabling circularity and responsible material use
• Accelerating adoption of low-carbon, high-efficiency technologies

In short, credible, multi-attribute product-level standards create trustworthy signals that allow the industrial sector to show measurable business value and move more quickly toward global climate and circularity goals.

The collaboration

In November 2025, Schneider Electric became the first company to earn UL Solutions’ ECOLOGO certification for an industrial product, receiving the distinction for its PowerPacT molded case circuit breakers. The certification marks a significant milestone for sustainability in industrial electrical distribution and highlights the collaboration between Schneider Electric and UL Solutions as a demonstration of their shared commitment to advancing environmentally preferable technologies.

The certification is based on UL 2711, the Standard for Sustainability of Energy and Industrial Automation Equipment, which verifies environmental and human health performance across a product’s entire lifecycle. UL 2711, a consensus-based sustainability standard, evaluates products according to a comprehensive set of criteria, including material selection, manufacturing practices, energy performance, product durability, circularity strategies and corporate transparency. Together, these requirements provide a full lifecycle perspective on environmental impact and product stewardship.

Receiving the ECOLOGO certification strengthens Schneider’s Environmental Data Program, an initiative aimed at delivering transparency and consistency in product-level sustainability reporting. Through this program, Schneider publishes standardized Environmental Data Sheets detailing metrics such as material composition, recycled content, environmental impacts, energy usage and end-of-life guidance.

Leadership perspectives

“As sustainability expectations accelerate across the industrial landscape, customers require verifiable, lifecycle based proof that products are designed and manufactured responsibly,” said Marta Asack, SVP Power Products at Schneider Electric. “By applying the UL 2711 multi attribute standard, we can demonstrate credible environmental performance across material selection, manufacturing practices, circularity strategies, and end of life considerations without compromising safety or reliability. The ECOLOGO certification not only validates the progress we’ve made, but also establishes a scalable blueprint for advancing transparency and setting a new benchmark for sustainable innovation across the industrial sector.”

“Schneider Electric’s decision to pursue this achievement highlights how certification by UL Solutions can support companies in meeting market and regulatory expectations while strengthening customer trust,” said Jeff Smidt, senior vice president of Testing, Inspection and Certification, Industrial, at UL Solutions.

“Manufacturers are increasingly expected to demonstrate their sustainability commitments, and this collaboration with Schneider Electric has shown the industrial sector what is possible with certifications such as ECOLOGO.”

Setting a new industry benchmark

Schneider Electric’s ECOLOGO certification shows that industrial equipment, which is often seen as complex and slow to evolve, can meet rigorous sustainability criteria without sacrificing safety or performance.