Improving
access to energy
efficiency for all
1.3 billion people still don’t have access to electricity around the world and 2.7 billion people have to use hazardous materials for heating and cooking. The Rexel Foundation for a better energy future aims to improve access to energy efficiency for all by acting together with all the stakeholders in the energy sector.
The momentum of the Rexel Foundation
Three years after its creation, the momentum generated by the Foundation continues, with 48 initiatives supported in some 15 countries with around 50 partners.
In 2015, the Foundation further structured its involvement according to the development level of the countries in which it operates. In developing countries, the Foundation supports initiatives to improve access to energy efficiency and renewable energies in rural areas, as well as emergency relief efforts and electrical vocational promotion and training. In developed countries, the Foundation’s initiatives aim to improve the comfort of households living in fuel poverty and to promote energy retrofits and the development of renewable energies. Regardless of the country, the Foundation supports social innovation and the ethical models of tomorrow.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
The Rexel Foundation has supported 18 community projects to improve access to energy efficiency for communities in need. The Foundation systematically works in partnership with NGOs, other foundations and Rexel’s customers or suppliers.
Electrical vocational training in developing countries is a powerful lever for spreading energy efficiency knowledge and know-how.
Emergency relief in the wake of natural disasters is one of the Foundation’s areas of involvement. In 2015, for example, it worked alongside Électriciens sans frontières (Electricians without Borders, ESF) to rebuild villages destroyed by an earthquake in April 2015 in the valley around Laprak (Nepal).
Energy efficiency is also a means of social and professional integration. In France, the Rexel Foundation has joined forces with the Teknik Foundation to promote careers in the electrical industry among middle school and high school students in priority education zones.
ENERGY VOCATIONAL TRAINING
ENERGY VOCATIONAL TRAINING
In 2015, the Foundation worked in conjunction with the Thai Ministry of Labor’s Department of Skill Development (DSD) to provide educational kits as part of a program to train 300 young Thai people in the electrical and automation trades each year beginning in 2016. In Vietnam, the Foundation partnered with the EICD (European Institute for Cooperation and Development) to develop a training program intended to reinforce the employability of young people in Ho Chi Minh City, with the goal of training 720 students over three years.
PROMOTING THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY
Launched in April 2015 under the aegis of FACE (international foundation whose objective is to fight exclusion, poverty and discrimination), and in conjunction with the French Ministry of Education, the Teknik Foundation is developing a nationwide project to foster interest in the technical and industrial sectors and to promote equal opportunity and diversity. Rexel France contributes to developing educational modules and leading training sessions in middle schools and high schools. A total of 100,000 young people in around 15 regions will benefit from this initiative between now and 2020.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
To a large extent, the promotion of energy efficiency relies on knowledge sharing in order to better understand energy consumption behavior and help change habits or develop new solutions. The Foundation therefore supports educational projects and research programs, primarily by providing grants to students and researchers and funding studies related to energy efficiency. It thereby contributes to building a shared knowledge bank on energy efficiency.
In 2015, the Rexel Foundation signed a partnership agreement with the United Nations Foundation related to the Millennium Development Goals. For example, the Foundation is co-organizing three webinars on the topic of “Energy efficiency, for energy access” in 2016.
In 2015, the Foundation also contributed to the publication of two practical works. The Social Impact Assessment Guide, written by (IM)PROVE, is aimed at social entrepreneurs.
The other project, a reference base for successful electricity access projects, was developed with the help of Électriciens sans frontières (Electricians without Borders, ESF), the electrical supply manufacturer Hager and various experts. It lists important criteria and best practices.
PROJECTS
SUPPORTED BY THE
REXEL FOUNDATION
SINCE ITS CREATION
FOCUS IN PICTURES ON PROJECTS SUPPORTED
BY THE REXEL FOUNDATION
Social innovation
THE JOINT SKILLS PLATFORM FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
The primary vocation of the Platform, created in 2014 by the Rexel Foundation for a better energy future, is to support social entrepreneurs during the launch of their projects or while taking major steps in their development. The Foundation not only offers them financial support, but it also gives them access to tools, skills, expert networks or new markets.
The Platform is a vehicle for social innovation, driving the emergence of new business models responding to environmental, economic and social needs in order to accelerate the energy transition. The Platform also supports the development of mechanisms that are either innovative or not yet widespread in traditional markets.
PRESENTATION OF THE REXEL FOUNDATION PLATFORM
FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
SOCIAL IMPACT AND INNOVATION IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY
The Foundation’s support on the Platform focuses on the following three areas of action: promoting new modes of energy production, distribution or funding, optimizing the energy efficiency of buildings and changing behavior by awareness raising and training.
The promotion of renewable energies was put into practice namely by supporting the Énergie Partagée network in France, which accompanies grassroots organizations in their interaction with public bodies so that they can develop, fund and manage their own projects for the production of renewable energy. The Foundation’s funding enabled them to raise awareness among 103 representatives and 300 citizens for 19 project initiators in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region (France).
HOUSING RENOVATION: THE DORÉMI INITIATIVE
HOUSING RENOVATION: THE DORÉMI INITIATIVE
Optimizing the energy efficiency of buildings can be illustrated by the support offered to the DORéMI* initiative, whose mission is to foster widespread access to housing renovation. Its concept is to offer private owners or communities a simple framework guaranteeing efficient housing renovation and cost control thanks to training and worksite assistance provided by groups of skilled professionals. The Rexel Foundation funded the framework’s launch and implementation. About 30 DORéMI facilitators were trained in 2015. With an average of five such groups in each geographical area, the program aims to reach about 100 groups of installers by 2016, in order to renovate 1,000 to 1,500 homes per year beginning in 2017.
*Dispositif Opérationnel de Rénovation énergétique des Maisons Individuelles, an operational framework for the energy retrofit of single-family homes
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: THE GOSOL ASSOCIATION
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: THE GOSOL ASSOCIATION
Changing behavior through awareness raising and training can also be accomplished via initiatives based on open source and DIY (Do It Yourself). To this end, the Foundation supports the Finnish association GoSol, the first digital platform designed to transfer technology to the most disadvantaged communities. GoSol develops free construction guides enabling farmers and craftsmen in developing countries to build solar concentrators so that they can access green, free and self-produced energy. An initial construction guide for a 1m2 solar concentrator was released online in 2015. A second one for a 4m2 machine will follow in 2016.
Call for projects among employees
For the first time in 2015, the Rexel Foundation launched a call for projects among Rexel employees in order to involve them in its community projects. The call was heard and generated considerable enthusiasm. Launched within the framework of EcoDays, it responds to the desire of the Rexel Foundation and the Group’s employees to intensify their efforts to help the most disadvantaged. The “Rexel Foundation and Employees Awards” were launched in April 2015, inviting all employees to present a project. Six projects were selected by a judging panel before being voted on by employees in October 2015. Three projects received the “EcoDays Award” but all six will be funded and implemented in 2016.
1ST PRIZE: FIGHTING FUEL POVERTY IN AUSTRIA
1ST PRIZE: FIGHTING FUEL POVERTY IN AUSTRIA
In Austria, fuel poverty affects 200,000 to 300,000 people. Submitted by Rexel Austria, the project will be led in partnership with the NGO Caritas among 170 households per year. It will involve diagnosis and advice, providing or replacing certain electrical installations and temporary financial support for people struggling to pay their energy bills.
We want to be able to expand our services throughout Austria and raise awareness of energy efficiency
2ND PRIZE: PROVIDING ELECTRICITY TO 12 VILLAGES IN THE PHONGSALY REGION (LAOS)
2ND PRIZE: PROVIDING ELECTRICITY TO 12 VILLAGES IN THE PHONGSALY REGION (LAOS)
This project initiated by BizLine, one of the Group’s own brands, will be implemented with help from Électriciens sans frontières (Electricians without Borders, ESF). The installation of solar panels and hydroelectric solutions will provide electricity to villagers’ homes but also to infrastructures such as schools and hospitals.
We will be able to continue to help disadvantaged populations by improving their access to energy efficiency
3RD PRIZE: IMPROVING THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF VILLAGERS
IN CAMBODIA
3RD PRIZE: IMPROVING THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF VILLAGERS IN CAMBODIA
Rexel in Asia-Pacific, the Western International School of Shanghai and Partnering Against Poverty Association will install solar panels to respond to the energy demand of the inhabitants of Preah Dak, in the Siem Reap region (Cambodia), who traditionally rely on polluting lead-acid batteries and diesel generators, by providing them with access to clean, sustainable energy.
This award allows us to supply Solar PV Panels, mounting systems, cabling and electrical protection to the site