Switchgear tech receives sustainable design award

Schneider Electric’s medium-voltage switchgear technology, AirSeT, has been recognised by the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders as a Champion of the Scope 3 Downstream Solutions Challenge in the Sustainable Design category.

This prestigious recognition highlights AirSeT’s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across electrical distribution systems.

By replacing sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), a greenhouse gas with 24,300 times the global warming potential of CO₂, with pure air and vacuum technology, AirSeT eliminates one of the most potent contributors to Scope 3 emissions in electrical infrastructure.

“Product design is where downstream impact often begins,” said Pim Valdre, Head of Climate & Nature Economy, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum. “Sustainable design can deliver exponential benefits, including lowering costs, enhancing safety, ensuring regulatory compliance and reducing emissions across the entire life cycle.”

Since the 1950s, SF₆ has enabled the industry to reduce switchgear size and improve safety. However, this has come at a significant environmental cost. AirSeT, which powered by purified air rather than SF₆, is easy to manage and integrate, while being resilient to evolving environmental regulation.

By eliminating SF₆, AirSeT helps customers reduce regulatory risk, enhance worker safety and lower long-term operational costs. Since the launch of AirSeT, Schneider Electric has helped avoid 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) as of June 2025, a contribution validated by third-party auditors as part of Schneider Sustainability Impact.

Delivered in familiar form factors and with the same operating procedures, AirSeT is also natively digital, enabling smarter grids and AI-driven, condition-based maintenance at scale across data centres, industrial sites and infrastructure. Designed with circularity in mind, it features enhanced electrical and mechanical components for five-times more operations, spare parts, retrofit and modernisation capabilities, with removable breakers for extended lifespan.

Image caption: Schneider Electric’s AirSeT was honoured by the World Economic Forum for Excellence in Sustainable Design. Image supplied.