September 2025 Lighthouses: Schneider's circular distribution centre in Évreux recognised

2025-09-16 · Publisher : World Economic Forum / Schneider Electric · Domain : Industry 4.0 & 5.0

Schneider Electric's Évreux distribution centre becomes a WEF Sustainability Lighthouse: the group's first circular distribution centre, with energy down 18% and single-use plastic down 40% in two years.

### Background On 16 September 2025, the World Economic Forum announced a new **Global Lighthouse Network** cohort (12 new sites in seven countries, according to The Manufacturer). Schneider Electric's distribution centre in **Évreux**, Normandy, was recognised as a **Sustainability Lighthouse**. ### Key features - Évreux is Schneider Electric's **first circular distribution centre**, run on a "use better, longer and again" model. - A **digital customer platform** handles ordering and take-back of over **3,000 product types**, putting them back into circulation. - Over two years: energy consumption **−18%**, single-use plastic **−40%**. - It is Schneider Electric's **sixth** Sustainability Lighthouse, the highest number of any company in the network. ### Why it matters Lighthouses usually showcase factories; Évreux shows that logistics and the product return loop (take-back, refurbishment, reuse) are also Industry 4.0 territory. The model anticipates EU ecodesign and Digital Product Passport requirements, which will require tracking equipment over its whole life cycle. It is also a French site in a network dominated by Asia. ### Key takeaway Circularity becomes an industrial capability driven by digital tools, demonstrated by a French site.

Tags : Lighthouse, Durabilité, France, Économie circulaire, Logistique