Kew Gardens partners with Schneider Electric on climate-positive push

4 September 2025

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has struck a strategic partnership with Schneider Electric as it works towards becoming climate positive by 2030.

Under the agreement, Schneider Electric will become Kew’s official Energy Sustainability Partner, providing on‑site consultancy and engineering support to cut carbon emissions and improve energy performance across the estate – including the UNESCO World Heritage site at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst in Sussex.

As part of the plan, the company will second a dedicated energy optimisation engineer to Kew to help identify and deliver energy‑saving opportunities, from upgrades to building management systems and HVAC plant to exploring technologies such as battery storage and microgrids.

Rachel Purdon, head of sustainability at RBG Kew, says the move “marks a major step forward” in addressing the dual challenges of climate and biodiversity. She says:

“With Kew’s unique combination of historic buildings, globally irreplaceable collections, and role inspiring diverse audiences to connect with nature, we face complex and wide-ranging challenges. Schneider Electric’s expertise and hands-on support will be invaluable – it will help us deliver real, measurable decarbonisation progress across our sites.”

Kelly Becker, president of Schneider Electric for the UK & Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, says the collaboration would combine both organisations’ impact ambitions:

“Maintaining a reliable energy supply is critical to safeguarding Kew’s globally important plant and fungal collections – and we’re proud to help make that possible. We have deep experience with helping organisations like Kew advance their energy resiliency, a growing priority across businesses, utilities, and communities worldwide. In Kew’s case, maintaining a consistent energy supply is essential to protecting the world’s largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections for humanity – and we’re honoured to be a part of the solution.”

The first phase of work begins this month with Schneider’s consultant joining the team on site.