Employees at Siemens Canada get together to plant trees.Supplied
For Natalia Malafeeva and Anna Bremermann, there’s an easy way to point to the sustainability strengths of Siemens Canada – they show off their headquarters in Oakville, Ont. Their president and CEO, Faisal Kazi, has called the uniquely renovated building a “living lab” for the company’s technologies addressing energy transition, smart buildings, electric mobility and digitalization. The company regularly tours visitors around the building to show what’s possible when it comes to decarbonization.
As head of sustainability, Malafeeva has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to enhancing energy efficiency in buildings by improving their control strategies. By applying this approach at headquarters, Siemens has significantly reduced its energy consumption. One key aspect is the use of LEDs, complemented by Siemens’ subsidiary product Enlighted, which uses sensors to control lighting levels across all floors and rooms. “We managed to cut our lighting electrical consumption by around 75 per cent,” Malafeeva explains. “Previously, lights would be on late, even on a Sunday, but now our office is dark when unoccupied.”
In fact, a key sustainability principle since the 1980s has been first finding ways to reduce consumption. “You want to minimize that energy consumption so that the solar panels, wind turbines or battery storage that you procure only need to produce the least amount of energy, as such technologies can be very costly,” she says.
Siemens has also achieved a 30-per-cent reduction in overall electricity consumption at its headquarters by utilizing its own building automation system, Desigo CC, in conjunction with existing building commissioning. This system optimizes mechanical equipment for heating and air-conditioning, contributing to significant energy savings, according to Malafeeva.
All of which makes Bremermann’s job easier. She’s a strategic business development analyst who supports the company’s corporate business development and sustainability efforts. “We are proud to be showcasing Siemens technologies and our sustainability portfolio through our living lab,” says Bremermann, who works closely with Malafeeva. “It’s a very tangible way to show customers how they can implement innovative technology in their operations.”
Bremermann joined Siemens in 2024 after earning a Bachelor of Science honours degree from Queen’s University followed by a master of science in sustainability management degree from the University of Toronto as well as interning at Siemens. “I found my values completely aligned with those of Siemens,” she says, “The idea of technology with purpose resonated with me. Their approach is very strategic, with its strong emphasis on decarbonization. Sustainability is intertwined throughout the Siemens portfolio.”
Malafeeva adds another example from Siemens’ own operations. Its largest Canadian manufacturing plant, located in Drummondville, Que., is about to implement a major decarbonization project for its processes producing electrical panels, circuit breakers and other such devices. A major element is electrifying processes that today require burning natural gas. Because the factory is located in Québec, where electricity is produced mainly by hydro power, this factory is the first to be decarbonized at Siemens Canada.
“What makes me the proudest working for Siemens is that we drive for physical emission reduction without relying on purchase of carbon offsets,” says Malafeeva. In fact, in 2015 Siemens was one of the first major industrial companies to commit to becoming carbon neutral in its own operations, pledging to achieve net-zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.
With offices across Canada, Siemens is also electrifying its vehicle fleet and has banned one-time-use plastic bottles and cutlery at office sites. Since 2019, the company has reduced global emissions by 60 per cent and, Malafeeva adds proudly, “what Siemens Canada does definitely impacts the overall story – the efforts that Siemens is making globally.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.