In today’s fluctuating energy marketplace more and more companies are finding competitive advantage by being proactive with energy management. Smart Papers, a 115-year-old paper maker, recently broke ground on a 40-megawatt, $30 million cellulosic biomass energy production facility. The new high-efficiency co-generation power plant is slated to be completed by spring of 2009 and so by the end of the year all brands will be made using renewable energy created at the biomass facility. The biomass will consist mainly of yard waste as well as industrial wood and fiber waste.

Why would Smart Papers do this?

“This move to carbon-neutral production is the centerpiece of our environmental and energy strategies. It enables us to have a future that is completely independent of volatile energy markets,” said Dan Maheu, President and COO of SMART Papers. “We will reduce production costs, make carbon-neutral papers and greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We will also be a positive contributor to the green power needs of Ohio and the Midwest.”

Mars Snackfood, the makers of Snickers, also recently began powering Texas based candy production with energy created from a Waco, Texas landfill. The project is part of the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program, a voluntary partnership program aimed at encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas as a renewable energy source.

Why would Mars do this?

The EPA estimates that this will save Mars about $600,000 a year in energy costs and cut methane emissions equivalent to more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide since methane is 20x more effective then carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.  

Who else is taking this kind of energy management approach?

Frito-Lay’s Sunchips

The chip factory in Modesto, CA recently installed a five-acre solar field to power its manufacturing facilities. The total 192 solar collectors amount to 54,000 square feet of concave mirrors to capture the sunlight.

REI

In order to meet their objective to be completely carbon neutral by 2020, REI is putting solar electric technology on 11 of its stores this year. The company estimates that the technology will produce approx. 1.1 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, or about 35% of each store’s energy needs.

“This investment in solar technology will deliver both financial and environmental benefits, helping to contribute to the long-term  strength of the co-op and support our goal to reduce our carbon footprint,” says Brian Unmacht, REI’s executive vice president of Sales, Service, Store Development and Logistics.

With energy becoming an unpredictable factor in the business equation, more companies are trying to hedge their risk by engaging in efforts to minimize their exposure to expensive, non-green energy sources. As Will Sarni, Sustainable Life Media Advisor wrote, “The fact is, energy and carbon management may soon become a core competency for business, just as environmental, health, and safety was brought “in-house” once companies recognized these competencies as critical for successful business operations.”

Sattler Eco & Fair Labor Clothing

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