The sustainability craze
28 February 2012 – Sustainability is the topic of conversation this week, started off by Mars Chocolate North America opening a solar garden at a production facility in Nevada that will provide 100% electricity during peak opening hours.
“At Mars Chocolate North America, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the world,” says Mike Wittman, vice president of supply. “We are proud of the investments we are making to ensure we are using the earth’s resources responsibly. This newest solar garden moves us closer to our goals of eliminating our carbon footprint at our sites by 2040 and using 100 percent renewable energy.”
The solar garden features 2,112 ground-mounted solar panels on 4.4 acres, and is the largest solar installation by a food manufacturer in Nevada. The installation generates 1,258 megawatt hours of zero-emission electricity each year, offsetting 867 metric tons of greenhouse gas – the equivalent of removing approximately 170 vehicles from the road. The project will generate as much energy as 115 Nevada households use annually.
Mars isn’t the only manufacturer working on improving its sustainability efforts, The Hershey Company is another big player, who recently announced that three of its manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania have achieved zero waste to landfill status.
The trend is passing down to small to medium sized companies who are focusing on using sustainable packaging. For example, Miss Muffet & Co has decided to wrap its range of premium confectionery using Innovia Films compostable cellulose based material, Natureflex.
The need for sustainability is driven by consumers as well as governments, and although it seems to be fashionable at the moment, I think it is nieve to think that cost and efficiency will not always be the main factors of consideration.
